The Holy Spirit remains a mystery to me. There’s nothing wrong with that. So much of the Christian faith is a mystery, reminding us that we understand so little and that God’s ways and thoughts are so much higher and deeper than ours. But just exactly what or who is the Holy Spirit? And what is His role in the Trinity? These are questions worth asking on Pentecost Sunday.
In the scriptures, we first hear of the Spirit’s existence and activity in the creation story. There she “hovers” over the waters. I say “she” deliberately because “ruach”, the Hebrew word for spirit, is feminine. I don’t want to make too much of this because the Greek word for spirit (pneuma) is neutral and the Greek word for comforter or counselor (paraclete) is masculine. But I like the fact that the persons of the Trinity are not gender specific. And isn’t there something beautifully maternal about the word “hovering?”
As we follow the Spirit’s activity through the Old Testament, we learn that the Spirit of God does more than hover; the Spirit empowers. Filled with the Spirit, Bezalel designed and crafted beautiful artifacts for the tabernacle. Filled with the Spirit, Moses and seventy elders oversaw the people of Israel. Filled with the Spirit, judges like Othniel, Gideon and Samson took on Israel’s enemies. Filled with the Spirit, King Saul prophesied just like Isaiah and Ezekiel. Then there’s God’s exciting promise in Joel 2 where we read, “I will pour out my spirit on all people. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.”
What we know about the Holy Spirit from the New Testament comes primarily from Jesus, Luke and Paul.
Before his crucifixion, Jesus promised a “Counselor” or “Comforter” who would “remind you of everything I have said to you.” Before his ascension, Jesus told the disciples to wait for “the gift my Father promised.”
Luke described the coming of the Holy Spirit as a praise-filled event accompanied by a violent wind, what seemed to be tongues of fire, and a supernatural ability to understand a variety of different languages.
When Paul wrote about the work of the Spirit, he listed serving gifts (Ephesians 4), equipping gifts (Romans 12), charismatic gifts (I Corinthians 12) and the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5). Paul downplayed tongue speaking while playing up the importance of believing in Jesus, emphasizing that "no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit" (I Corinthians 12:3). It all added up to a very dynamic package that Paul called “living by the Spirit.”
Is the Holy Spirit active in our lives and in our church? Are we living by the Spirit?
The proof of the pudding lies in the faith and the fruit that we will see and hear in those who will share their testimonies in the three Stand Up Sundays that are scheduled this spring (May 24, 31 and June 21). The proof of the pudding lies in the visions and dreams that the Holy Spirit has instilled in us, the virtues and values that the Holy Spirit is sanctifying in us, and the desire to live for Jesus that the Holy Spirit is instilling in us. The proof of the pudding also lies in the way that the Holy Spirit’s gifts are manifested and developed in us.
If that makes you feel like praising God in a foreign language, more power to you. If your speaking in tongues is of the Spirit, we’ll understand that you are simply giving voice to the joy of the Lord bubbling in you.
- Pastor Peter
In the scriptures, we first hear of the Spirit’s existence and activity in the creation story. There she “hovers” over the waters. I say “she” deliberately because “ruach”, the Hebrew word for spirit, is feminine. I don’t want to make too much of this because the Greek word for spirit (pneuma) is neutral and the Greek word for comforter or counselor (paraclete) is masculine. But I like the fact that the persons of the Trinity are not gender specific. And isn’t there something beautifully maternal about the word “hovering?”
As we follow the Spirit’s activity through the Old Testament, we learn that the Spirit of God does more than hover; the Spirit empowers. Filled with the Spirit, Bezalel designed and crafted beautiful artifacts for the tabernacle. Filled with the Spirit, Moses and seventy elders oversaw the people of Israel. Filled with the Spirit, judges like Othniel, Gideon and Samson took on Israel’s enemies. Filled with the Spirit, King Saul prophesied just like Isaiah and Ezekiel. Then there’s God’s exciting promise in Joel 2 where we read, “I will pour out my spirit on all people. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.”
What we know about the Holy Spirit from the New Testament comes primarily from Jesus, Luke and Paul.
Before his crucifixion, Jesus promised a “Counselor” or “Comforter” who would “remind you of everything I have said to you.” Before his ascension, Jesus told the disciples to wait for “the gift my Father promised.”
Luke described the coming of the Holy Spirit as a praise-filled event accompanied by a violent wind, what seemed to be tongues of fire, and a supernatural ability to understand a variety of different languages.
When Paul wrote about the work of the Spirit, he listed serving gifts (Ephesians 4), equipping gifts (Romans 12), charismatic gifts (I Corinthians 12) and the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5). Paul downplayed tongue speaking while playing up the importance of believing in Jesus, emphasizing that "no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit" (I Corinthians 12:3). It all added up to a very dynamic package that Paul called “living by the Spirit.”
Is the Holy Spirit active in our lives and in our church? Are we living by the Spirit?
The proof of the pudding lies in the faith and the fruit that we will see and hear in those who will share their testimonies in the three Stand Up Sundays that are scheduled this spring (May 24, 31 and June 21). The proof of the pudding lies in the visions and dreams that the Holy Spirit has instilled in us, the virtues and values that the Holy Spirit is sanctifying in us, and the desire to live for Jesus that the Holy Spirit is instilling in us. The proof of the pudding also lies in the way that the Holy Spirit’s gifts are manifested and developed in us.
If that makes you feel like praising God in a foreign language, more power to you. If your speaking in tongues is of the Spirit, we’ll understand that you are simply giving voice to the joy of the Lord bubbling in you.
- Pastor Peter
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