Just a thought!

“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1–4 ESV).

This was the Pentecost account when the Holy Spirit came upon all those who were praying in that house in Jerusalem. There were over 100 people, and all of them experienced the power of the promised Holy Spirit. This manifestation of the presence of God was given to all of them, and it has become the door by which you and I can enter and experience the very same power in our lives.

Pentecost is real. It can transform every life, and it is here for you and me to experience. But what I am asking today is this: How can I receive the Holy Spirit in my life?

Before I answer that question, it is essential to know that you have to become a follower of Jesus Christ; only then the Spirit of God can dwell in you. This baptism given to us at Pentecost is all about empowering us for missions.

The book of Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 ESV). The Pentecost experience is about power, and authority graciously granted to us.

To be filled with the Spirit, you and I have first need to become followers and lovers of Jesus Christ. Only then we have access to the Pentecost experience.

How to be filled with the Holy Spirit? The answer is to remain hungry for his presence. I know I have experienced the overwhelming power of the Holy Spirit; it humbles you. On more than one occasion, I have heard the audible voice of God. I have seen and experienced the supernatural, but nothing can satisfy more than to be in fellowship with the Holy Spirit. I want to remain hungry for his presence. My favourite prayer is “enough is not enough, Lord, I want more of you”. When we are desperate for God’s presence, God doesn’t run away from us, and it is the opposite. His presence becomes tangible.

How do we maintain and nurture the Pentecost experience?

I believe that there are at least three ways that can help us to keep growing in fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

The first is when we have experienced the love of God. When we love him with all our minds, with all our hearts, with all our spirits, then this enables us to love other people and to love ourselves. Loving ourselves within this context is not selfish or prideful. But it is a manifestation of God’s love to us. It is also what enable us to love other people. There is a fascinating verse in Colossians 1:8 that says, “…has made known to us your love in the Spirit.” Paul is speaking about Epaphras, who was a faithful servant. He tells us that the love that they have experienced, the Gospel, is the outcome of God’s love manifested in the Holy Spirit actual presence. In other words, we are filled with the Holy Spirit when we are in love with God, with others and when we value ourselves as sons and daughters of God.

Second. Paul encourages us to pray in the Spirit. Ephesians 6: 18 says, “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication” (Ephesians 6:18 ESV). This means that we are to pray constantly using and becoming so familiar with the prophetic word of truth, which is called the sword of the Spirit, the very Word of God. We were praying under the influence and guidance of the Spirit of God. When we do this, we exercise our divine authority and power over the kingdom of darkness.
The kingdom of darkness is not just the influence and manifestation of dark spiritual forces, but this can also mean the darkness of our souls and the confusion over our minds.

Third. Paul in Romans chapter 8 verse 26 says that “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” (Romans 8:26 ESV). I find that fascinating. In the letter of first Corinthians chapter 14, Paul speaks about two gifts of the Spirit: the prophetic gift and the gift tongues. And just like Colossians and Ephesians, we have the exact wording “in the Spirit”. We have love in the Spirit, and we pray in the Spirit, and now we pray in the spirit, using the gift of tongues, which is a gift from the Holy Spirit. I believe that the language of Romans chapter eight describing the Holy Spirit praying with an unknown tongue are the of the exact nature of the profound words spoken for our personal edification when we pray using the gift of tongues. I realise that you may not have the utterance gift of tongues, yet the Spirit still is praying for you, and you are being edified as he prays for you.

So, to be filled with Spirit, this Pentecost is to be asking God to make us hungry for his presence. Praying that enough will never be enough when we ask to live closely with him. To grow into a mature relationship with the Holy Spirit is to be in love with him. It is to pray in the Spirit constantly and be guided by the Spirit who is interceding for us.

Have a great Pentecost day!