Pentecost is the longest season in the liturgical church calendar but probably the least celebrated. Yet, it is as worthy a celebration as Christmas or Easter! After all, the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost ushered in the birth of the church. There were certainly followers of Christ before Pentecost but, with the arrival of the Holy Spirit, those followers were empowered to preach, teach, witness, and live in a way that helped the church grow exponentially. The same power that the 120 believers in the upper room received is still at work in believers today.

Promise fulfilled

When Jesus instructed believers to wait for the promise of God in the form of the power of the Holy Spirit, they had no idea how or when it would happen. They only knew that it would cause them to be witnesses of Christ to the whole world. The group of 120 believers obediently waited for a promise they did not fully understand out of faith they were just beginning to comprehend. Ten days after Jesus’ ascension, the promise was fulfilled in high drama. There was a mighty rushing wind, split tongues of fire and the supernatural ability to speak in other languages. The 120 followers increased by 3,000, and then another 5,000. According to Pew Research Center’s 2015 statistics, there are an estimated 2.3 billion Christians in the world today.

Living witnesses

The Holy Spirit’s power still works in believers and empowers us to be living witnesses of Christ by the testimony of our words and our lives. We must never look upon Pentecost Sunday as celebrating an ancient, one-time-only event. A believer is filled with the power of the Holy Spirit at conversion, and it is a daily Pentecostal event and cause for celebration. The Lord is still adding daily to the church those who are being saved and subsequently empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Question of the day: Why do we need the Holy Spirit?
Focal scriptures: 1 Corinthians 2:9-10; Luke 4:18-21; Galatians 5:22-26

For a complete lesson on this topic visit LinC.