Commissioned: Timeless Truth: The Gospel Made SimpleSample

The Spirit Sends

After his resurrection, Jesus promised that His followers would be baptized with the Holy Spirit and that they would be immersed in the power of God. Then, on the day of Pentecost, it happened. The believers gathered in Jerusalem were filled with the Holy Spirit and proclaimed the Good News to those from all the countries gathered for the holiday. Their overflowing joy was so great and their proclamation was so expressive that people might have thought they were drunk!

Peter stood with the eleven apostles and preached that they were not drunk but that the words of Jesus had been fulfilled. These people were baptized with the Holy Spirit. Not only Jesus, but John the Baptist and the prophet Joel, speaking 500 years earlier, had said this would happen. A new era of history was being opened—God was pouring out His Holy Spirit on all people. Sons, daughters, young and old, men and women would all be anointed with the Holy Spirit to tell others about God.

We take it for granted that God anoints all believers with the Holy Spirit, but in Old Testament times, only those who had a special mission from God-- prophets, priests, and kings--were anointed by the Holy Spirit. But since Jesus’s resurrection, all believers have a special mission from God. All believers, at our baptism, are baptized into Christ and become, in Him, prophets, priests, and kings. We serve as priests through our sacrificial efforts to bring people to God. We serve as prophets through our witness to the truth in word and deed. We serve as kings in our efforts to lead others to devote their lives to advancing the Kingdom of God.

From the early days of the church, followers of Jesus have been called “Christians.” “Christ” means anointed one; “Christian” means “little anointed one.” At first, this name was used to mock followers of Jesus, but over time, we have embraced this name. It suits us well: We are little ones anointed by the Holy Spirit—small, insignificant people empowered by the Spirit of Almighty God. Without Him, we can do nothing, but with Him, we can each play our part in completing the saving mission of Jesus.

Stop, think and pray:

Let’s pray for the people whom we’ve been caring for and ask the Lord to give us chances to share the Good News with them. Let’s share in the power of the Holy Spirit, and leave the results to God!

It might be helpful to use an evangelistic app, like Ultimate Relationship (https://cco.ca/resources/ultimate-relationship/) When the Holy Spirit opens the opportunity, you can ask, “Could I share this amazing app with you?” Then, all you have to do is read through the app and pray for the Holy Spirit to do His work in your friend’s heart.