Now we have come to the end of 49 days, and Pentecost is finally here! On this special day, I reflect on the power of the Holy Spirit that came down upon all the believers, and from which the church was born. The culmination of this power was that the Gospel entered Rome. In Acts 28, Apostle Paul marched into the city of Rome powerfully, with nothing to stand in his way. Boldly and without hindrance, he preached the Gospel.

This year, for the Catholics, the previous pope passed away, and a new pope was chosen. Watching their ceremonies online, I came to realize that the Vatican does not encompass the entire city of Rome, but a small section within that city. However, it is so symbolic that a Christian stronghold stands within the walls of Rome, a city that once horrifically persecuted Christians. And, historically, Christians had conquered the entire city of Rome and its global empire.

Whenever I think about such historical facts about church history, I feel deeply that “Nothing can stand in the way of the Gospel.”

Recently, our Pastor spoke about prayer, expounding upon Jesus’ message that we must pray with absolute conviction that the Lord will answer our prayer. If so, a mountain will even move and throw itself into the sea. Faith is where we can see something already accomplished now, even though it is still in the future. In that sense, faith is really scary.

To me, Acts 28 is proclaiming this kind of faith. It’s telling us that God’s kingdom will be accomplished for sure. Apostle Paul’s faith was such that, to him, God’s kingdom had already been accomplished. Such was the certainty with which he lived and prayed. I want to live with this kind of scary faith where I can see the future already fulfilled today.

Because of lack of faith, we hesitate so much and lose time and opportunities. I often see this hesitation in our members. But faith makes us move and act boldly. Like Acts 28 says, “boldly and without hindrance” the apostle preached in Rome.

I am trying to learn to live as a person of the Holy Spirit this way. To live without hesitation. To trust in the Holy Spirit’s protection and guidance. I hope that this year I can embody the Acts 28 faith of preaching “boldly and without hindrance” about Jesus Christ and God’s kingdom.