When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2:1-4 ESV
It’s Pentecost Sunday! Today we celebrate the outpouring of the Spirit that came on the Feast of Weeks, 50 days after the Passover crucifixion of Jesus. It was a celebration of the big wheat harvest. I guess we could dredge around in the Old Testament and find some excellent parallels for us in the New Covenant. But for today, I am just enamored of the purpose that Jesus told His disciples. He told them to wait in Jerusalem until they had this power experience with the Spirit. In Acts 1:8, He tells them the why:
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1:8 ESV
The Spirit gives us power. The purpose is to bear witness to the resurrected Christ. The Spirit is on us to empower us for the harvest. I can’t think of any reason we shouldn’t be about that business. The Holy Spirit baptism give us power. The fields are ready. Whatever end of the earth you find yourself in today, let’s do this!
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