Читать книгу Holy Smoke! Unholy Fire! - Robert C McKibben - Страница 12

But Jesus doesn’t make promises He doesn’t keep! Seven weeks after the Passover commemoration, the Jews celebrated what they called Festival of Weeks. Because it was held fifty days after the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, it came to be called Pentecost, based on the Greek word for “fifty.” It was on this special occasion that the promise was fulfilled.

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting 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).

What a day that must have been! Just imagine how the disciples and followers of Jesus felt. Fifty days they had waited, remembering every word that Jesus spoke to them. He promised that things would be different, but every day brought more of the same. The Romans still occupied their land. The religious leaders were still in charge, boasting of how their scheme to get rid of Jesus had worked. And now, the next major Jewish holiday had arrived – and still no promised Holy Spirit. In our present day of pragmatism and intellectual sophistication, it is extraordinarily difficult for us to imagine the amazing events of that morning. But the scriptures are clear. Those men and women were totally transformed. The fulfilling of the promised Holy Spirit utterly changed their lives! Our world has never been the same since.

That’s the good news! You and I are no longer living in the era of waiting or even in an age of promise – we are living in the days of fulfillment! The Holy Spirit’s presence was promised, the Spirit’s power was promised and the promise was fulfilled. The New Testament is the witness of how the disciples’ lives were transformed. The good news for us is that the Spirit’s presence and power is still available today. That same transforming power of the Holy Spirit is still available today and will utterly change your life and will revolutionize your Church! Who is this Parakletos whom Jesus promised in His place? What is this power that transforms the lives of believers? Holy smoke! Who is this Holy Spirit anyway? Let’s find out.