Many Christians are very familiar with the idea of God as creator and Father; the parables of Jesus often look at this aspect of the Godhead. We are also familiar with the idea of Jesus being God’s Son, for the gospels show us much about His life and ministry. But we are often less familiar with the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit.
Pentecost (which will actually be celebrated next Sunday) is the festival when we remember the Holy Spirit coming upon the first believers and equipping them to be witnesses to all God had done through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. (Acts 2:1-13) The Holy Spirit’s arrival as a mighty rushing wind and with tongues of fire marks the ‘birthday’ of the church in many ways, for it is clear that until this point, the disciples had been a disparate group not really achieving very much. After the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost, they were changed irrevocably, just as Jesus had predicted (see Acts 1:4-5, 8). The Holy Spirit became the fire and fuel for their witness, enabling them to speak in other languages to proclaim the wonders of God to all who had gathered in Jerusalem to worship God. Over three thousand people became Christians on that day as Peter preached about Jesus with power and boldness and the church grew in numbers and power.
We know that the disciples were meeting together in obedience to Jesus’s explicit command, even if they were not entirely sure what was going to happen. Obedience is key to receiving God’s blessings. We often don’t know what God is going to do or how He is going to do it, but we are sure that He is working and creating and saving! As we wait on God with expectation and longing in our hearts, He is able to move in power amongst us.