Day 96 - Come Holy Spirit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7Zp9AF1MMs&list=RDw7Zp9AF1MMs&start_radio=1

“When the Holy Spirit will come upon you, you shall receive power ... to be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8).

Being baptised in the Spirit of God in quite a spectacular way was the experience of the first disciples of Jesus in response to their obedience to his instruction to “Go wait in Jerusalem”.

The image of the tongues of fire used perhaps by Luke to demonstrate the intensity of their experience, although we know fire was often an image used of the power of God even in the Old Testament. We today use the term “fired up” when someone is very passionate about something and we know fire purifies and the fires of adversity focus the mind. Perhaps we are passionate about something that drives us to spend time, money and energy on.

The Holy Spirit that day was like the rocket fuel that propelled followers of Jesus into the public square to boldly explain their faith in Jesus to anyone who would listen. The book of Acts tells the story of the moving of the Holy Spirit upon a variety of individuals leading them to take the Good News of Jesus Christ from Jerusalem into places and to people who were less like the first disciples but whom God loved just as much.

It took courage for the disciples to step out beyond their comfort zone but it seemed that there really was no turning back once the Spirit came upon them. The disciples were so upbeat because what Jesus had promised was happening right in front of their eyes.

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26). Peter, Stephen and later Paul found they were able to communicate clearly with people and the response was immediate.

But just because we have this time-specific incident of the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, let us not think that this was a new phenomenon. When the creative acts of God were happening, as recorded in Genesis, the Holy Spirit was moving over the face of the deep bringing life into being, and as God’s Spirit, through the prophets was calling the fallen human race back to harmony with its Creator, they found the courage and wisdom to speak and to trust God for supernatural help. For the short time of Jesus’ ministry on earth God was present through His Son, himself filled with the Spirit of God and when it was time for Jesus to leave, that is when the promise, “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” came true for believers in the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

So, let’s thank God for those times when we feel an unexpected calmness as a storm rages, or when we feel an inexplicable sense of comfort in times of heartache, or when we suddenly find ourselves fired up with a sense of purpose to “Go Tell” someone about Jesus. For it is the enabling and encouraging work of the Holy Spirit that sets our hearts aflame to be part of the continuing story of Acts. And today, as we remember the birth-day of the Church, may we be open to receive as many of the special gifts of the Holy Spirit as God sees fit to bless us with for our particular calling.

Amen.

Elisabeth Sweeney Smith