In my daily devotional reading for yesterday, I read about the Pentecost speech from Peter, who quoted the Prophet Joel about the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon all people:
"The pouring out of the Spirit is the signal for the beginning of the eschatological event - the pouring out of the Spirit upon all mankind... Spirit in this context, int eh Old and New Testament alike, is not used, as the world often was, in the sense of breath, or angel or demon (or ghost or spirit of the departed), nor in the sense of soul or source of life, nor in the sense of the seat of knowledge and volition, the living ego of a man. No, in this context the Spirit of God is referred to, the Holy Spirit; its holiness separates it distinctly from teh spirit of man and of the world." (From The Church, by Hans Kung, as quoted in A Guide To Prayer for Ministers and Other Servants, Nashville: The Upper Room, 1983. p. 191)
And it has occurred to me that there are people who did not know this. The Holy Spirit's arrival at Pentecost was not some wind or breath that filled every one's lungs. It was not some mystical encounter with a representation of the divine in some form or fashion. It was God. God came into that room and filled everyone with God's self! Their ability to speak in foreign languages at that time was not because their own spirits mingled with the divine Spirit. Their spirit's were replaced with THE SPIRIT.
It has further occurred to me that there are several people who mistakenly believe that in order to be fully faithful, we have to join our spirits with God's Spirit. In reality we must surrender our spirit to God. When we become filled with the Holy Spirit, there's not room for our own spirit (our will, our thoughts, our wants, our desires, our needs) and God's Spirit at the same time. When God's Spirit is present, God's Spirit fills all and is in all. Completely.
Perhaps in that Upper Room, for the first time, folks surrendered to the Holy Spirit in such a way that God could be fully present with everyone there. Not one of those folks there every even thought that he or she had become God. What a ludicrous thought! No, each one understood completely that they were in the presence of the Divine Creator and Sustainer of the world.
Wouldn't it be great if we could be filled completely with God's Holy Spirit - the very essence of God? Can you imagine what Pentecost could be like today?!!!
This is my prayer: "Lord, remove from me that which gets in your way - and fill me with your Holy Spirit, that I may fully and completely serve your will today. In Jesus' name. Amen." Want to make that your prayer too?
See you in Church!
Grace and peace,
Brad
