The Day of Pentecost is something the Church (all Christian denominations) has been celebrating for centuries.
Of course, it changes every year because it comes forty-nine days after the Passover meal. This meal is a Jewish celebration to commemorate the liberation of the people of Israel from the Egyptian oppression.
Jesus also celebrated it. His last one was something the four gospels accounted for in the New Testament. The day when Jews gathered in Jerusalem for another festival, the Feast of Weeks, that’s when the Holy Spirit comes down on the disciples.
Jews were in town for another of their festivities, the Shavuot, which becomes the Day of Pentecost for Christians. It’s such a popular story you may have already heard of or read on your own in Acts 2.
I’m not talking about just the Day of Pentecost. I want to share with you today on the five benefits you experience because of the power of the Holy Spirit.
You’re Empowered
Begin by reading this Scripture:
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. John 20: 22. ESV.
Clearly, the idea of the disciples receiving the Holy Spirit doesn’t start with the book of Acts. John talks about it soon after the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
If you continue reading John 20, Jesus mentions power that comes with the disciples being filled with the Holy Spirit. They can forgive people (read verse 23).
In other words, they have the power to bind and loose on earth as well as in heaven (see Matthew 16: 18-20).
Here’s what we read about being empowered by the Holy Spirit in the New Testament:
- They have the power to bind and loose on earth and in heaven. Matthew 16: 18
- They go and make disciples of all nations. Matthew 28: 16-20.
- They baptize people in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28: 16-20
- They can now teach people how to observe all that Jesus has commanded you. Matthew 28: 16-20
- They will cast out demons. Mark 16: 17-18.
- They will speak in new tongues. Mark 16: 17-18.
- They will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them. Mark 16: 17-18.
- They will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover. Mark 16: 17-18.
- They are God’s witnesses locally and globally. Acts 1: 8.
You’re Emotionally Stable
You may probably have heard me mention this on my blog or through sharing on social media.
The Holy Spirit enables us to become emotionally stable.
When you’re filled with the Holy Spirit, you’ll experience the following:
- Love. The ability to recognize other people’s need for affection and how to show it to them.
- Joy. The choice to be happy and thankful in all circumstances.
- Peace. The willingness to maintain and pursue peace with the goal of establishing healthy relationships with all people.
- Patience. The ability to embrace all situations and people without getting upset or angry.
- Kindness and gentleness. Choosing to be friendly and generous.
- Goodness. Embracing a life of integrity. You’re consistent with who you are (your core Christian values) no matter where you find yourself.
- Faithfulness. You’re a person of commitment.
- Self-control. Self-awareness of personal emotions and feelings coupled with the ability to control them. Read Galatians 5: 22-23.
You Become Resilient
The Holy Spirit helps you become resilient!
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, you’re able to withstand anything and have the ability to recover from whatever you go through in life.
Read the Scripture below, and you’ll understand that no matter what happens to us, God, through the Holy Spirit, gives us the power to recover.
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 2 Corinthians 4: 8-10. ESV.
The reason is that the Holy Spirit helps us in our weaknesses (Romans 8: 26). Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we, therefore, become resilient.
You Love Sacrificially
Read the entire book of Acts, and you’ll discover that the disciples, following the Day of Pentecost, became fearless.
In chapter two, for example, Peter, and all the others came out of hiding. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and empowered to face anyone or anything they were afraid of following the crucifixion of their Master, Jesus Christ.
Eventually, all the apostles, at the exception of John, would be martyred as a result of their faith. However, they were never afraid even to die for the gospel.
All that happened after the Day of Pentecost. Before then, someone like Peter, including the other apostles, fled when Jesus Christ was arrested. No one stayed with the Master to Whom they promised to follow even to the point of losing their own lives.
Later on, Peter would deny three times that he’s one of Jesus’ followers (see Matthew 26: 69-75, Mark 14: 66-72, Luke 22: 54-62 and John 18: 15-27).
But, all that changed after Acts 2. The power of the Holy Spirit being in Peter made him the most fearless person ever.
Peter, as a result of being filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, was able to love God and the people sacrificially!
You Are a Risk-Taker
Lastly, the power of the Holy Spirit enables you to take risks.
Note two things when it comes to taking risks as a Holy Spirit-filled person:
- You’re taking risks with Jesus Christ.
- You’re taking risks for Jesus Christ.
You take risks with and for Jesus Christ by faith because you’re not walking by sight, but faith.
Risk-taking comes out of the three things the Holy Spirit does in your life:
- The Holy Spirit will show you the most excellent to be and serve God.
- The Holy Spirit will draw resources your way to enable you to fulfill God’s plan in your life.
- The Holy Spirit will put words, insights, and creativity to accomplish God’s mission.
In Summary
Jesus may have breathed on you meaning that the Holy Spirit is in you. But the question is: “do you experience the power of the Holy Spirit?” The power of the Holy Spirit will transform your life and equip you to fulfill God’s mission on a daily basis.