Celebrating the Holy Spirit

We celebrated Jesus' promise of the Holy Spirit on this past Pentecost Sunday. When He spoke the words of John 16:7, He knew that He would take the sins of the world upon Himself, enduring an agonizing death on the cross at crucifixion. Jesus' sinless sacrifice paid the ransom price to redeem us back to God. Jesus endured this torment "for the joy that was set before Him" (Hebrews 12:2). His joy was threefold: the joy of 1) obeying the Father, 2) fulfilling prophecy, and 3) paving the way for the Holy Spirit to come to all mankind.

When we first accept Salvation, we don't yet know how to flow in the full power of the Holy Spirit's gift. Jesus told us that we would receive power after the Holy Ghost comes upon us. That word for power was "Dunamis," which means "inherent power, miraculous power, moral power, strength, and ability."

As we study the Scriptures, grow closer to God, and exercise our faith, we develop empowering grace through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our great Pentecost harvest, giving us communion with God, the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and so many other gifts. We celebrate God, the Father, Jesus, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, our Comforter and Counselor, now and forever!