Acts 2:1-21 Who is the Holy Spirit?

Pentecost Sunday is one of the most important festivals in the church’s calendar. It is an essential part of the Easter story, as Christ continues his work by sending the Holy Spirit onto his church. The reading from Acts, about the coming of the Holy Spirit is a familiar one. Just before Jesus was taken up to heaven, he told his disciples to return toJerusalem and wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit. And this is what they did. They returned toJerusalem, and met together every day, praying and fasting. And one day whilst they were all gathered together, God’s Holy Spirit descended upon them, in the most extraordinary and powerful way. And the Holy Spirit that manifested itself so incredibly on that first Pentecost, is the same Holy Spirit that is at work in the church today. In this sermon I want to focus on what the Holy Spirit did on that day of Pentecost, and what the Holy Spirit is doing in the church today.

The Transforming Spirit

First of all, the Holy Spirit is a transforming spirit. He has the power to convert and change people in the most extraordinary ways. We see this in the disciples. Only weeks before receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, the disciples had abandoned Jesus when he was arrested in thegarden ofGethsemane. They were men fearful and scared, afraid that they too would suffer the same fate as Jesus. And yet on the day of Pentecost, when they were filled with God’s Holy Spirit they were changed from meek timid men, into men filled with an incredible boldness and courage. Probably the greatest transformation was in Peter. Peter was the disciple who always seemed to be getting into trouble, saying and doing the wrong things, even denying Jesus. Yet on the day of Pentecost, it was a completely different Peter who stepped forward and spoke the large crowd that had gathered. He spoke eloquently, with power and conviction, but also with humility. He was a completely transformed person, from how he was before receiving the Holy Spirit. And this is what the Holy Spirit does today. He changes and transforms people and structures. He literally turns lives around. I remember listening to one mans testimony of how his life was completely turned around when he experienced God’s Holy Spirit in his life for the first time. Put bluntly his life was a mess, he was an alcoholic, he was aggressive and abusive, subsequently his relationship with his wife and family was in tatters. But one day he encountered God’s Holy Spirit, and he was transformed. So radical and so amazing was this transformation that his family hardly recognized him. He was a new man. Through God’s Holy Spirit he was healed off his addictions, and he was transformed. So much so, that his family hardly recognized him, because he had been made new by God’s Holy Spirit. And this is how God’s Holy Spirit often works. He has the power to change our hearts and minds. He can bring about a change in attitudes. God’s Holy Spirit also has the power to individuals, whole churches, and even whole communities. It is the power of God given to the church, and given to us as Christians. The whole book of Acts demonstrates the amazing power of God’s spirit, with many amazing transformations taking place, people being healed, and even the dead raised to life. And it is the same Holy Spirit that is at work in the world today.

The Equipping Spirit

The Holy Spirit is also an equipping spirit. One of Jesus’ last commands to his disciples was for them to continue his ministry, and to go out into all the world proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. But first of all they had to wait to be equipped for this task. And so when God sent his Holy Spirit, they were given the gift of tongues, the ability to talk in many different languages. We see that not only does God equip us for the tasks he may have for us, but he also gives us these gifts at the appropriate time. The commission he had given the disciples was to make disciples of all nations. But the disciples had to wait for the promised Holy Spirit. When it did arrive, it was the festival of Pentecost, a major Jewish festival. And Jerusalem was filled with pilgrims from all over the known world. And the Christians gathered inJerusalem were given the gift of languages, so that they could communicate to everyone there. So we see that through God’s Holy Spirit we are equipped for the tasks he gives us. And Paul in 1 Corinthians tells us that there are many gifts that God gives us. Some we may describe as being supernatural gifts, for example the gift of tongues, the gift of prophecy, the gift of healing. Some times these gifts may appear more ordinary. For instance the gift of wisdom, the gift of faith, or the gift of love. But whatever gifts they may be God gives us each of these gifts for a purpose. As Paul writes, There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. God has a task for his church, and for each one of us. And he equips us to fulfill that task.

The Enabling Spirit

This leads me onto my third point. God’s spirit is an enabling spirit. It is no good God giving us a particular gift, if he does not also enable us to use it. After all what good would giving the gift be? A while ago I purchased some publishing software for my computer, I thought I was getting a great deal, because it was so cheap. But the reason it was cheap was because there was no instruction book with it. So consequently I’ve never been able to use it properly. But if God gives us a gift, he’ll help us to use it. There was no point in God giving the gift of languages to the disciples, unless he also enabled them to use them. And so as well as being given the gift of communication the disciples also received the gift of boldness, and confidence to stand up and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to everyone that was assembled in Jerusalem. I have experienced this myself on a number of occasions. I was once asked at very short notice to give a talk whilst on mission. I had no time to prepare, and felt completely daunted by the prospect. And yet when I was there I felt God’s presence with me, and he gave me the words to say. This is why Paul in 1 Corinthians writes, when I am weak, then am I strong. Because it is in those times that we rely upon God’s strength and wisdom. It is through the Holy Spirit that God enables the church. It is the Holy Spirit that is the driving force within the church, the motor that drives it forward.

The Life Giving Spirit

Finally, the Holy Spirit is a life giving spirit. It gives life, and it brings life. Pentecost was a Jewish celebration of the wheat harvest, when Jews particularly recalled the renewal of the covenant made with Noah and Moses. It was one this day, the day when people celebrated the harvest, that God sent his Holy Spirit to bring in a new harvest. To bring life to his church. On that first Pentecost there were only 120 Christians inJerusalem. By the end of the day there were over three thousand. That is the power of the Holy Spirit. And it is the Holy Spirit that breathes life into our churches. Without it, churches stagnate and die, but with it churches are transformed and better equipped to hear and respond to God’s call. It is the Holy Spirit gives life to us as Christians. Through it God works out his plan for each one of us. Through the power of the Holy Spirit we go as Christians, and we see more of the fruits of the spirit in our own lives. Joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.So we see that the Holy Spirit is a transforming spirit, an equipping and enabling spirit and a life giving spirit. My own experience of God has been transformed by the power of God’s Spirit. Through an encounter of God’s Spirit, Jesus has become much more personal for me. I have encountered him in the most extraordinary way, I’ve felt his power and presence in my life. I’ve felt cleansed and washed clean, in a way I never thought possible. And it’s enriched my life more than anything else has, or ever can. And I’m convinced the more we are open to God’s holy spirit the more we will see remarkably things happening. In our own lives, in our churches, in our communities, and in our world.