Sometimes we put so much emphasis on Christmas and Easter, we forget about Pentecost. Today is Pentecost Sunday or Whitsunday as it is sometimes called.
Of course this is the fulfillment of two promises made in the Bible concerning the coming of the Holy Spirit. In Joel ch. 2, the prophet foretold that God would pour His Spirit out on His people and the result would be new dreams and visions. Can you imagine the scene in Acts 2 when the sound of the mighty rushing wind and the symbol of tongues of fire accompanied the coming of the Holy Spirit? For Jesus Himself had said “I will go away, but I will send a Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to abide with you!”
Simply, what does this climactic event mean for us? It really was the birth of the Church, but God’s gift of the Holy Spirit is an amazing miracle.
Of course this is the fulfillment of two promises made in the Bible concerning the coming of the Holy Spirit. In Joel ch. 2, the prophet foretold that God would pour His Spirit out on His people and the result would be new dreams and visions. Can you imagine the scene in Acts 2 when the sound of the mighty rushing wind and the symbol of tongues of fire accompanied the coming of the Holy Spirit? For Jesus Himself had said “I will go away, but I will send a Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to abide with you!”
Simply, what does this climactic event mean for us? It really was the birth of the Church, but God’s gift of the Holy Spirit is an amazing miracle.
During this past week someone asked me “How can I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?” I could have reached for all my thick theological tomes, but on reflection, I was reminded of a simple concept. When Jesus said that He was going away, He said He would send another ‘Comforter’, the Holy Spirit. The literal translation of the Greek is ‘One Who will come alongside’. When we reach out to Jesus and are born again, it is the Holy Spirit Who comes alongside us to make Jesus real to us, to bring to us the feeling of intimacy in prayer and daily living that we have with the Lord Jesus. It is the Holy Spirit Who brings conviction, and challenges our consciences. It is the Holy Spirit Who brings the presence of Jesus to us in both times of great need, and times of great joy.
It is through the Holy Spirit that we are sealed into the worldwide Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit is shaping us to be more like Jesus. Our faith is based not on emotion, but on real actual identity.
We try to imagine our great Triune God and try to explain Him through various analyses. Instead, let us be filled with awe and wonder, because God had given to us part of Himself to illuminate Jesus Christ in our lives, and to grow into His likeness. This is confirmed in Romans 8:16 - “God’s Spirit joins Himself to our spirits to declare that we are God’s children.” GNB.
May you be blessed as you walk with Him.
…...Roger Matthews