My last post was an Easter post. Easter is the biggest Christian holiday we celebrate each year – Jesus’s death on the cross, not ending in death, but in life and resurrection! It is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Following the resurrection, Jesus then was alive with his disciples, teaching them, even appearing to more than 500 people at a time(1 Cor 15:6). He then gave us the “great commission” – “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). The gospels (the accounts of the life of Jesus through Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) end with Jesus ascending to heaven.
The Book of Acts picks up from there, which is where I want to go to next because Pentecost is coming!
Beginning in Acts 1:3-5:
After his suffering, he presented himself to them (the disciples) and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 1:3-5
This day of baptism would fall on the Jewish holiday of Pentecost or Shavuoth, also sometimes called the “Feast of Weeks”. It was a grain festival the Jewish people celebrated as commanded in Exodus 34:22: You shall observe the festival of weeks, the first fruits of wheat harvest, and the festival of ingathering at the turn of the year. So there were many Jewish people from all over coming to celebrate the holiday.
Pentecost is also one of those Christian holidays you may or may not take notice of, but it is awesome! – the filling of the believers with the Holy Spirit! This year Pentecost falls on May 31st, and I thought it would be good to prepare for the holiday by writing and sharing about the third person of God – the Holy Spirit!
I guess the first thing to talk about is the “who”, not “what” of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a person, not a thing. And even though there is the word “Spirit” or in some traditions “Holy Ghost”, he is not an apparition of some kind, but rather a complete “person” or entity as part of the trinity of God. As an equal part of God, he has the same nature and being as God the Father and Jesus the Son. Just as when Jesus said, “because you have seen the Son, you have seen the Father”, so it is with the Holy Spirit.
The next most important thing to talk about is His purpose in God’s plan. It is the Holy Spirit who draws us to know Jesus; he is the promised gift or seal of “God within us” for the new believer – giving us conviction that we are saved and belong to God; he teaches us to be more Christ-like and brings about conviction and power to conquer sin in our lives; he is sometimes called “Counselor”, “Spirit of Truth” or even “The Voice of the Lord”. It is by the Holy Spirit that there are signs and wonders, but these are to point to saving work of Christ on the cross.
Christ knew that he would come after him…after his resurrection. He had prepared his disciples with these words:
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. John 14:16-17
And also,
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14:26
When Jesus asked the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, I am sure they didn’t know what to expect! I doubt they realized the power of God, which was going to come down on them!
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:1-4
The purpose of the ability to speak in different languages was that there was in Jerusalem Jews from every nation gathered. Through this miracle, those visiting Jerusalem from many different places could hear and understand the testimony of the believers about Jesus. That is what happened: as soon as the believers received the Spirit of God, they began to praise God, talk of the wonders of God and Jesus Christ,
The crowd reacted:
Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome(both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
Peter boldly got up and began to preach and teach about Jesus. He was bold and spoke the words God gave him to say, because he was speaking through the influence of the newly poured out Holy Spirit and many believed him asking:
“Brothers, what shall we do?”
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. Acts 2:37-41
It was not Peter who convinced 3,000 people to believe in Jesus. It is the work of God, specifically the work of the Spirit of God working through Peter. The Holy Spirit prepares people’s hearts to hear and accept the word of God. So, he calls us to God. Sometimes it happens seemingly all at once, but usually it is a little bit at a time. Giving us some glimpses, some questions, or just a desire for something more from God. He has been working since that Pentecost outpouring on the disciples long ago and has not stopped moving since.
On a more personal note…
Besides my own conversion which changed my life, I would have to say the aspect of the Holy Spirit I love the most is the intimacy of God/Jesus always being with me. The knowledge that I am never alone, that I can always pray and ask for help, or comfort, or wisdom. He is my secure knowledge that I belong to God because he speaks into my life regularly.
The Holy Spirit is open to each of us as we seek him. Jesus said:
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Luke 11:9-13
If you find yourself wanting the Holy Spirit to enter your heart, so that you can experience forgiveness and cleansing of sin, and new life in Christ, I don’t have all the answers, but you are welcome to contact me at dana@danasdevotions.net.
It begins with a simple prayer where you recognize that you have done wrong against God and other people (sin), and you ask for forgiveness from God. You put your faith and belief that Jesus’s death on the cross was unique in that it paid for our sins. As you thank Jesus for his death and resurrection you can rest assured that he forgives all sin for those who are truly sorry and desire forgiveness. When you believe in Jesus’s death and resurrection, and put your faith in him, you are then at peace with God! He has made you holy through the blood of Jesus, not by your effort, but through Christ. This is grace. You belong to him as part of his family and can receive the Holy Spirit by asking Him to enter your heart. Ask him to teach you and be a helper to you as begin your life as Christian. You will have lots of questions. Being a Christian is not just about being forgiven of sin once, it is a lifetime of following God and learning about him and his ways. God is loving and patient. This is a long-term love relationship, not boot camp. Still, little by little, as you grow you will find yourself changing and loving God and others all the more. And isn’t love what everything comes down to in the end anyway?
danasdevotions.net 