Pentecost
Pentecost by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld
Pentecost: The 50th day after Easter. Pentecost Sunday, May 19, 2024. Although Pentecost falls on a Thursday, most Christians celebrate it the following Sunday. Pentecost: the day Jesus gave his Holy Spirit to the disciples after conquering death, hell and the grave. Jesus appeared on earth for 40 days prior to his Ascesion to heaven. The Life application Bible (LAP) 1:9 stresses the importance of the disciples’ witness to the resurrection of Jesus, as well as, his ascension to heaven (great taking up); for without a doubt, Jesus is God and His home is in heaven”.
It was imperative for Jesus to send His Holy Spirit, John 14:26 New King James Version (NKJV) “But the Helper (in Greek, Perakletos) Holy Spirit, with whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” The prefix Para means beside: alongside of, beyond, aside from. Para is used to indicate the destination of something in a real, physical sense or in a figurative, metaphorical sense. For example parachute, one would never jump from a plane without a parachute, nor would anyone have a medical emergency and not call for a paramedic.
Similarly, upon Jesus’ return to heaven, He left us a helper. He continues in verse 27 of John 14, “Peace I leave you, My peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you, Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Scripture reminds us that Holy Spirit is our helper, comforter, peace, and overall support system in this life. Jesus did not leave us defenseless.
This world, rather when Jesus walked the earth, or now, it is demanding. We know that Jesus had tests and trials. He was never alone and neither are we. God wants us to look to Him and His Spirit for peace. He has given us tools to live this life in peace, His Spirit.
The disciples became apostles. Disciple means follower or learner, and apostle means messenger or missionary. The apostles had a special assignment of spreading the Good News of Jesus’ life; His works, death, and resurrection. The Holy Spirit came alongside them to assist with the efficacy. Jesus instructed them to wait for Holy Spirit before they went out to broadcast the news. He empowered them with His Spirit
Accordingly, when the people heard Peter’s rendition of Jesus’ miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did through Jesus, people were “cut to the heart” and asked, What shall we do? Acts 2:38,39 Message translation (MSG) Peter replied, “Change your life. Turn to God and be baptized, each of you in the name of Jesus Christ, so your sins are forgiven. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is targeted to you and your children, but also to all who are far away—whomever, in fact, our Master God invites.”
Thankfully, we are invited to be apostles for Jesus. He gives His Spirit to empower us to share our witness with others. We are called by our Heavenly Father to share our observance of how His Spirit works in our lives. 15 “ When the Friend I plan to send you from the Father comes—the Spirit of Truth issuing from the Father—he will confirm everything about me. 27 You, too, from your side must give your confirming evidence, since you are in this with me from the start.” John 15:26c-27( MSG).
Further, 1 Corinthians 12:4 -11, New Living Translation (NLT) shares how Holy Spirit works in our lives, “Now, dear brothers and sisters, regarding your question about the special abilities the Spirit gives us…. 4 There are diferent kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of sevice, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us to help each other.”
First Corinthians continues, “He will give to one wisdom, to another knowledge, another great faith, someone else the gift of healing, one person the power to perform miracles and another prophesy, someone else the ability to discern if the message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another is able to speak in unknown languages, while someone else is able to intrepret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.”
Moreover, recall that Jesus’ final commandment for us was to love each other, just as he loved us. John 13:34. Holy Spirit is the only vehicle to help us to fulfill that command. Holy Spirit is our Para, our help, our power, and strength; comes right along side us to empower us. God’s Spirit softens our hearts toward each other and removes any malice, offense, bitterness or judgement. We are enabled to love as Jesus loves.
Thank you Father for empowering us with your Spirit and thank you Holy Spirit for the care, protection and guidance you give each and every one of us daily. Thank you for empowering us to live tenderly and carefully with one another. In Jesus’ name, Amen.