John 14:16 (NIV)
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with
you forever--
Sunday,
June 8, is Pentecost Sunday. It is the Sunday that the Church remembers and
celebrates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all believers. It reminds us of
that powerful day, recorded in Acts 2.
Acts 2:1-4 (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.
It was
on that day that God fulfilled Jesus’ promise to send another Counselor, the
Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit. From that day on, the believers were empowered
by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Gospel to the entire world. “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)
For many
believers, this is much more a historical event then a present reality. When I
was growing up in church, we rarely spoke about the Holy Spirit. Our focus was
on what Jesus did for us on the cross. That is essential, but it is only a part
of the story. For us to become the transformed, new creations promised in the
Bible, we need the abiding presence of God in our lives; we need the Holy
Spirit.
Paul makes
it clear that if we do not have the Spirit living in us, we are not a part of
the Body of Christ. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature
but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not
have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. Romans 8:9 (NIV) The
abiding presence of the Holy Spirit is the affirmation, the guarantee of God’s
saving, redeeming, and transforming work in our lives. And you also were included in Christ
when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having
believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who
is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are
God's possession--to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:13-14 (NIV)
The
role of the Holy Spirit is to guide us through life. He leads us into truth and
guards us against falsehood. But when he, the Spirit of
truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own;
he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
John 16:13 (NIV) He will shape our character and reshape us into the image of
Christ. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there
is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)
The Holy
Spirit is the presence of God in every believer’s life. He speaks to us at the
deepest levels of our soul. He guides us in the paths of righteousness. He
guards us from the influence of the Evil One. But we have a part to play in
this. We must listen to the Holy Spirit. He is not going to overpower our will.
He gives us the information we need to make wise decisions. He also gives us
the power and the courage to follow through when we choose to listen to His
voice. We can resist His influence, but that always leads us in the wrong
direction.
For us
to grow and mature in our faith, we need the Holy Spirit. We need to recognize His
presence. We need to tune into His voice. We need to follow Him in obedience.
This
Sunday, June 8, is Pentecost Sunday. Let it remind us that we have been
empowered by the Spirit to be Christ’s ambassadors in our world.
Galatians 5:25 (NIV)
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
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