Pentecost
Wednesday, April 8th, 2009
Have you ever forgotten an anniversary or a birthday? You feel terrible and the other person feels neglected. One of the most neglected Christian anniversaries is Pentecost. The coming of the Holy Spirit. The birth of the church of Jesus Christ.
Pentecost in Jewish history referred to the “Feast of Weeks”. It celebrated the grain harvest which began during the Passover and lasted 7 weeks. Literally, the word Pentecost means 50 days. It was a joyous time for the people of Israel as the grain harvest was brought in. Even more, Pentecost was celebrated as the day Moses received the 10 commandments from God on Mount Sinai, 50 days after leaving Egypt in the Exodus.
How fitting it is that the Holy Spirit came on Pentecost to begin the church. Just 10 days before Pentecost, the disciples had witnessed Jesus’ ascension into heaven. They were all gathered together ( Acts 2) and the Holy Spirit came upon them like tongues of fire. Each was filled with the Holy Spirit. What a joyous time of Pentecost as God began harvesting souls on the first day of the Christian church. The harvest of souls continues today.
I don’t know if the Holy Spirit feels neglected, but He is often neglected in our churches today. Even though He is God and we could not be Christians without Him, we know so very little about the Holy Spirit.
Ever wonder why you are running on empty as a Christian? Unable to keep obeying, keep fighting? It’s like a car with a full tank of gas. It can carry us much farther than a car with a gas gauge on E. Many of us ride through the Christian life each day sitting next to E on the spiritual “gas” gauge. But we are not quite sure what to do about it. That’s where the Holy Spirit comes into the picture.
After Easter, I will begin a new sermon series on the Holy Spirit entitled, “Holy Spirit, Come Fill Me!”
The goal will be to help us understand that the more the Holy Spirit overwhelms us, the more enabled we will be to live for God. He lives in us and it is vital that we know and understand our relationship with Him. Prayerfully, this series will help us to keep filling up with the Holy Spirit, our Helper.
Blessings,
Pastor Mike
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