Today is Pentecost, the day that the Holy Spirit was poured out on the apostles and then on many Christians. Now let’s start off with some verses from God’s word, “When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”” Acts 2:1-13
In the old testament, Pentecost is the first day of the Feast of Weeks or the Feast of Harvest, (Numbers 28:26-31, Leviticus 23:15-16, Deuteronomy 16:9-12) it is also the fiftieth day after Easter. The week that Jesus died coincides with Passover, the week that Jews celebrate their freedom from Jewish slavery in Egypt (Deuteronomy 16:1-8). At Passover, Feast of Weeks, and Feast of booths are times when all Jewish men were supposed to appear before God (Deuteronomy 16:16). It is so amazing that God poured out the Holy Spirit on mankind at the beginning of a feast where all Jewish men went to be with God. The day that Jews would have started to go to appear before God was the day that God chose to change his chosen dwelling place from the temple to the heart of every Christian. So, we do not have to go find God, because He is always with us and always able to help us through the struggles in our lives, always there to forgive us when we fall, and always there to hear our prayers and walk through life with us (Romans 8:26-28). We no longer have to find where God dwells because He dwells in us (2 Timothy 1:14).
Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would come and that we would be able to do greater things through Him than even Jesus had done (John 15:26, John 14:12). Anyone who Believes has the ability to feel the prompting of the Holy Spirit and do even greater miracles than Jesus did through the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38). Like I said last week, I believe we have the Holy Spirit within us, but we do not have the level of submission to the Spirit like the apostles did (Acts 7:51). You can choose not to submit to the Holy Spirit, but we should submit and let the Holy Spirit show us the paths we should take. God gives us the strength we need, to do exactly what He calls us to do (Romans 8:26-28). If we listen, then He will give us the knowledge to know when a coworker or schoolmate is struggling and give us the ability to know what to say to encourage and share the Gospel with them. We can pray in the name of Jesus and people will be healed with the power of the Spirit, if it is His will. He will give us power to reach others beyond our own ability, knowledge beyond our years, a supernatural love for people, patience, self control and joy (Galatians 5:22-23). He will also give us power to continue on when we feel like quitting (2 Corinthians 13:4).
After the passage we read above, there were three thousand who were saved in response to hearing about Jesus in their own language (Acts 2:41). This passage also tells us that we can receive the gift of the Holy Spirit; “And Peter said to them, “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. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”” Acts 2:38-39 God was drawing them to Him through their own languages. If you do not know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you can accept Him today, all you have to do is to admit that you are a sinner, believe that He died on the cross for your sins, and confess Him as Lord of your life (Romans 10:9-10). The reason we need a Savior is because, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12) and we can only be with God, if we accept the gift that Jesus paid for our sins which was death (Romans 6:23) and ask Him to be our Lord and Savior.
For those who are Christians, this week look for the fruit of the spirit in your life and see where God is moving. Remember that He sent the Holy Spirit to live within each and every one of us. I want to encourage you to grow in your relationship with the Holy Spirit and learn to know His voice and promptings (2 Peter 3:18).