On the day of Pentecost, Peter gave a sermon and an altar call, and used a passage from Joel chapter two to help the people understand what was happening:
“‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved'" (Acts 2:17-21).
Note the kind of language he used. The last days referred not to the end of time, but to the new covenant in Christ when the Spirit would be poured out on all people. Then the smoke, darkness, blood moon, and fire were not to be taken literally, but were images to indicate that a seismic spiritual event, the coming of the Spirit, was taking place. Since all those images were not to be taken literally, then let's continue that pattern to understand the rest of the passage.
It can't mean that only young men will see visions and only old men will dream dreams. These phrases seem to say that now that the Spirit had come, everyone (young, old, men, women) would be hearing from God through various means. There would be no limitation as there was in the old covenant as to when and how God spoke to His people. It would now be one surprise after another, one cataclysmic revelation after another, that would happen day and night and would involve and include the young and the old alike. No one was or would be exempt or left out of this heavenly outpouring.
Since this series is dedicated to the theme 'Never Too Old for Purpose,' let's focus on what this means for those who are 'up in years.' It simply means that the Spirit doesn't take a break from speaking to you just because you're old—however you define the word old. You may think, "I'm old and retired and I've earned the right to do what I want" but God may not pay attention. The only way you can stop the dreams and visions and prophesies from coming is if you choose for Him to stop by repeatedly ignoring His prompts because in your mind you're off duty and elderly.
What dreams and visions do you have even though you're in the later stage of your life? What is the word of the Lord He has given you to disseminate? Are you ready to help create the smoke and fire and upheaval in heavenly realms as you obey the Lord and partner with Him to bring transformation to others and the communities where they live?
The Spirit of God is no respecter of persons. That means if He wants to use you, He doesn't care how old (or young) you are. He's looking for people of faith who will partner with Him to rock the world. God knows how old you are; you don't have to inform or remind Him. Therefore, if He chooses to speak to you, He expects you to act and not offer up lame excuses that center around how many decades you've been on earth. The time to act now, and when you do, you'll shake the heavens because the God of the universe has stirred you to do great things for Him. Have a blessed week!
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