“If you love Me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever –” John 14:15 -16 “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. He will bring glory to Me by taking from what is Mine and making it known to you.” John 16:13-14 (NIV)
INTRODUCTION
Last Sunday, 20th May, was Pentecost Sunday – the birthday of the Church. Pentecost simply means “fiftieth” and refers to the celebration that is held fifty days after first fruits. It is said to refer to the day the Israelites left Egypt after their deliverance from Egypt after the Passover.
“Pentecost” also refers to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ after our deliverance from sin through His crucifixion on the cross. The Old Testament “Pentecost” marked the day the Law was given on Mount Sinai and in the New Testament, it is the day of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Church. Both the Law and the Holy Spirit were given at Pentecost but with completely different results. The giving of the Holy Spirit led to the salvation of 3,000 unbelievers – Acts 2:41. While the Law brought judgment, the Holy Spirit brought love and life to us.
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS LOVE
The Holy Spirit continues to bring love and life to unbelievers. The harvest that began on the day of Pentecost, more than 2,000 years ago, continues today, and will continue until the end of the Church age. The Holy Spirit is the agent of Pentecost and the revelation of the love of God. God loves so much that He will not leave us as orphans but has sent the Holy Spirit to be always present with us – John 14:18. The Holy Spirit is a person and not a force or a thing as some believe. The Scriptures confirm this by the personal ways in which The Holy Spirit responds and the personal things He does. The Bible also makes it clear that the Holy Spirit is one with God the Father and God the Son – John 14:16. Since God is Love the Holy Spirit is also Love. This is seen in the attributes that are given to Him and which are without exception, the attributes of God. He is Eternal, Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Omniscient. The Holy Spirit is love and out of love gives us spiritual life so that we can relate to God. God is Spirit and the only way to relate to Him is in spirit and in truth. The proof that we belong to God is seen in our love towards one another, for God is love.
The purpose of the presence of the Holy Spirit is to confirm God’s love and His acceptance of Christ’s perfect sacrifice. The presence of the Holy Spirit is to reveal and glorify Jesus Christ and to fill us with His love. The Holy Spirit enables us to understand the revelations of Jesus perfect sacrifice. He reveals that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross has made the blessings of God available to all us. The Holy Spirit not only reveals and glorifies Jesus Christ but empowers us to love and to serve Him.
The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to give life. He gives life to those who are spiritually dead. Christ has paid the penalty for our sin and made it possible for us to receive His life. Why do we want to wait? Let us accept Christ as Saviour and Lord so that the Holy Spirit can empower us to live the life of Christ – 2 Peter 1:3-4.
THE HOLY SPIRIT EMPOWERS US
The presence of the Holy Spirit empowers us with the grace and truth of Christ “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” – John 1:17 (NIV). It is by grace that we have been saved – Eph. 2:8-9. Grace empowers us to live the truth. Without the grace of God we could not love as God has commanded us to love and we could not manifest the truth of God’s Word in our lives. The love of God enables us to love even those who wrong us and persecute us. Jesus died for us when we were still sinners because of His love for us. Jesus loved us to the end and prayed for us even when He hung on the cross in excruciating pain. Indeed it is by grace that we have victory in our lives. It is by grace that we are able to “…..to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy, nothing will harm you” Luke 10:19. The grace of God is sufficient for us.
When a loved one leaves us to go on a journey, we always urge him to write and inform us of his safe arrival. It is only when a letter arrives in the loved ones own handwriting, postmarked with the name of the place, that we are sure he has arrived (these days, we accept text, WhatsApp and Facebook messages). On the day of Pentecost the disciples received a personal letter from Christ postmarked from heaven with the Holy Spirit, confirming that Christ Jesus had arrived at the seat of “all power and authority.” The evidence is so compelling that it requires far more not to believe in Christ than to believe in Him. Christ sent the Holy Spirit to lead the believer into the abundant life He promises in John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” If we are not enjoying His abundant blessings in our lives then what we need to do is to accept God’s offer of salvation for grace and truth through Christ Jesus.
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS OUR HELP
The Holy Spirit is the greatest single help that God has provided for those who sincerely desire to enter into all the fullness of victorious and fruitful Christian living. We all need the Holy Spirit. Indeed Jesus places an obligation on all believers to seek Him when He says “If you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” – Luke 11:13. Let us ask the Lord to fill us with the power of His Holy Spirit so that our lives will glorify the Name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Stay blessed!
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I’m blessed and understand so may things now.
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