THE SPIRIT AT PENTECOST – Part 1 of 2

Jesus said to His disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  (Acts 1:8 NIV)

“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.  Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.”  (Acts 2:1-6 NIV)

Before ascending to the Father, the Risen Christ promised His disciples that He would be with them always through the gift of the Holy Spirit. He promised that they would receive power when the Spirit came upon them, and He charged them to be His witnesses beginning in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria and out to the ends of the earth. And on the day of Pentecost it happened! It was a sudden, powerful and dramatic event that defied description. They could only say it was like the sound of a mighty, rushing wind, and there was the appearance of tongues of fire and harmonious, understandable, and incredible communication. The Spirit of God had come upon them and they had become the church of Jesus Christ. They and the world would never be the same again! They had received the gift of the Spirit. 

-- James W. Moore and Bob J. Moore in “Lord, Give Me Patience!... And Give It to Me Right Now!” 

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THE FIRE OF THE SPIRIT

“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. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.” (Acts 2:1-6 NIV)

I owe everything to the gift of Pentecost. For fifty days the facts of the Gospel were complete, but no conversions were recorded. Pentecost registered three thousand souls. It is by fire that a holy passion is kindled in the soul whereby we live the life of God. The soul's safety is in its heat. Truth without enthusiasm, morality without emotion, ritual without soul, make for a Church without power. Destitute of the Fire of God, nothing else counts; possessing Fire, nothing else matters. 

--  Samuel Chadwick in “The Way to Pentecost”  

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THE ROLE OF THE SPIRIT

“And I (Jesus) will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor -- Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever -- the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive [and take to its heart] because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He (the Holy Spirit) remains with you continually and will be in you.”  (John14:16-17 AMP)

Without Pentecost, Easter reminds the church that Jesus has now gone to be with God and His followers are left alone in the world.  Without Pentecost, Easter offers us a risen Christ whose return to glory leaves the church to face the world armed with nothing but fond memories of how it once was when Jesus was here.  But with Pentecost, Easter’s Christ promises to return and has returned in the Holy Spirit as comforter, guide, teacher, reminder, and power.  With Pentecost, the church does not simply celebrate but participates in Easter.  With Pentecost, the risen Christ says hello and not good-bye to the church. 

-- Dr. Fred Craddock 

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THE SEAL OF THE SPIRIT

“In [Christ] you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory.”  (Ephesians 1:13-14 ESV)

Have people ever told you they loved you, but their actions betrayed their words?  When I was in seventh grade, I thought a boy loved me.  The notes he passed to me in math class said so.  In reply, my notes were always "sealed with a kiss."  But one day my boyfriend saw me being silly with my friends, got embarrassed, and dumped me!  When I grew up I met Skip Heitzig.  He also told me he loved me, but he showed me how much by sealing his love with a ring.  That ring became my guarantee that Skip would do what he said.  It represented the promise that one day Skip would take me as his bride.

Jesus loved you so much that when He made you His own, He put His "seal of approval" on your life.  That seal is the Holy Spirit, who is your guarantee that God will do what He has promised you.  He is completely trustworthy.  Paul said that when you believed, "you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit."  The Holy Spirit's indwelling in your life is your engagement ring.  God intends to marry you, His bride, at the marriage supper of the Lamb.  God's love letter, the Bible, is better than any romance novel, and He made certain it was "sealed with a kiss."

-- Lenya Heitzig and Penny Pierce Rose in “Pathway to God's Treasure: Ephesians”

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THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

“Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”  (Acts 2:38 NRSV)

To repent is to change your mind about the way you have been living. It is to decide to stop following the way of sin and to start following the way of Jesus. When the decision to repent is coupled with trusting faith in Jesus, the result is conversion. William Barclay writes, “When repentance comes, something happens for the future. We receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Even if we repent, how are we to avoid making the same mistakes over and over again? There comes into our lives the power which is not our power, the power of the Holy Spirit, and in that power we can win the battles we never thought to win, and resist things which by ourselves we would have been powerless to resist. In the moment of true repentance we are liberated from the estrangement and the fear of the past, and we are equipped to face the battles of the future.” 

-- Richard Peace in “Learning to Love God”

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