“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”
Acts 2:1-4 NIV
What a moment!
Centuries before…in a garden, at the beginning of time…the only two people on earth failed a simple test. They doubted the word of their Creator…and fell for the lie of the usurper. They changed allegiance, and altered the destiny of the human race…in one act of defiance. The mighty Spirit, whom God had given them to guide their steps through life, had vacated His throne within them. He left…and all they had was a life of hardship and struggle…alone in a hostile world…to navigate by their own wisdom and wits.
The centuries between had revealed what mankind could achieve by their own efforts. Chaos, disaster, and ruin! Religions, created out of human imagination, lured them into slavery in a vain attempt to fill the void the Spirit had left. The people God loved and created for His glory had become garbage…ruined and wasted…and only fit for the trash heap.
But God…
He would never abandon His precious creation…made in His image, to be like Him, and destined to reign with Him and to enjoy His realm forever…to the fires of eternal punishment for their foolishness.
He stepped into time…took on humanity…and bore the brunt of human rebellion in His own body. Now ascended and glorified, He would once again return, in the person of His Spirit, to take His rightful place within His redeemed people once again.
And the Spirit returned with a flourish… not quietly… as when the Creator breathed His breath into the clay form He had fashioned. He came visibly…with noise and power. The sound of a gale-force wind…the sight of a fiery Presence that filled the place where the people had congregated. It was real…this return of God’s own presence to indwell His people forever. He would never leave them again. Guaranteed! They had His Word!
“If you love me, keep my commands. 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 him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”
John 14:15-17 NIV
Not only did the Holy Spirit flood His own people that day but He also, through the mouths of the followers of Jesus, called others to join them in the glory of this new life.
“When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken…both Jews and converts to Judaism; Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”
Acts 2:6, 11 NIV
The story was out! The people heard it in their own languages. Peter interpreted the strange things happening. This was God…doing what He promised to do despite the stubborn rebellion of His people. He would return to rescue them…to save them from their sin…to bring them back to life and to fill them once again with His own presence and power…
…and this was it!
“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.”
Joel 2:28-29 NIV
“After all the devastation and ruin and punishment…I will return…to bless and fill you with myself once again.”
Despite the appearance…not drunk but filled with the “new wine”.
“These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: …’And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.…”
This was Jesus…the Jesus you killed but…He’s back!
“Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross…
“But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him….
“God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear…
“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
Acts 2:15-16, 21-24, 32-33, 36 NIV
The Holy Spirit, whom God poured out on all flesh on that day, is God’s gift to everyone who believes in Jesus. He comes in power and presence to make alive those who are dead in trespasses and sins. He baptises the new believer into Christ Jesus, fills each one with His presence, and seals them as God’s own possession for eternity.
The Holy Spirit within us is our Helper, Teacher, Counsellor, and Guide. We love Him… we trust Him…we listen to Him…we follow His leading. He is Christ’s own presence in us…the hope of glory.
He came on that day…and He will never leave!
To be continued