Acts 2:1-4 - 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. In the New Testament, on the Day of Pentecost, ten days after Jesus ascended into heaven, God sent His Spirit among His people in a very special way. This event, however, was not the first time God gave His Spirit to His church. For generations, throughout the Old Testament, God sent His Spirit unto His people. In the book of Job 33:4 we read, "The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life." In Psalm 104:30a we read, " When You send forth Your Spirit, they are created, and You renew the face of the ground." In Ezekiel 37:14a we read, " And I will put My Spirit within you, and you shall live."
When the Spirit of Pentecost comes into our hearts, He comes to transform us, to make us more like Jesus. As St. Paul has written, "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18).
What did the first Pentecost of 2,000 years ago mean and what does the Pentecost Spirit mean for us today? It's God bearing witness to His Son in our hearts. So now as we prepare to celebrate Pentecost, I invite you to be open to God's life-changing Spirit. To celebrate Pentecost is to embrace the Spirit-given truth that "what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He thus fulfilled" (Acts 3:18).
Jesus, God's anointed Lamb, both God and Man, has come to save us from our sins. It is the Spirit of Pentecost sent into the world who testifies to these things. Jesus said, "But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness about Me" (John 15:26).
Therefore, friends, the celebration of Pentecost is about understanding and receiving the knowledge that your sins are forgiven through the shedding of Christ's blood on the cross. This the Heavenly Father has sealed for us by raising Jesus from the dead (see Acts 2:24; Romans 8:11; Ephesians 1:15-23). This is the good news that God's Spirit wants to assure you of total forgiveness and your new power for living.
Make this week a special week. Celebrate not only by looking back, but by looking forward, knowing that God's Spirit is near, drawing you closer to Jesus, making you more and more like Him.
WE PRAY: Heavenly Father, thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit who bears witness to Jesus. Amen.
Taken from "God Wants to Transform Your Life," a sermon by Rev. Dr. Wallace Schulz, former Speaker of The Lutheran Hour
Reflection Questions:
1. Have you ever studied a second language? If so, why did you want to learn it?
2. How miraculous is it for someone to be able to speak another language—instantly?
3. Name some ways you can share Jesus with someone without speaking.
Today's Bible Readings: Psalms 20-22 John 10:1-21
To Download Devotion MP3 to your computer, right click here and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File As"