The Purpose Of Pentecost

Hi everyone, I know it's a bit late for this post as we have already celebrated Pentecost yesterday, but we should be mindful that although Pentecost was a one time kairos moment in our history, it's effects are eternal and it should be a part of our daily experience as we choose to live holy lives drawing others to Christ.

As we  do that I want to focus on the purpose of Pentecost as we see in Acts 2. The Bible reminds us they were all together in one place when the Holy Spirit breathed upon them. When the Spirit came that day, he enabled Peter and the others to speak in different languages that those who listened might be saved. Three thousand people were saved that day. 

Today, a particular amount of Christians expect to receive the Spirit of God in order to speak in 'tongues'. (The purpose of today's article is not to deliberate on the matter of speaking tongues, but rather to articulate the meaning of Pentesost as a whole). The Spirit enabled them to speak in different languages that others might be saved. And, yes three thousand were saved that day. Today we can preach three thousand sermons and not one saved, all because we misuse the gifts of the Spirit.

The purpose of the coming of the Holy Spirit is reported in the words of Jesus just before He ascended into the heavens.

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1 vs 8, ESV) The Holy Spirit has come to empower us to fulfill the great commission of Christ. And with that He brings gifts that enable us to do so. 1 Corinthians 12, reminds us that it is the Spirit who gives us different gifts, but they all serve the same purpose in that it glorifies God. Especially verse 7 says, "A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other" (NLT).  We assist each other also by fulfilling the great commission.

" But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you." (John 16 vs 5 - 15)

Looking at these verses we understand that the Spirit will convict the world of sin and He is our helper in this matter as God would use us to demonstrate to the world that sin is real and so is the forgiveness of it that comes only through Christ himself. Many Christians today only look for the Spirit of God when they desire to 'speak in tongues', or to be 'slain in the spirit.'  What is the purpose of all the gifts if not to enrich our relationship with Christ but also that we might be better abled to reflect Christ on the earth.

So, dear friends, the purpose of Pentecost, The Spirit has come enabling us, that we might please our God in bringing the lost sheep into the fold. The Spirit of God does many things for us and becomes many things for us, like being our comforter for instance (John 14). He speaks for us when we can't (Rom. 8), and so much more. He is our blessing and protector aswell(Psalm 91). But our focus is the purpose of Pentecost. When praying, our prayers must culminate in asking the the Spirit of God to embolden us to speak His word and share salvation to those who truly need it. Every gift is given that we might bring others into the kingdom of God.

What is your gifting? Are you using it to persuade others of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ ? Is your gift self-exalting or God-glorifying ?  These are just a few question to provoke your thinking concerning your gifts that you have received freely from the Spirit to accomplish great things in God. 

So as we celebrate Pentecost, let's remember that the Spirit is here to help us fulfill all that Christ has commanded us to do. Just as he enabled Peter to speak the way he did. May he do the same for us.

 Please don't forget to leave a comment or email us.

Email: thepassionatebeliever@gmail.com