September 15
September 15
You will never receive a gift sweeter than the gift of God’s Spirit.
It was an amazing and miraculous scene. Jesus had ascended on a cloud to the right hand of his Father, and the disciples were all gathered in a room together. All of a sudden, the sound of a powerful wind filled the house, tongues of fire rested on each person gathered there, and each person was filled with the Holy Spirit. Immediately the people began to speak in foreign languages—languages that were understood by the multitudes gathered in Jerusalem. Some onlookers mocked, so Peter stood to address the crowd and to explain what they had experienced:
These people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
“And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
And I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
the sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:15–21)
Peter understood that Joel’s prophecy of the pouring out of the Spirit was fulfilled that day in Jerusalem. The ascension of Jesus did not mean that God had left his children alone, without his powerful presence. In fact, Jesus had made a promise to his fearful disciples: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever” (John 14:16).
The gift of the Spirit is not icing on the cake of redemption, like a sweet but unneeded luxury. No, the presence and work of the Spirit are an essential part of God’s saving grace. It is by the work of the Spirit that we are convicted of sin. When we are born again, the Spirit breathes new life into us. The Holy Spirit illumines our hearts and minds so that we can understand the truth revealed in God’s word. The Holy Spirit dwells within us, empowering us to do what God has commanded us to do. The unity of the body of Christ is the Spirit’s work.
Generations before the birth of Jesus, Joel gave us a glimpse of one of God’s most precious gifts: the glorious presence of the Spirit to dwell forever and work tirelessly for his children (Joel 2:28–29). You would not know the Lord, you would not have had the power to believe, and you would not be following him by faith if it were not for this precious gift of the Holy Spirit. Celebrate this gift today.