The Coming of the Holy Spirit

Just prior to his ascension into heaven, Jesus instructed his disciples to remain in Jerusalem until they were "clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). Consequently, at the beginning of the book of Acts (the sequel to Luke's gospel), we find the disciples gathered in the upper room praying and waiting. This is the same upper room where the disciples shared the Last Supper with Jesus.

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As they were praying, the Holy Spirit came upon them in great power and they began to speak in other tongues. The gift of the Holy Spirit was the fulfillment of Jesus' promise as well as what the prophets spoke about centuries before. The prophet Joel is quoted in Acts 2, but other prophets such as Ezekiel and Jeremiah spoke about a time when God would give to his people a new heart and a new spirit, a time when God would put his Spirit within his people. This prophetic promise was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost and the early apostles were empowered to carry out their mission in the world. In fact, the book of Acts is traditionally referred to as the Acts of the Apostles; however, there are many who point out that the main character/actor in the narrative of Acts is the Holy Spirit. The preaching, teaching, and miraculous signs recorded in the book of Acts are all performed in the power of the Spirit.

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The events of the day of Pentecost are also unique because the disciples are filled with the Spirit. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit would come upon an individual for a specific purpose at a specific time, but an individual was not continually filled with the Spirit. However, in the New Testament, the disciples are permanantly indwelt with the Spirit; they become the Temple of the Holy Spirit, the very dwelling place of God's presence. Therefore, as Christians, we are called to walk daily in the Spirit. Our lives are meant to be controlled and led by the presence and power of Holy Spirit.

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The experience of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the early Christians led them to believe that the Spirit was the very presence of God in their midst and a continuation of the presence of Jesus. Consequently, by the fourth century, the doctrine of the Trinity was established, which recognizes that the fullness of God is expressed in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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I have included on my sidebar a brief video in which Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, offers his reflections on Pentecost.