Pentecost Sunday

Today is Pentecost Sunday, 7 weeks after Easter when Jesus rose from the grave. Pentecost is when the Holy Spirit was given to usher in a new era when God pours out his Spirit for all his children. This was prophesied by the Prophet Joel in the Old Testament as Peter explained it on that Special day. It was the coming of the age which Jesus had promised would come when he leaves the disciples. In fact, he said it is good that he goes so that the Holy Spirit would come. (John 14-16) He, the Spirit, would teach his people “all things” which Jesus had come to introduce to the church age.

We clearly have three ages of holy history: The Old Testament with the law and the prophets, the Jesus era of the 4 Gospels where God became man to bring in a new covenant, and the The Acts of the Apostles which brings in the 3rd stage the age of God revealing his presence and will for his people by his Spirit. It is the permanent age until Jesus returns for the 4^th stage of heaven eternally.

Today most persons prefer to live by the book, the Bible, rather than recognize there is a revelation and living presence of God that is even more specific and relevant in the presence of the Spirit. The Bible is always the reference for understanding God's will for his people. But sometimes we need a “Word” of God that is even closer and more clearly accessible for the moment than the Book. Today we heard an example in a church service on this.

A man related how he and his 8 year old son were driving in Elkhart and saw a man pushing an older lady in a wheel chair on the side walk. The boy who seems exceptionally alert to the Spirit begged his father to stop so they could pray for the lady. The father complied and turned around and offered to pray for the lady. They learned she had been unable to walk for some time because of a leg injury in which a metal pin had been inserted from knee to hip. The lady and man had little faith in God for healing but permitted prayer. The boy was full of faith as the father prayed. When they had prayed they asked the lady to get up and walked. With help, she got on her feet. She walked for several rods painlessly, although earlier it was excruciating to walk even several steps and had given up hope.

The Spirit was present even with this small boy to show him that God would hear if they prayed. This was God's word present in the Holy Spirit. It was not an intellectual understanding of the Bible that this could be done. It was the experience of the Spirit that God would honor their faith and obedience and bring healing to this woman if they prayed.

How often do we need to hear from God where we can not go back to the Scripture for an answer! We often need an answer now as we stand before a need or crux of an issue. God's Spirit is now within us as his Living Word for us in every need. Certainly the Bible is full of information as background and sometimes extremely relevant in helping know God's will. But the Spirit is present in this third age of God's word, present, and will to “guide us in all truth “ as Jesus had promised. Probably all of us need to grow in hearing the Spirit, trust God within us, and with faith to follow God's leading continually and specifically.