Waiting for God’s Spirit

Scripture: Read Acts 1:4-8 (NIV); Acts 2:1-4 (NIV)

ACTS 1:4 On one occasion, while he [Jesus] was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

ACTS 2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Devotion

I grew up in a conservative church. I am so thankful for the training I received in understanding the Bible and serving Jesus. But somehow, despite our strong emphasis on studying the whole of Scripture, we missed much of its positive teaching on the Holy Spirit. So, when I became a pastor, I was on a steep learning curve concerning the work and gifts of the Spirit. Through my many years of serving as a pastor and lecturing in a seminary, I have continued to learn about the incredible work of the Holy Spirit. This Plan explores some of these wonderful truths. We’re going to focus on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out on all the followers of Jesus for the first time.

Those who were close to Jesus had been through a dreadful Jewish Passover. This celebrative event had become a time of mourning for them. Their Rabbi had been crucified, and they deeply grieved His death throughout the weekend. They had given up on the mission of Jesus. It was all finished. Without their leader, what could they do? But then Jesus incredibly came back to life. He completely overwhelmed death. It just couldn’t hold Him. All that Jesus had promised through His death and resurrection was now available to His followers– complete forgiveness, new life to the full, a personal, intimate relation with God, victory over death, and good news to boldly share with the world. Except that they still didn’t fully grasp it. The reality had not hit. They were hopeful but not yet confident in their new life.

But before He left, Jesus gave His followers a clear direction. We read about it in Acts 1:4-8. They were to wait in Jerusalem until they were baptized (or immersed) with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5). This special gift from the Father was going to make a radical difference in them. Up until this point in history, only special Israelites like kings and prophets had been filled by the Spirit, but “in a few days” every follower of Jesus would be completely immersed by God. This was going to be the game changer. The Holy Spirit would release new power in them to live for God and be bold witnesses for Jesus (Acts 1:8).

So they waited. They were a small, unremarkable group of nobodies on the outskirts of the Roman empire. But their soaking with God’s Spirit was going to turn them into powerful witnesses who would take the gospel of Jesus to the world. At this point, they had no idea of their coming influence, but they were expectant. With the next major Jewish feast of Pentecost (50 days after Passover) approaching, their anticipation was growing. As the Passover had marked the death and resurrection of Jesus, maybe Pentecost would mark their immersion by the Spirit.

I hope your expectation is growing as we are going to explore the original coming of God’s Spirit on believers. If you are a follower of Jesus, the Holy Spirit is already at work in you. Ask God to open your eyes to the incredible power and life that He wants to release in you. Pray that God’s truth will come alive in you.

In this Plan, I will show how the signs accompanying the Spirit’s outpouring at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4) were very significant. God was not just trying to impress with random symbols of wind, fire, and tongues, but each represented a new aspect of the ministry of the Spirit in the lives of believers. These symbols of the Spirit can be compared with the symbol of a wedding ring. The ring is not a random symbol of marriage. As I have said at numerous weddings, “The unending circle represents the endless nature of marriage, and the worth of the ring represents the value of your marriage.” Like wedding rings at a wedding, the signs of the Holy Spirit are deeply significant. We will explore each sign and find out what God’s Spirit wants to do in and through us. This week will be an exciting and inspiring journey. Pray for God’s Spirit to fill you afresh and to grow your expectation.

As Jesus promised his followers in Acts 1:8, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.” This is the work of God’s Spirit in you.

There is an old 19th-century song/prayer that could become your prayer for this Plan:

1. Breathe on me, Breath of God,
   Fill me with life anew,
   That I may love what Thou dost love,
   And do what Thou wouldst do.
2. Breathe on me, Breath of God,
   Until my heart is pure,
   Until with Thee I will one will,
   To do and to endure.
3. Breathe on me, Breath of God,
   Till I am wholly Thine,
   Until this earthly part of me
   Glows with Thy fire divine.
4. Breathe on me, Breath of God,
   So shall I never die,
   But live with Thee the perfect life
   Of Thine eternity.

Written by John Sweetman