Nike’s “Just Do It” message generated $9 billion in just 10 years. Despite its dubious origin, the ad urged people to “just do” things they knew needed to be done but were fearful to do. When God initiated His plan to communicate the Good News about His Son, God used a different strategy. Jesus began with 12 apostles. That number expanded to 120 on the Day of Pentecost, which came 50 days after the death and resurrection of our Lord. When Pentecost arrived, God dispatched His Holy Spirit to baptize and indwell those 120 people in the Upper Room. Ever since that day, God’s Spirit has indwelled and empowered his people to transmit the Gospel message—from generation to generation. Today more than two billion people claim Jesus Christ as their Savior and have become His followers. When the Holy Spirit arrived on Pentecost, He brought the wisdom, energy, and power to transmit the Gospel message and carry on the work Jesus started. That work includes proclaiming God’s forgiveness of sins through Christ. His work also includes performing deeds of love and kindness because of our devotion to Jesus and our compassion for people.
