Come Holy Spirit, give us love

John 15:26-27 Theme: Come Holy Spirit, give us love
Text: Ezek. 37:1-14; Romans 8:22-27; John 15:26-27

Today is Pentecost Sunday, or in other words, the birthday of the Church. Pentecost simply means “fiftieth” and refers to the celebration that is held fifty days after first fruits. The first fruits referred to the harvest and also refers to the day the Israelites left Egypt after their deliverance from Egypt after the Passover. It also refers to the resurrection of Christ after our deliverance from sin through His crucifixion. In the Old Testament Pentecost marked the day the Law was given on Mount Sinai and in the New Testament the day of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Church. Both the Law and the Holy Spirit were given at Pentecost but with completely different results. The giving of the Law led to the death of 3000 Israelites whereas the giving of the Holy Spirit led to the salvation of 3,000 unbelievers. Whereas the Law brought judgement, the Holy Spirit brought love and life. The Holy Spirit continues to bring love and life to unbelievers and the harvest that began on the day of Pentecost, continues today, and will continue until the end of the Church age. Come Holy Spirit give us love to fulfil Christ’s mission.

The Holy Spirit is the agent of Pentecost and the revelation of the love of God. God so loved us that He would not leave us as orphans but sent the Holy Spirit to be always present with us. He is a person and not a force or a thing as some believe. The Scriptures confirm this by the personal ways in which He responds and the personal things He does. The Bible also makes it clear that the Holy Spirit is God and we rightfully speak of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Since God is love the Holy Spirit is also love This is seen in the attributes that are given to Him and which are without exception, the attributes of God. He is eternal, omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient. The Holy Spirit is love and out of love gives us spiritual life so that we can relate to God. God is Spirit and the only way to relate to Him is in spirit and in truth. The proof we belong to God is seen in our love, for God is love. We all need the Holy Spirit and whatever He did on the day of Pentecost He is still willing and able to do today.

To understand Pentecost we need to see it in the light of Babel. At Babel the people wanted to build a great city with a high tower reaching to the heavens, trusting in their own abilities and making a name to please themselves. God prevented them from achieving their goal; He confused their tongues and scattered them. At Pentecost, the disciples preached the good news of Jesus and all those present heard it in their own languages. Two completely opposite events, at Babel, the introduction of different languages or tongues brought an end to the ambitions of men. At Pentecost, the introduction of one language or tongue marked the beginning of the preaching of the good news of Jesus to the nations of the world. Today many people are trusting and pleasing themselves instead of trusting and pleasing God. We cannot save ourselves or secure our eternal destiny. Only our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ can save us and give us eternal life.

The purpose of the presence of the Holy Spirit is to confirm God’s love and His acceptance of Christ’s perfect