The Holy Spirit Changes Everything

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , , , , | Posted On Tuesday, October 13, 2009 at 12:01 AM

Acts 2 is one of the great chapters of the Bible. In it we see the coming of the Holy Spirit, as promised by Jesus, and the birth of his church. Both of these related events have great significance for you and me.

In Old Testament times it was rare for a person to receive the Holy Spirit. God typically did this for specific reasons for specific periods of time. It was not an ongoing experience, even of the prophets. But, the prophet Jeremiah foresaw a time when things would be different:

"'The day is coming,' says the LORD, 'when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,' says the LORD. 'But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,' says the LORD. 'I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.'" (Jeremiah 31:31-33 NLT2)


A new covenant through Jesus Christ was established, and on Pentecost (originally, the Jewish Feast of Weeks or Harvest, coming 50 days after Passover) the mark and power of this new covenant was given to the followers of Christ - the presence of the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit. This new covenant wouldn't be recognized through external laws and rules but through an individual, personal relationship with Jesus Christ through His Spirit residing "deep within" the follower of Christ. The prophet Joel heard God say that He would pour out His Spirit to empower His people: "…I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions." (Joel 2:28) The coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost marked the birth of the church, and it continues to be the sign of God's church today.


The Holy Spirit enables Christ followers, forgiven by God through Jesus' death on the cross, to live new lives. He comes to live within us to actually change us, to change our hearts and desires. I remember thinking at one point in my life that there were a lot of things about being a Christian that didn't seem very appealing or interesting to me. I didn't want to give up some things that I was doing in my life. However, when Jesus entered my life, his Spirit didn't condemn me, but He did begin to transform me from the inside out. And a few years later I discovered that the things I used to think were such a big deal, that I would never want to do, had become some of the things I most wanted to do. The Holy Spirit, living in me, changed my heart through this new covenant.


We receive God's Spirit not simply as a place-holder so that someday we can get into heaven - we receive God's Spirit to begin changing us now! He has the power to do it, as we see in Acts 2. Here was Peter, who fifty days earlier was afraid to stand up to servants and admit he knew Jesus, now preaching about Jesus before a crowd so large that three thousand of them committed their lives to Jesus Christ, received His Spirit, and became "charter members" of the church. Verses 42-47 paint an amazing picture of Christian faith and community. And it was because of the Holy Spirit.


Of course, the Holy Spirit can't make any of us do anything we don't want to do. Which is why we see a lot of folks who talk about being followers of Christ who really don't look much like followers of Christ. We have to cooperate with the Spirit and trust Him as He leads us forward. We have to have faith that what God teaches us through the Bible is best for us and allow His Spirit to lead us to be obedient. Yet, it's never obedience to earn God's favor - it's obedience in gratitude to Jesus for what he's done for us. It becomes our joyful duty to serve Christ, by the power of his Spirit, and we do that by loving God, our neighbors, and ourselves. In fact, the presence of the Holy Spirit in a follower of Christ is one of the greatest affirmations we can ever receive - Jesus cares so much for us that His Spirit comes to live within us.