THE PROMISED HOLY SPIRIT
For
those unaccustomed to liturgical traditions, Pentecost Sunday (May 19, 2024) is
not something we typically recognize or celebrate. It occurs 50 days after
Easter, commemorating the Spirit’s descent upon the Apostles and Pilgrims
gathered in Jerusalem over 2000 years ago.
Through the Spirit’s empowerment,
the Apostle Peter reminds the masses of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
The crowds heard the message in their languages. Peter invites them to repent
and to receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38-39). The worldwide Church of Jesus
was born.
Jack Deere,
formerly an associate professor of Old Testament at Dallas Theological
Seminary, wrote and published the groundbreaking book, “Surprised by the Power
of the Spirit in 1993; the Baptist world was rocked. Since then, many Southern Baptists have
been challenged to reconsider the traditional “cessationist” doctrine a
view that does not believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit, including
prophecy and tongues, are operational in the Church today.[1]
Not only Baptists but other Christian denominations also need help understanding the Holy Spirit. Was the Holy Spirit’s
outpouring on the Day of Pentecost a coincidence or a fulfillment of God’s
promise? On this Pentecost Sunday, I hope that God might surprise you with a downpour
of His Holy Spirit on us. Is the promised Holy Spirit for all people or only
for a few? What is the Holy Spirit’s role in a believer’s life? (John
14:15-31)
I. The Promised
Holy Spirit
In the 9th Century B.C, God spoke through
his prophet Joel saying, “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, and your
young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will
pour out my Spirit in those days.” Joel 2:28-32.That would mark the era of
the Holy Spirit.
In the first century A.D., Jesus
made this promise to his grieving disciples in line with Joel’s prophecy. John
14 16-17, “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 nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives
with you and will be in you.” Joel’s Prophecy and Jesus’ Promise were fulfilled
in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost.
About 120 disciples, according to
the instructions of Jesus, kept meeting in a house, praying and waiting to
receive the promised gift of the Holy Spirit. On the day of Pentecost, fifty days after Christ’s resurrection, the promised
Holy Spirit descended upon the believers in an upper room, and all the Jews
from around the world gathered in Jerusalem.
Those filled with the Holy Spirit
began to speak a language other than their native Galilean, proclaiming the
beautiful things that God has done. After hearing the wonderful things the
disciples said, the devout Jews in Jerusalem and visitors from over fifteen
countries were amazed and perplexed. They asked one another, “What does this
mean?
The Apostle Peter reminded them
about Joel’s prophecy. Those who heard were cut to the heart and asked Peter
what they should 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.” Acts
2:38-39. Did you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit when you believed? John
14:15-31 gives two reasons why all believers need the Holy Spirit.
II. The Holy
Spirit as a Teacher
Before ascending to heaven, Jesus commanded
his eleven disciples to “make disciples of all nations (people), baptizing
them in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you.” Matt 28:19-20.
Jesus never, then, and now will
ever force His followers to obey Him. Our obedience to Jesus’ commands is based
on our love for Him. This is what Jesus would say to all his followers. “If
you love me, keep my commands.” (John 14:11). Listen carefully. It is not
if you fear me, but if you love me. He would say, “Whoever has my commands and
keeps them is the one who loves me.” Knowing and keeping His commandments is
the proof of our love for Him.
To help his followers love Him, he
asked the Father to give us another advocate to help and be with us forever—the
Spirit of Truth.” He further assured us that when the promised Holy Spirit
comes, He will teach and remind us of everything that Jesus initially taught
His disciples.
The Holy Spirit, also known as the
Spirit of Truth, is our teacher. He doesn’t teach us anything new, but only
what is already communicated through Jesus’ early disciples, also known as the
Apostles. Those teachings are recorded for us in the Holy Scriptures, the
Bible. Asserting the scriptures’ anointing, the Apostle Paul wrote this to his
disciple Timothy. II Timothy 3:16-17, “All
Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may
be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
To love Jesus, we need to know and keep His commandments.
We read them in the 66 six books of the Bible. You open the Bible and begin to
read it. Ask the Holy Spirit, the great teacher, to guide your reading just as
He guided the writing of the Bible. He will illuminate His Word so that we will
know the Truth, the person Jesus, and He will set us free from our sins.
III. The Holy
Spirit as a Comforter.
The disciples were heartbroken with the thought that
Jesus was going away and they may never see Him again. To comfort His grieving
disciples, Jesus made this promise to them. My Father will send you another
advocate (Comforter) to help you. He will be with you and in you.
If you believe in Jesus, the
promised Holy Spirit, also known as the Comforter, lives with you and lives in
you. When we are hurt physically, we take medicine to relieve the hurt and
pain. How about when we are emotionally and mentally hurt? Who or what can
truly comfort and console our internal hurt? When you are afraid, discouraged,
depressed, and anxious about the unknown future, who do you turn to? That is,
then, we cry out for the help of the Comforter.
The Holy Spirit that lives in us would lead us to God’s timely,
healing, and encouraging words for every trouble we might go through in life.
Listen to King David, who was misunderstood, ridiculed, and roamed in the
wilderness because Saul threatened to kill him. During such troubling moments, David penned these
comforting words of the Shepherd. Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk through the
darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your
staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4 What are you afraid of today?
Tim S. Laniak has a whole chapter on the Shepherd’s staff in his
book, “While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks.” Laniak observes, “The most subtle
use of the staff is to “be in touch,” with someone who may just need a word of
encouragement.” Are you in need of comfort today?
Are you going through the darkest valley? Fear Not! The Shepherd’s
Staff will comfort you. The Holy Spirit, our Comforter, will come alongside to
encourage you, saying, “Do not be afraid! I am with you.” Then, we might say,
“My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.”(Ps 119:50).
“When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” (Ps 94:19).
Apostle Paul asked believers in
Ephesus if they received the Holy Spirit when they believed. They said, “No, we
have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” Acts 19. You may have been a
believer in Christ for a long time. But did you receive the Holy Spirit? On
this Pentecost Sunday, you can also receive the Promised gift of the Holy
Spirit. By Faith, you ask the Father to pour the Holy Spirit over you. Come
Holy Spirit! Fill our hearts!
