The Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday
Pentecost commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ, while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks. Pentecost means 50 days: marking from the cross, His Resurrection, to Pentecost. It is our Great God… through Gethsemane (Jesus prayed for the Father to release Him from the suffering – but said, Your will not mine be done), Golgotha (the hill where Christ was crucified), and Good Friday (the day of Jesus’ resurrection).
I personally feel that Church has failed to develop all of the components that Pentecost Sunday represents. The most important part of Pentecost is not about speaking in tongues.
The gifting of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost was a significant moment that continues to bless the lives of all believers. It empowers Christians to live out their faith and proclaim the Gospel. It’s this same Spirit that transforms our hearts and lives within us. Ultimately, the goal of Pentecost is to become Spirit-empowered witnesses: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
The Holy Spirit brings a peace into our Soul. We become empowered within our Christian walk. God sent Jesus to save us, because we needed a way out of sin and could not do it ourselves.
Jesus gave us salvation, which contains freedom from torment, well-being, healing, prosperity, ongoing protection, preservation from evil, and escape from death – by way of an eternal place in heaven. When Jesus left our physical realm, He said: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.” (John 14:16-17 NLT) Revelation, strength, encouragement, direction, and wisdom come from the Holy Spirit.
The message of the cross and the power of the Holy Spirit are equal foolishness to the world. For us who believe, it reveals the glory of God. God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength (1 Corinthians 1:18-25). When we grasp that the way to glory is suffering, God can do a new work in us! Pentecost ties the meaning of the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ together. God oftentimes uses suffering to lead us into His glory. This glory we receive is a possession of the Spirit, for the purpose of becoming witnesses.
The festivity of Pentecost whispers to us throughout the Bible: Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Harvest, the Festival of Ingathering (first fruits) before the Sovereign Lord (Exodus 23:14-19). Count off 50 days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord (Leviticus 23:15-16).
Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the Lord your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you (Deuteronomy 16:10).
We also have sightings of the Holy Spirit showing up before Pentecost. In the New Testament, Elisabeth, John the Baptist’s mother, was filled with Spirit as she saw the pregnant Virgin Mary. Suddenly, quiet fearful Elisabeth becomes wise and bold as she prophesies immediately (Luke 1:39-41). Then, there’s the old widow-prophetess Anna, when she gazed upon Jesus who was taken to the temple (Luke 2:36-38). Of course, there’s John the Baptist, Forerunner for Jesus Christ – himself filled with Holy Spirit.
In Acts, the power and presence of the Holy Spirit was given to the church for the sake of its vocation as a witnessing community.
How might the church today respond to this vocation?
I believe the church is being called by the Spirit to bear witness of Christ, offering the hope of Jesus during today’s uncertainty and difficulty. Despite our circumstances (good, bad, or indifferent), we must be ready to give account for the hope that is in us. The Holy Spirit enables us in “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance” (Acts 28:31).
The Church must lead with creative, Spirit-led discipleship practices, which will equip followers to endure faithfully in the face of suffering and anguish with Christ. Let us be believers today, filled with the Spirit, as if the Pentecost of yesterday is fresh and new, right this moment!
