https://odb.org/2024/10/23/the-spirit-is-present
After Jesus died and rose again, He ascended to heaven 40 days after His resurrection. On the 50th day, it was the Jewish festival of Pentecost, which celebrates the giving of the Torah to Moses at Mount Sinai. The night before Jesus was crucified, He had the last supper, and it was the day of the Jewish festival of the Unleavened Bread, also known as the Passover which celebrates the passing over by the Angel of Death over Jewish homes in Egypt marked by the blood of an unblemished lamb. Thus, we will see that Jesus’s last days on earth had a lot of symbolism intertwined with the festivals in the Jewish calendar, somewhat tying Christ to the Old Testament religious laws introduced by God during ancient times.
When Jesus ascended to heaven, it left a vacuum in the hearts of the disciples of Christ (Apostles), although with the 40 days Christ spent with them and other close followers, they caught the vision of His true mission on earth. The physical Jesus was no more, even in the form of His glorified body. But that held the promise of what we could expect of our bodies at the end of age. Jesus gave the disciples a promise in John 14 25-27 NIV:
25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.
The promise was His Father in heaven will send the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who will teach them all things and remind them of everything Christ had said and taught them before. The Holy Spirit descended in a rushing wind and tongues of fire on the Apostles and other believers on Pentecost and empowered and emboldened the Apostles and other believers. The rest, as they say, is history. The faith spread like wildfire engulfing Jerusalem, Judah, and Samaria and across the Greek world of the Gentiles and later to the rest of the world. We are who we are in Christ today from the first fire 🔥 of Pentecost with the descension of the Holy Spirit. The faith spread and prevailed despite persecutions and all sorts of obstacles by the ruler of the world.
Going back to the original promise of Jesus in John 14, for us modern believers who have both Jesus and the Holy Spirit in our hearts, be reminded that the Holy Spirit will comfort and encourage us like He did the disciples. Do not be afraid or be troubled when we face difficult situations in life or at work. Be bold and courageous like Joshua! Trust that the Holy Spirit will help us and embolden us as we plough through life. Jesus is our Lord and Saviour, Father God is our Heavenly Father, but the Holy Spirit will teach us all things and grant us wisdom and discernment in our walk of faith. He will prompt us to do the right thing at all times, He is the voice in our conscience and more. He will lead us to what God’s will is in all situations. He will lead us to fulfil God’s plans and purposes in our lives and for us to live in the centre of His will!
We thank you, Lord Jesus and Father God, for giving us the Holy Spirit to be our Advocate and Comforter, to stand with us in all that we do! Amen!
Ronnie's Thoughts 