The Purpose of God’s Spirit

Scripture: Read Acts 2:1-4 (NIV); Acts 2:42-47 (NIV); Acts 1:4-8 (NIV)

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.

ACTS 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

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.”

Devotion

Let me summarise what we have covered in this Plan.

This Day of Pentecost started with a group of 120 followers of Jesus praying and waiting for the baptism of God’s Spirit that Jesus had promised (Acts 1:4-8). They were an ordinary group of people on the edge of the Roman Empire. Jesus had died for them and had risen again, but now He had gone back to heaven and left them with a mission to take His good news to the world. They felt desperately inadequate. They lacked confidence. The reality of the gospel was not yet their personal experience. They believed in the good news of Jesus but needed God’s work to make His truth come alive for them.

Then these 120 waiting believers were suddenly immersed in God’s Holy Spirit. God was now living in them. This had never happened to all God’s people before. God’s Spirit had previously only filled specific leaders for specific ministry. Now the Holy Spirit was filling every believer. His coming was accompanied by the sound of a cyclonic wind, flames of fire, and the supernatural ability to speak in other languages (Acts 2:1-4). This changed everything for these followers of Jesus. The gospel of Jesus’ death and resurrection became real for them and a desperate desire to share this good news with others overwhelmed them.

The difference the baptism in the Holy Spirit made is represented (at least in part) by the signs that accompanied His coming. The wind symbolised God breathing fresh “life to the full” into them. A life with direct access to God as their Dad. The fire symbolised the holiness of God burning away their sin and giving them a passion for what is from God. The languages symbolised the supernatural power of the Spirit that would now accompany their witness. This transformed their lives and mission. No wonder they burst out of that room with a desire to share the good news about Jesus with anyone who would listen. They were experiencing it. They were now ready and willing to take the gospel to their world.

This has direct application to us. The Holy Spirit is already living in us, but as we ask Him to fill us, He does what He has done in the lives of believers since Pentecost. He enables us to appreciate and enjoy the life we have with God. He purifies and restores us so that we are free of guilt and desire what is of God. He empowers us to be supernatural witnesses to Jesus. This is not all the Holy Spirit does in and through us. We would need to study the whole of the New Testament to get the full picture. But it’s a great start. We need the Spirit’s work to enliven, purify and empower us. It’s not a matter of trying harder but being filled with the Spirit so that the reality of all that Jesus has done for us becomes a lived reality in us.

The presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives radically transformed the way these early Christians lived in community. There is a description of this in Acts 2:42-47. They spent lots of time fellowshipping and praying together. They were keen to learn from those who had been with Jesus. They were hugely generous to each other. They saw lots of God’s miraculous power at work. And their hearts were sincerely filled with praise and joy. This Spirit-filled lifestyle was not only a great blessing for them but also was very attractive to all the people who lived around them (Acts 2:47).

The filling of the Holy Spirit is a great blessing for Christians. God’s presence, purity, and power are a wonderful combination in us. So many Christians live such a bland version of the life that God offers us. God’s Spirit longs to enliven us and empower us. As these early disciples found, He can make such a difference.

But while this is profoundly true, let me take you back to the beginning when Jesus promised the baptism of the Holy Spirit to His disciples (Acts 1:4-8). Jesus made it very clear that the main purpose of the Spirit’s indwelling was power for witness (Acts 1:8). While the Holy Spirit certainly blesses our lives, He works to enliven, sanctify and empower us so that we will live and share the good news of Jesus. When we pray to be immersed in God’s Spirit, it’s not principally to make our lives better, but for the sake of our world that needs Jesus (our friends, our family, our community).

Pray for the filling of God’s Spirit so that your neighbours, workmates, friends and family will see the reality, power and urgency of the gospel through your words and actions. Come Holy Spirit.

Pray through our prayer for this Plan once more:

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.

Written by John Sweetman