God in Us

Acts 2:4 (ESV)
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Does the Holy Spirit fill us even today?

Pentecost will be recognized by many churches this coming Sunday, June 5, 2022. On such a Sunday we recall when the Holy Spirit filled the people gathered before Peter in Jerusalem. This is not the first mention of the Spirit. We recall that in the book of Judges, both Gideon and Samson were empowered by the Spirit of the Lord to serve God. That said, this is the first time the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the many, the “hoi polloi.” Their response was remarkable. In a moment beyond my comprehension, those receiving the Spirit began to speak in other languages familiar to the people gathered that day. It was not babble. The languages were varied and practical, yet different from each speaker’s native language. It appears certain to serve the spreading of the Good News. We may never experience anything like it, but we can experience the life changing power of the Holy Spirit. What is clear throughout the Bible is that the Holy Spirit is beyond our control. The Spirit is not subordinate to us. Indeed, we are passive to the action of the Holy Spirit. To put it simply, we are filled with the Spirit; we do not fill ourselves with the Spirit. Nevertheless, we can make ourselves available to the Holy Spirit when we believe. The Holy Spirit fills us even today. I wish I could have been there on that first Pentecost following soon after Jesus’ resurrection. I have no regrets, because I get to see believers in everyday settings being filled with the Holy Spirit to the glory of Jesus Christ. May the Holy Spirit bless your Pentecost.

In Christ,

Steve

“Bethlehem was God with us, Calvary was God for us, Pentecost is God in us.” — Robert Baer

About Pastor Steve

Pastor Steve Hodges is an ordained minister, pastoring a church in SW Pennsylvania.
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