The Holy Spirit of God indwells Christians and He has been active in many ways from Old Testament times to the present day. In creation, the whole Trinity was present (Father, Son and Holy Spirit): “the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” The Spirit also guided priests, prophets and kings in the First Testament.
One important prophecy is Ezekiel 36:26: “I will give you a new heart and pour out a new spirit among you; I will take away the heart of stone that you now have and put a heart of flesh in you.” God promised a new heart that would work from the inside out, instead of the law working from the outside in.
This was fulfilled at Pentecost when every person who believed in Jesus Christ received the Holy Spirit. For Jews, Pentecost is the celebration of receiving the Law to Moses fifty days after God brought his people out of the kingdom of Egypt. For Christians, Pentecost is the celebration of receiving the Holy Spirit fifty days after Jesus brought his people out of the kingdom sin and death. After leaving Egypt, the people received the law; after Jesus’ resurrection, the disciples received the Holy Spirit.
Pentecost is the birth of Jesus' church. Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to his disciples to comfort and guide them: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him because he abides with you, and he will be in you.” (John 14:16-17) Although Jesus left the disciples when he ascended to heaven, He did not leave them alone because he sent the Holy Spirit, a replacement for His physical presence.
As disciples, spiritual unity is essential as we will see as we continue studying Acts together. We are called to walk in unity of Spirit with God and with our brothers and sisters in faith. There are many things that will try to divide us, but we must always seek the unity of the church as a priority through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Our church is the wonderful setting to keep us in unity: we are people from different cultural backgrounds. Although we are different, in Christ we are one.
Immediately when the Holy Spirit came, the disciples began to speak in other languages. This was the first massive and most effective evangelization of Jews and proselytes who heard the wonderful message of God in their mother tongue. Remember that different peoples had come from different places to this celebration.
Today we are called to speak the wonders of salvation in our own language and with the Holy Spirit within us. We can give this announcement in English, Korean, Mandarin, Hindi, Spanish, Japanese, Portuguese, and many other languages.
God lives in us through the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. God does not work from outside of us, but from within us.
The Holy Spirit accompanies us, sanctifies us, and guides us. We cannot love and obey God without the work of the Holy Spirit. We cannot love and forgive others without the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit teaches us and reveals God to us. Our greatest and most important teacher is not the Pastor, it is the Holy Spirit. Without the work of the Holy Spirit, we cannot understand the truth and desire to obey it.
The Holy Spirit enables us to bear fruit. We are Christ’s witnesses. When we speak, God speaks through us.
It is through the Holy Spirit that we can enjoy the freedom offered by our beloved Savior. The Spirit lives in believers. Without the presence of the Holy Spirit, we can accomplish nothing.
