Pentecost…

This Sunday we remember Pentecost, fifty days after the resurrection when Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit on the church.  In Christian circles, there always seems to be a lot of interest in the Holy Spirit and His work.  However, sometimes the interest is all about what the Holy Spirit is doing or can do in our lives with very little emphasis is placed on the Holy Spirit’s primary task in this world. 

For instance, on more than one occasion I have seen the extremes on both ends of the spectrum.  One lovely Christian confronted me one day suggesting that I didn’t show the Holy Spirit in my life.   She didn’t doubt that I was a Christian but suggested that I hadn’t experienced the second blessing because she had never seen me speak in tongues.  That is one extreme.  The other extreme, which I find more disturbing is when people claim to be Christians, yet we don’t see any obvious fruit of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Perhaps these ‘Christians’ don’t realise that it is possible to grieve the Holy Spirit within us.

As Christians, we need to be careful how we measure the Holy Spirit’s work and not forget His primary work.   His primary work is to bring people to faith in Jesus Christ and to make them more Christ-like to the glory of the Father in heaven.   In doing so He regenerates and sanctifies us continually until we are promoted to glory.  He reminds us of our position in Christ and that we are eternally safe with Him.   He continually equips us for ministry in all its forms and giftings.  He allows us to display His fruit in our lives so that we may be attractive to others who are yet to come to faith.   He is our comforter and encourager when things are seemingly going against us.  He helps us to understand God’s word when we read and meditate on it.  He intercedes in prayer for us with groans that words cannot express.  All this and so much more are reasons to give thanks for the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Finally, can we ever be so filled with the Holy Spirit that we need no more of Him?  Biblical evidence suggests that would not be possible.  Although it is true that all true believers have received the Holy Spirit and have been baptised in the Holy Spirit, nevertheless, the Holy Spirit is not necessarily poured out on each individual Christian in precisely equivalent quantities.    Hence, Paul urges the Christians in Ephesus to be ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’ (5:18).   Perhaps, that is something we need to pray more for so that all of our living reflects Christ and is a pleasing aroma to our Saviour God.   JZ