At the first Pentecost, recorded in the Book of Acts, the disciples and fellow Jews were all together in one place. “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting… All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:2–4). This moment fulfilled the prophecy of Joel, where God promised to pour out His Spirit on all people (Joel 2:28–29).
Jesus himself had prepared His disciples for this gift. He said, “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever – the Spirit of truth” (John 14:15–16).
Then, just before His ascension, Jesus gave this promise: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Pentecost comes 50 days after Easter. The Holy Spirit does not only empower believers for witness, he also teaches and reminds us of Jesus’ words (John 14:26), intercedes for us in prayer (Romans 8:26), assures us of our salvation (Romans 8:16) and produces spiritual fruit in our lives (Galatians 5:22–23).
As we approach Pentecost, let us pause and learn to stop relying on ourselves, so that the Holy Spirit can work in and through us.
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
LEARNING TO LET GO, LET GOD
Earlier in my life, as a young executive climbing the corporate ladder, I worked as if my success depended entirely on my own effort. I worked extremely hard, often seven days a week. It was unsustainable. I was burning out, and my family life was quietly falling apart.
That season continued for more than 20 years, until 2011 when my wife Wendy signed me up for a DISCIPLE 1 class. Looking back, that was a life-transforming moment.
The class met every Monday evening for 34 weeks, from 7.30pm to 10pm, ironically my peak working hours as the editor of a daily business newspaper. I skipped the first session to attend what I thought was an important banquet. I assumed, as in previous years, that I would be given a ‘seat of honour’ at one of the three tables being served. However, on arrival that night, I was told I would not be seated at any of these honoured tables. Instead, I had to go around the other tables to find a seat. God used that moment to teach me something deeply about humility and priority. From then on, I did not dare miss another DISCIPLE 1 session.
I went on to complete DISCIPLE 1 and then DISCIPLE 4 the following year. Around that time, Rev Fred Tan, then overseeing Discipleship and Nurture at Wesley Methodist Church, planted this thought in my head. He said, “If you honour God with your time, God will honour you with His time.”
So I made a commitment to set aside Monday evenings for God. I facilitated DISCIPLE 1 in 2013 and 2014, then participated in DISCIPLE 3 in 2015, before moving on to the Companions in Christ (CIC) programme from 2016 to 2020. Looking back, the years from 2011 to 2016 turned out to be my best years at work. Remarkably, even though I spent less time in the office, I achieved much more work-wise by relying more on God. That was my first lived experience of the power of the Holy Spirit.
“If you honour God with your time, God will honour you with His time.”
GOD’S WORK, GOD’S WAY
In 2013, Rev Fred Tan mooted the idea of a DISCIPLE Committee chaired by a lay person. Among the few facilitators at that meeting, I was the least qualified, having been only in my third year of the programme. However, all the DISCIPLE veterans were already fully committed to other ministries. So I agreed to be the Chairperson.
As a newbie, I received help from a friend in another Methodist church, then the most vibrant DISCIPLE church. I prayed that one day Wesley would be the same.
I stepped down as DISCIPLE Chairperson in 2015 and in 2017 became the CIC Chairperson. We started with just one CIC class in 2016. Once again, God provided support through another Methodist church. Once again, I prayed that Wesley would become a vibrant CIC church.
Today, Wesley is the most vibrant DISCIPLE and CIC church among the Methodist churches. I attribute this not to personal capability, but to the Holy Spirit empowering and working through many people, laity and staff, over time. When it is God’s calling, God provides the power and brings others alongside to complete the work He has begun.
THE SPIRIT AT WORK IN THE FAMILY
The Holy Spirit’s work is not limited to church ministries or our workplaces. He also works gently and powerfully in families.
In 2022, my wife Wendy and I brought my eldest sister, whom I call Dajie (big sister), to a Mandarin Ministry outreach service at Wesley Sanctuary. She responded to the altar call that night but days later said she was not sure what she had done, and she backed away from that commitment.
In February 2023, our Mandarin Ministry organised another Chinese New Year evangelistic outreach. Before the event, Wendy and I had lunch with Dajie and explained clearly what it meant to respond to an altar call and to accept Christ. We also addressed several of her concerns. She told us she was not ready to accept Christ, and we respected her decision. We invited her simply to attend the event.
That night, with more than 500 people gathered at Wesley Hall, the hosts invited those who wished to accept Christ to come forward. Somehow, I turned to my right and called out softly, “Dajie.” To my astonishment, she stood up and walked up to the stage without saying a word to Wendy or me.
When I later watched the recording, she was the fifth person to go forward, and she stood on stage facing the audience for 14 minutes. Wendy wondered if we should join her on stage, but she looked calm and at peace, so we stayed seated.
Recalling that moment months later, Dajie shared with a pastoral team member, Chow Yuen Peng, that it must have been the Holy Spirit who prompted her. She did not know where the courage came from. This was especially remarkable because Dajie was naturally a very timid person. Praise the Lord! Dajie went on to attend the Alpha programme and was baptised in December 2023.
“Though naturally timid, Dajie found courage she knew could only have come from the Holy Spirit.”
THREE DISCIPLINES I NOW HOLD ON TO
From these experiences, I have learned three discipleship practices:
- Let go, and let God. I surrender my concerns to God. I do my best and trust that God will do the rest. God will bring others alongside me for His purposes.
- It’s about my availability, not my ability. As a popular Christian saying puts it: God does not call the equipped. He equips the called.
- Do not run the race alone and turn it into a rat race. Instead, run it with God and rely on God’s grace. God says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
PENTECOST, THE ACTS 2 CHURCH AND VISION 2035
Pentecost invites us to pause, not to slow down for its own sake, but to be renewed and powered by the Holy Spirit, who alone provides the fuel for a sustainable and flourishing ministry.
How does all this connect to Vision 2035, where we seek to be a Welcoming, Missional and Caring Church?
In the Great Commission, Jesus commands us to “go and make disciples of all nations.” On the first Maundy Thursday, He gives us the Great Commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34–35).
Vision 2035 envisages Wesley Methodist Church living out both, by becoming a Welcoming, Missional and Caring Church. In so doing, we become a great community, resembling the first church in Acts 2: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer… All the believers were together and had everything in common… And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:42–47)
The Acts 2 church was welcoming in fellowship, missional in witness and caring in generosity. It was all empowered by the Holy Spirit.
As Zechariah 4:6 reminds us: “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,” says the LORD Almighty.
(Photos courtesy of Alvin Tay)
Read also: Leadership and Servanthood in Ministry: Looking Up to God for Vision and Guidance
