Pentecost Sunday!

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mattrose
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Pentecost Sunday!

Post by mattrose » Sat May 18, 2013 11:53 am

Did you know that Sunday, May 19th, is Pentecost Sunday? It is understandable if you did not. In most Christian circles, Pentecost doesn't get nearly the publicity of Christmas or Easter (let alone July 4th!). Nevertheless, I'd like to share some thoughts concerning the Holy Spirit...

1. The Holy Spirit brings the presence of God
Jesus promised that He would not leave us as orphans. Indeed, He said it is BETTER for us if He departs and sends the Spirit. And Jesus delivered on His promise. He ascended. The Spirit descended. How is this better? Jesus could live next to us, but the Spirit can live in us. God in me?!?! People in our culture get excited about getting near celebrities... how much more should Christians get excited about God living in them? But the presence of God in us is not just something worth getting enthused about. The presence of God transforms us. God can't live in you without changing you. God's Spirit in you will produce fruit... genuine character transformation.

2. The Holy Spirit brings the power of God
Jesus said that we'll do even greater works than He did. How could that be so? It is so by the Spirit, working in all of us. We can do amazing things because God is in us. As one author put it, if you asked me to write a Shakespearean quality play, I couldn't do it. I just don't have the means. But if you, somehow, put the spirit of Shakespeare in me, I could. Likewise, if you ask me to do the awesome stuff God can do, I couldn't do it.... but if you put the Spirit of God in me, all things are possible. The Spirit gives each believer spiritual gifts build the church. In fact, God can't live in me without changing us.

3. The Holy Spirit brings the passion of God
Jesus said that when the Spirit came, the believers would be His witnesses. And that's just the way it happened. The Spirit always drives us toward the lost. God can't live in me without changing the world. It's interesting in Acts 2, on the original Christian Pentecost, the believers started out huddled in a house. The Spirit came upon them and, without noting the transition, we suddenly find the crowds all around them and Peter preaching outside! How did they get there? It seems that the Spirit was responsible for transitioning them from a holy huddle to a public place. The Spirit moves us to mission.

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