Path To Pentecost (4)

May 2, 2025

It is Finished BUT not Finished!!

Yesterday I suggested that Pentecost is the culmination of God's drama of redemption. That is a strong statement I know but seems to me to be the reason Jesus told his followers to wait in Jerusalem.

Pentecost is to be waited for because God has not finished the work of redemption. Christmas (as stated before) is God WITH us. Easter (as stated before) is God FOR us. But now the follower's of Jesus must wait for Pentecost....God IN us.

This waiting for the followers of Jesus in Acts 1 is because of the 2-fold ministry of Jesus as 1st declared by John the baptizer. John declared that Jesus 2-fold ministry was as the 'Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29) and in a few verses later (vs 33) states that Jesus also 'baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'

Easter had surely brought about the "finish" of the sacrifice for sin for the world and Jesus' ministry as Lamb of God. However, the ministry of Jesus was yet to be fulfilled his baptizing of his follower's with the Spirit.

It is Finished BUT not Finished!!

REFLECT: How much attention have you give to the 2-fold ministry of Jesus? What

More Pentecost Articles

Path To Pentecost (18)--May 16

May 17, 2025

Filled with The Spirit

Path To Pentecost (17)--May 15

May 16, 2025

The Spirit Filled Life

Path To Pentecost (16)--May 14, 2025

May 15, 2025

How To Live Filled With The Holy Spirit

Path To Pentecost (15)--May 13

May 14, 2025

Actions associated with being filled

Path To Pentecost (13)--May 11

May 14, 2025

A Condition for being filled on a continual basis The blog yesterday showed that Ephesians 5:18 exhorts us to be filled with the Holy Spirit on a continual basis. The present verb "filled" makes this clear. I also stated that a way to experience this continual work of The Holy Spirit (being under the influence of The Spirit) is based on humility. Humility is the experience of realizing that I do not have the internal power to be the person that I see in God's Word. Humility is the acknowledgement that I need God's Spirit to live the life of following Jesus. It is the humble person who can experience this continual influence of the Holy Spirit. That is because the truly humble person has a right assessment of their own need and a right assessment of God' provision. The proud person cannot receive much from God because the proud person does not assess that they need anything or at least not much from God. This is not a failure of God's power it is a failure of one not recognizing one's need. In this notion of being humble enough to experience God's continual presence of The Holy Spirit I remember a verse from Jesus' brother, James. James 4:5-6 reveals God's contrast in response to the proud and to the humble. Note in vs 5 about God's yearning "over the Spirit that he has made to dwell in us." Then James gives a contrast between the humble and the proud we see that God gives "more grace" (vs. 6). How can God give more grace.....well I want to suggest that God can give more grace to the humble because the humble have more capacity for grace. Think of it, a humble person is open to receive from God because they do not assume that they are capable in their own strength. Note also that the continual influence of The Holy Spirit would be impossible for the proud. God opposes the proud (vs. 6) because they do not recognize their need of God's Holy Spirit. REFLECT: So, instead of denying your inability and need for more grace, embrace it. God has "more grace" for you. This is life in the the continual influence of The Holy Spirit