Making Much of Pentecost
This is the conclusion to our five part series that highlights five moments in the ministry of Christ. It has been our goal to look at these five events: the Incarnation, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, the Ascension, and Pentecost in such a way that we can then make much of them in our lives. In this post we will make much of Pentecost.
Pentecost occurs fifty days after the Resurrection and the word itself is derived from the Greek word for “fifty.” Pentecost commemorates the day the Holy Spirit descended on the church. Christ promised before His ascension, “You heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5). When Christ ascended, He sent the Helper, the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit to be among us. Here are three reasons why we should make much of this.
First, we are believers because of the Holy Spirit. While it is Jesus’ work that makes salvation possible, it is the work of the Holy Spirit that does the drawing, the changing, and the preserving of the elect. The Holy Spirit is the one who convicts us of sin (John 16:8-11), leads us to the fruit of repentance (Luke 3:8-14), regenerates our dead hearts (John 3:1-8), renews our minds (Titus 3:5), gives us faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), and seals our inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14). As we are sharing the Gospel with others, it is the Holy Spirit who is working to bring the Good News secured by Jesus to the hearts of the lost.
Second, the Holy Spirit is the one who maintains and promotes the unity of the church. We love one another because of the bonds of unity that grow as a result of the Spirit’s work amongst us. Philippians 2:1-2 and Ephesians 4:1-6 are key texts that describe what this work looks like. The Spirit helps us to love one another, promotes peace, keeps us of one mind, helps us to remain humble, and to confess our sins to each other. The Spirit works by distributing gifts so that body as a unit might be built up into Christ, who is the head of the church.
Third and finally, the Spirit preserves us and assures us of our salvation. It is through the Spirit that sanctification and victory over sin happens (Romans 8:3-4). We can defeat sin because of what Jesus has done, but it happens through the power of the Spirit working in our lives to form us more into Christ’s image (1 Peter 1:5; Romans 8:15-17). Romans 8 is filled with assurances of what the Spirit will do in our lives from the moment of regeneration until glorification.
Jesus called the Holy Spirit the “giver of life” in John 6:63 and it is this same Spirit who came and has been with the church since Pentecost over two thousand years ago. We rightly make much of the coming of the second person of the Trinity in the Incarnation. It also seems fitting to make much of the coming of third person of the Trinity during Pentecost. This post only highlighted three aspects of the Spirit’s work but there are many others. The Spirit helps us to understand Scripture, to pray, and guides us. Enjoy, praise, and walk in the Spirit brothers and sisters.
These five highlights are just part of what God in Christ has done for us. Our response should be as unending as His unfolding story of redemption and grace.
Pentecost occurs fifty days after the Resurrection and the word itself is derived from the Greek word for “fifty.” Pentecost commemorates the day the Holy Spirit descended on the church. Christ promised before His ascension, “You heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5). When Christ ascended, He sent the Helper, the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit to be among us. Here are three reasons why we should make much of this.
First, we are believers because of the Holy Spirit. While it is Jesus’ work that makes salvation possible, it is the work of the Holy Spirit that does the drawing, the changing, and the preserving of the elect. The Holy Spirit is the one who convicts us of sin (John 16:8-11), leads us to the fruit of repentance (Luke 3:8-14), regenerates our dead hearts (John 3:1-8), renews our minds (Titus 3:5), gives us faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), and seals our inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14). As we are sharing the Gospel with others, it is the Holy Spirit who is working to bring the Good News secured by Jesus to the hearts of the lost.
Second, the Holy Spirit is the one who maintains and promotes the unity of the church. We love one another because of the bonds of unity that grow as a result of the Spirit’s work amongst us. Philippians 2:1-2 and Ephesians 4:1-6 are key texts that describe what this work looks like. The Spirit helps us to love one another, promotes peace, keeps us of one mind, helps us to remain humble, and to confess our sins to each other. The Spirit works by distributing gifts so that body as a unit might be built up into Christ, who is the head of the church.
Third and finally, the Spirit preserves us and assures us of our salvation. It is through the Spirit that sanctification and victory over sin happens (Romans 8:3-4). We can defeat sin because of what Jesus has done, but it happens through the power of the Spirit working in our lives to form us more into Christ’s image (1 Peter 1:5; Romans 8:15-17). Romans 8 is filled with assurances of what the Spirit will do in our lives from the moment of regeneration until glorification.
Jesus called the Holy Spirit the “giver of life” in John 6:63 and it is this same Spirit who came and has been with the church since Pentecost over two thousand years ago. We rightly make much of the coming of the second person of the Trinity in the Incarnation. It also seems fitting to make much of the coming of third person of the Trinity during Pentecost. This post only highlighted three aspects of the Spirit’s work but there are many others. The Spirit helps us to understand Scripture, to pray, and guides us. Enjoy, praise, and walk in the Spirit brothers and sisters.
These five highlights are just part of what God in Christ has done for us. Our response should be as unending as His unfolding story of redemption and grace.