The Presence of the Promised Holy Spirit

When the 120 gathered together in one place on the day of Pentecost and prayed, a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind came, and tongues like fire, distributed among them, rested on them. This was not a miracle that suddenly fell from the sky. It was the fulfillment of the Holy Spirit whom God had promised long before through the prophets.

The coming of the Spirit is the beginning of the new covenant, in which the law engraved on tablets of stone is written on human hearts. God’s presence does not stay in one particular place, the temple, but dwells within the body of each believer, and this is remarkable grace. Because of this, people who speak different languages hear the same gospel, and the division brought about at the tower of Babel is healed as they become one.

The world dismisses this strange event as drunkenness, but Peter proclaimed that it was evidence that Jesus Christ had become Lord and Christ, just as the prophet foretold. The Holy Spirit is not one who gives special powers; he dwells within us and makes us bear witness to Jesus. We must not take the presence of the Spirit for granted, but must obey his leading and live lives that reveal Jesus Christ.