Alive
Yesterday was Pentecost! I think I've mentioned before how my first time stepping foot into the church I now pastor was on the day of Pentecost in 2022. Rev. Pieter preached a powerful sermon which I'll never forget, and I remember thinking Lord, have You finally brought me home? Turns out He had done exactly that.
Understanding the Person of the Spirit
Pentecost was the day the Spirit was poured out and the disciples had a great turnaround in their lives. We need the Holy Spirit. Without Him, we can't live the Christian life! We need God's help, through His Spirit.
I ask you today: do you know the Spirit? Oh we love to sing songs about Jesus because He's easy to picture, having seen Him living as a human being in the gospels! But do we know and appreciate the Spirit as much as Jesus, or God the Father?
A Real Person
I think there are many misconceptions about the Holy Spirit in our day. The Spirit, because He is unseen, tends to be something of a mystery to us, and if we don't go to the Bible we can get ourselves quite confused. Some, for example, believe that the Spirit is just God's 'force' or 'energy' or 'essence' or 'breath' or something like that.
But listen to Jesus' words to the disciples in John 14, and notice that He doesn't speak as if the Spirit is a 'force' or 'energy' that God will transmit. He talks as if the Spirit is another personality. He said: "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 NIV11)
Jesus speaks about the Spirit as a distinct person or being, not a force. As you seek God's Spirit today, especially today just after Pentecost, think of the Spirit as a being - equal with God the Father and Jesus the Son - a separate and distinct personal being who Jesus and God the Father sent in a particular way on the day of Pentecost, to come and dwell within us and change the way we live.
Receive the Spirit
And He is still being sent into our lives today! This Spirit, this being, wants to be in your life right now and always. Invite Him in, and rely on Him today as you seek to live a Christlike life. It’s only with the Spirit’s help that you and I can live the way Jesus has instructed us to live.
