God's Spirit and God's People
Good morning Immanuel. Be encouraged by God's Spirit at work in us and among us!
Guest post from Pastor Scott Patty’s book, Words of Grace: a 100-day devotional, used with permission.
“But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;” (Acts 2:16-17)
On the Day of Pentecost, the new and gathered people of God “were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4). A new relationship between God’s Spirit and God’s people began.
Of the many characteristics that mark God’s people in the world, it is the filling of the Holy Spirit that lies beneath them all. Christians are born again, and that happens by the power of the Spirit. Love, joy, and peace are qualities of the Christian community, and it is the Holy Spirit who produces them in believers. The Word of God is the Spirit-inspired truth on which the people of God feed. The church is the witness of God’s grace in the world. By the Spirit’s power this witness goes forth.
God’s Spirit creates God’s people through the miracle of the new birth. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).
God’s Spirit indwells God’s people and produces new qualities of life. Jesus said, “I will ask the Father and he will give you another Counselor…He remains with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17).
God’s Spirit communicates to God’s people with the truth He inspired. “No prophecy of Scripture comes from the prophet’s own interpretation…instead, men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21).
God’s Spirit empowers God’s people to give testimony to the message of Christ. This is the result of the Day of Pentecost. The people in Jerusalem that day each heard the declaration of the magnificent acts of God (Acts 2:11).
Acts 2 shows us the created, indwelled, instructed, and empowered church gathered together in great joy. Renew your commitment to the people of God as you gather with your church in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.