The Promise of the Holy Spirit
Scripture Reading — Acts 2:1-21, 38-39
“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
God promised the coming of the Holy Spirit about 400 years before the events in our reading for today in Acts 2. God’s promises always come true. In earlier times (the Old Testament period) the Spirit of God came mainly on prophets, priests, and kings. But on Pentecost the Spirit became a gift for everyone. This means that all of us can experience the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
You don’t have to be special. You don’t have to be perfect. The gift of the Holy Spirit is for you.
To receive the Holy Spirit, the first generation of Christians had to wait 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection (Easter), which took place at the end of the traditional Passover celebration. That is why the day is called Pentecost.
But we don’t have to wait. The Spirit is a gift that we can have right now. And the blessings we receive by the Spirit’s coming into our lives are so many that it takes a lifetime to begin to understand them all. Still, we can understand enough to have our lives filled with love, joy, peace, and much more. I suggest that you use the formula ABC backwards: Confess your sin to God (Acts 2:38). Believe that God will forgive you, because Jesus has paid the price for all our sin. Ask for the Holy Spirit. And no matter who you are, God will give you the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Thank you, Lord, for being true to your Word and for giving us the Spirit through faith in Jesus. Amen.
About the author — Dean Deppe
Dean Deppe has been a pastor in inner-city, suburban, and rural churches. Currently he teaches New Testament theology at Calvin Theological Seminary. His courses include one on the parables of Jesus. He and his wife have four grown children.
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