Jesus Initiated a Season of Encounter
Easter weekend seems to be a marathon moment for most churches, with Passover Seders, Good Friday gatherings, Saturday family fun, and Sunday services that—from the parking lot to the platform—include a much more elaborate presentation than usual. Excitement builds, the weekend experience is wonderful, and then momentum wanes only to pick up again for passionate gatherings around Pentecost Sunday.
As I sat reflecting on Christ's journey from betrayal to resurrection, I was struck by what happened after His time in the tomb. Jesus did not simply rise and depart. He initiated a season of encounter.
For forty days, the risen Christ met with people in their weakness, confusion, and need. He encountered the runaway, Peter. He met the doubter, Thomas. He came to the fearful disciples behind closed doors. He walked with the disoriented and skeptical on the road to Emmaus. Again and again, Jesus revealed Himself, spoke peace, restored hearts, and strengthened faith. This post-resurrection season was not random. It was preparation.
The Preparation of the Post Resurrection Season
Jesus was preparing a people for the promise that was coming at Pentecost. They did not arrive in the upper room unaware or untouched. They were pursued by the risen Christ. They were encouraged, comforted, corrected, and anchored by His presence so they would be ready to receive the Helper He had promised.
Pentecost was not disconnected from the resurrection. It was the continuation of Christ's victory. The risen Jesus first revealed Himself to His followers, and then He readied them for the gift of the Holy Spirit. What came in Acts 2 was preceded by personal encounter, patient instruction, and the steady ministry of the resurrected Christ. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)
"After His suffering He presented Himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the Kingdom of God." (Acts 1:3 NRSV)
This is still the way of Jesus. Before great outpouring, there is often deep encounter. Before fresh empowerment, there is personal restoration. He meets people in their failure, fear, confusion, and disappointment, not to leave them there but to prepare them for what is next.
The risen Christ is calling us into a season of preparation through daily encounters with Him unto a greater outpouring of His Spirit. Will you respond?
Encounter: Journey to Pentecost
To guide you into deeper encounters with Jesus and a living experience of Pentecost, we offer this simple, Spirit-led pathway:
1. Give God your first hour.
Before the noise of the day begins, step into the secret place. Let your spirit burn before anything else tries to consume your attention.
If an hour feels like a stretch, start with fifteen or thirty minutes and build. The key is consistency, not perfection.
2. Pray in the Holy Spirit daily.
There is a mystery and a power in praying in tongues that bypasses limitation and aligns you with the perfect will of God (Romans 8:26–27). Pray in tongues during that first morning hour and all throughout your day. This is how you build yourself up (Jude 1:20). This is how the flame stays lit.
3. Fast with purpose.
Fasting is not just abstaining—it is awakening. It sharpens your discernment, humbles your soul, and breaks spiritual resistance. Jesus said, "When you fast," not if (Matthew 6:16). And in Isaiah 58, we see that true fasting looses chains, breaks yokes, and releases justice. (Photo via Unsplash)
4. Take communion daily.
Do not let the cross become distant; make it a daily encounter. Remember His body broken for your wholeness and His blood shed for your victory. Receive strength, healing, and renewal as you partake. This is not ritual; it is participation in the finished work of Jesus and a continual alignment with His life.
5. Build in community.
If you're married, contend together. If you're single, find agreement with others. There is multiplied authority in unity (Matthew 18:19). Share what God is speaking. Strengthen one another in the fire.
This is not a time to coast. This is a time to contend.
The Kingdom of God suffers violence and the violent take it by force—intentionally asking, seeking and knocking (Matthew 7:7, 11:12).
This is not a time to scatter, but to gather oil.
Be like the wise virgins in Matthew 25, who prepared their lamps and were ready to meet the Bridegroom when He came. This is not a time to be passive, but to be precise in our devotion.
This season is a prophetic gateway toward preparation for a fresh outpouring of God's Spirit in the midst of shakings, but the preparation begins now. The call to consecration has been made, and those who carry the fire will not be caught unprepared. The fifty days to Pentecost may have begun on Resurrection Sunday, but Heaven is not bound by calendars.
You can step into the fire today. So, the question is not whether the fire is available... the question is will you tend the flame?
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Anthony Medina
HopeFires International
Email:Â info@hopefires.com
Website:Â hopefires.com
Anthony and Melissa Medina are a dynamic husband-wife ministry team called to ignite hope, healing, and spiritual hunger—fueling revival lifestyles and reformation in every sphere. They founded HopeFires International, an itinerant ministry that blends their complementary gifts to deliver sound Biblical teaching, mobilize fervent prayer, and host the presence and power of God for life transformation. For over a decade, they served as pastors, co-led a school of supernatural ministry, and directed Prayer, Prophetic, and Deliverance Ministries. Today, they travel, resource Believers through media, and equip leaders to build sustainable cultures of intercession, prophetic ministry, and deliverance. Their primary focus is Puerto Rico's spiritual transformation. They are CFNI graduates, ordained under Generals International, and parents to their teenage son, Caleb.
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