I Believe in the Holy Spirit
By Tim Brown
Read: Acts 2
All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak . . . (v. 4)
So much is meant when we stand to say together, "I believe in the Holy Spirit." We are saying something about the nature of our God who reveals himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are also saying something about how we come to know God, because no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 12:3). And we are saying something about the work we have been given to do because according to Jesus himself, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses . . . " (Acts 1:8).
Among the works that the Holy Spirit is calling us to do in the world is to tell everyone everywhere that Jesus is Lord. This work is peculiar to followers of Jesus alone. In Acts 2 a kind of Spirit-drawn road map is spelled out for us in verses 9 through 11. If you analyze this list of peoples and languages carefully you will discover that it is a complete mapping of all the regions of the ancient world. It was the early church's way of committing itself to telling everyone everywhere that Jesus is Lord. Are we allowed to do otherwise?
Prayer: Send your Holy Spirit upon us for witness in the world, in Jesus' name. Amen.
Used with Permission
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