THE PERSON OF PENTECOST (Acts 2:1-5, 12-19, 38)

THE PERSON OF PENTECOST (Acts 2:1-5, 12-19, 38)

The title of the today’s lesson is “The Person of Pentecost.”  And of course, that person of Pentecost is the Holy Spirit of God.  I said it that way because it is important that we understand that the Holy Spirit is a person. Never, ever, speak of the Holy Spirit as a thing, as an influence—a mere influence—an “it.” Some people speak of the Holy Spirit with the impersonal pronoun “it.”  That would be inappropriate to do so for any person, let alone the Person of God.   

If someone were to leave here today and try to describe my appearance to someone, I hope that they wouldn’t say something like, “It wore a dark polo-shirt and jeans today.” I hope they would at least give me enough deference to use a personal pronoun when they refer to me, because I am not merely a thing, an influence; I am a person. And, God the Holy Spirit is a person; 

And, having said that, I want you to notice with me four things about the Person of Pentecost, and I pray God that He will use Himself, the Holy Spirit, to etch and to burn this message into your heart and help you to live in that Pentecostal power that God wants us all to have.

The first thing is that “The Person of Pentecost is a Possession to Be Received.” That is, God is going to give you the Holy Spirit. The gift is the Spirit Himself. When you repent, when you receive Christ Jesus as your personal Savior, when you are saved, when you are born again, you receive God’s gift, which is the Spirit Himself. And that happens immediately when a person is saved.

The second thing is that “The Person of Pentecost is a Power to Be Released.” These verses speak of the power that is going to rest upon those who have received the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is the purpose of the Holy Spirit: to give power to people who do not have power.

The third thing is that “The Person of Pentecost is a Presence to Be Revealed.” People come to see a fire.  You let a church get on fire for God; you let us get right with God, and I’ll tell you that the Holy Spirit of God is going to attract the people.

The fourth thing is that “The Person of Pentecost is a Person to Be Recognized.” The Holy Spirit will continue to bless to the degree that we continue to say that God is responsible for the power in our lives, that the Holy Spirit is the business of transforming weak, stammering, people into His people doing His work.  

Click on the play button to hear a message on the Person of Pentecost.

This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS.

Amen.