This is Us: The Holy Spirit Arrives

​The book of Acts is the story of the church. This is the story of us. Jesus started his church. He is the founder, CEO, leader, and King. He commissioned his disciples to make disciples. You and I are here, here and now, because other people throughout history took Jesus command to make disciples seriously. The church today is a continuance of the church that began way back in Jerusalem around 33 AD.
 
At the time of the book of Acts, Jesus had been recently crucified and resurrected from the dead. Person after person had seen Jesus alive, they had heard him speak, and the disciples had even had a chance to eat with him. Enough people had seen him that they were creating quite a buzz. Acts 1:9 tells us that Jesus ascended into heaven then several of the apostles walked back to Jerusalem which was about a mile away from the Mount of Olives.
 
Fifty days later the Feast of Weeks is being celebrated for God’s provision of blessing. The disciples gathered again in the upper room where they had eaten their last supper with Jesus. And this was when the Holy Spirit came to bless the people with the birth of the church.
 
Looking back to prophecy and forward to the promise of the Holy Spirit were Christ’s last words on earth before His ascension into heaven. Pentecost signals the beginning of the church age. This was the first time they heard the gospel with clarity for the first time. The Holy Spirit enabled them to have understanding and clarity about the Word of God. The power of the Holy Spirit had come and the church age had begun.   
 
The Bible reveals that the Holy Spirit is the third person in the Trinity. One God, three parts. The Holy Spirit is divine, He is fully God. He is eternal, omniscient, and omnipresent.
 
The Holy Spirit is a person the same as God the Father and God the Son Jesus Christ. This is a longstanding doctrine of Christian theology. The concept of a triune God is referred to as the trinity. The three are one yet distinct in form and function.
 
The Holy Spirit has three specific functions in the life of a believer. The Holy Spirit functions as a comforter. According to Romans 8:14-16 the Holy Spirit comes along side believers when they are down or need comfort. The Holy Spirit also functions as our counselor. The Holy Spirit is often referred to as a Counselor to guide us and direct us in our thoughts and in our actions to follow the will of God for our lives. Third, the Holy Spirit functions as our advocate. The Holy Spirit does more than just comfort and counsel us. The Holy Spirit actually gives us the courage to do what God calls us to do as our advocate. This means that the Holy Spirit enables us to live a righteous life in a world full of unrighteousness. He will give you the power to turn from darkness and flee from sin.
 
The Holy Spirit brings the Word alive in the life of believers. When the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost, Peter preached and the Word of God resonated in the hearts of 3,000 people. Prior to this they may have been spiritually interested, but felt no conviction. They came from all different backgrounds and once the Holy Spirit came they all became one body of believers.
 
The Holy Spirit empowers believers to live a holy life. The Holy Spirit tugs on our heart to make the right decisions and act in accordance with God’s will and His ways. The Holy Spirit convicts us, it doesn’t condemn us.
 
The Holy Spirit enables believers to fulfill their holy calling. Once the Word of God becomes active in your life and you are empowered to live a holy life then you need to fulfill your holy calling. The Holy Spirit doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called.  
                     
I believe that there is a God, that this God can be known through Jesus Christ, and that Jesus Christ sent the Holy Spirit to indwell the believer convicting of sin and helping them live a better life that brings glory to God. The Holy Spirit is part of the story of us. Without the Holy Spirit believers would not be empowered to preach the gospel and live it out.