Last week we looked at the ministry of the Holy Spirit before Pentecost. In the Old Testament and even when Jesus walked with His disciples upon this earth, possession of the Holy Spirit by the believer was not permanent. God endued and anointed certain people with His Holy Spirit to enable them to perform certain tasks for His purposes. Even David who was a man after God’s own heart prayed in Psalm 51: 11: “Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not they holy spirit from me.” The Spirit had a ministry of restraining sin and in the creation of the world.
Jesus announced the new ministry of the Holy Spirit in Acts 1: 4-5: “And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” In verse 8 He gave the commission to evangelize the world: “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” That commission still extends after 2000 years during this Church Age. Forty days after Jesus rose from the dead He was taken up in a cloud and ascended out of sight into heaven. (This was celebrated this year on Thursday, May 18th.) While they were looking toward heaven as He went up two angels appeared and said: “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.” We as true believers make up the Church and we know not the day or hour of His return for the Bride but we are to be ready when the trumpet sounds announcing the coming of the Bridegroom!
The question for us today is “How do we prepare our hearts for Pentecost which is celebrated on Sunday, May 28th?” (Ten days after the Ascension of Christ.) On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit entered a unified body of believers in an “upper room” in Jerusalem. Adrian Rogers said: “They were together—they were loving one another and this is the prime requisite for a mighty church—we’re to love one another devotedly and love Jesus Christ supremely.” The disciples were physically together in one place, they were relationally together in devotion to one another, and they were unified in purpose because they had just received the Great Commission. They were practicing what we read about in Psalm 133:1, “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity.” God will pour out a blessing where there is spiritual unity. If the Spirit of the living God is the most important blessing in the whole world, and it is, we must seek to be unified in our homes as families dedicated to God and in our churches as congregations united in fellowship.
The disciples were also united in prayer at Pentecost. Jesus said in Matthew 18: 19-20, “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in Heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” Corporate prayer is so very important! Remember that enemies of the Gospel are also often united in attacking the Church. We must pray and have faith that Jesus meant what He said in Matthew 16: 18b, “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”
What is the message for us as believers and disciples of Christ today? As the disciples gathered together waiting for the Spirit to descend, they were in one accord and continually in prayer. (Acts 2:1) This is key for them and is for us as well. As we prepare our hearts for Pentecost, let us consider these truths: (1) The Spirit will enable us to cry “Abba Father.” (Romans 8: 14-15) (2) The Spirit will help us know what to pray (Romans 8: 26). (3) The Spirit will overcome the devil, who is working to keep us from praying. (Eph. 6: 1-18) (4) Pray the scriptures as God’s Word does not return void.
Dr. Rogers said: “We don’t need to persuade God to fill us with the Holy Spirit; we need to permit Him to do so. The problem with many Christians is that they’ve been to Calvary for pardon but they haven’t been to Pentecost for power.” What is the difference between the people of the world who are religious and true Christians? Those who are truly saved live by the impartation of life. The unsaved live by the imitation of life—they simply imitate the Lord. The question is: Are we mere imitators or true believers? The reason some people are religious but lost is because they have never received the Pentecostal difference, the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is God the Father’s agent to make Jesus Christ real to us. (Colossians 1: 27) If we have the Spirit of Christ, then we’re going to act like Christ. A.W. Tozer said: “The Spirit-filled, prayerful Christian actually possesses the mind of Christ, so that his reactions to the external world are the same as Christ’s.” When a believer is filled with the Holy Spirit, he is controlled by and motivated by the Holy Spirit—our best friend is the Spirit of life, and He gives us life. It is to have a desire to renew our minds by the washing of the Word. All scripture is God breathed and powerful. To read and study God’s Word is to receive God’s life-giving renewal. (Hebrews 4: 12) When we read God’s Word, it opens us up and exposes the intents of our heart—our thoughts, our motives—and desires. After salvation, the Holy Spirit continues to work in our life forever—pointing us to the Father and growing us with our relationship with Him. (Hebrews 10: 14-17) Our life needs to reflect a change as the Holy Spirit changes us from the inside out.
The celebration of Pentecost commemorates the day the Church was born and underscores the reality of the indwelling Holy Spirit for every believer in Jesus Christ. This is a call for each of us to submit ourselves fully to the Holy Spirit, yield to His purposes and utilize His gifts. As we witness the world growing darker by the day it is vital that the Church seeks unhindered communion with the Holy Spirit, shares the Gospel boldly, and prays for revival in our time! “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.” (Zechariah 4: 6b)