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Our celebration of Easter has come and gone, and we move on, looking forward to next Easter’s celebration, and before then, Christmas. But for the apostles, the weeks after Easter were filled with wonder and glory. For the 40 days after Resurrection Sunday (Acts 1:3), their risen Lord was among them! Without doubt their faith was strengthened and enriched during this this time. And after Jesus had instructed them to remain in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came and baptized them, equipping them for their mission to be His witnesses, the apostles witnessed their Lord’s return to heaven.
And so the apostles remained together in Jerusalem, waiting…. Ten days later, the day of Pentecost came (Acts 2:1). The Holy Spirit made His presence known as He filled each of the Apostles, equipping them to witness to visitors by declaring God’s mighty deeds in their own native languages. The church of Jesus Christ was born as the Lord filled His disciples with His Holy Spirit to enable, equip, and empower them to do His work on earth.
Now, millennia later, the church of Jesus Christ remains, guarded, guided, and empowered by the Holy Spirit to proclaim Christ to the world until He returns. We, as believers, are incredibly blessed to be deemed worthy to carry out this eternally significant work that is both solemn and joyous.
As vital as it is to commemorate Easter, to remember Jesus’s astonishing sacrifice on our behalf, it is also crucial to bear in mind that the day of Pentecost—that we commemorate this month, on the 24th—marked the New Covenant beginning of the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost is more than a historic holiday. It is a reminder that the Holy Spirit abides in us and guards, guides, and empowers the church to continue preaching the Gospel and continuing the Kingdom work that Christ initiated with His disciples.
We need to be very, very clear that the work of the church is not a solo human endeavor. We need the Holy Spirit, and we need one another. In Ephesians, the Apostle Paul casts a vision for the Gentile readers of his letter: God raised Christ above all rule, authority, power, dominion, and name for all eternity and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:22b-23). We are the body of Christ, His fulness! As we use our unique gifts that the Holy Spirit has bestowed upon us in a Holy Spirit-driven and cooperative and coordinated manner, we will manifest the fullness of Christ…! May we embrace with joy the task of making disciples of all even as we depend upon the Holy Spirit to do so.
