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All three are of equal importance. Leave any one of them out and we lose out. Christmas is nice because we mark the coming of Almighty God in human form to show His saving love to human beings. Easter is harder because Jesus died to pay the price for our sin and give us a living relationship with the Father. But what does Pentecost mean? We have to look both to the Old Testament and later the New Testament to understand Pentecost. Throughout the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit is present and at work. Perhaps the best example is in Numbers 11 where Moses ordained the seventy elders. The Lord asked Moses to select seventy leaders to help him with the task to feed and lead the people. Then we read: “So Moses went out and told the people what the Lord had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the tent. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and He took of the Spirit rested on them and they prophesied, but they did not do so again” (verses 24 and 25). This is a little Pentecost at an ordination service! But Bildad and Medad who were to be ordained were filled with the Spirit even though they were back at the camp! Moses was excited and said: “I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit on them” verse 29. This brings us to the New Testament. Jesus gave the Holy Spirit to the believers before his ascension, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” and with that He breathed on them and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit” John 21:21. It is natural and normal for the believer to be spirit filled! But why is the Holy Spirit not so obvious? I think that most of the time we are not aware of the Holy Spirit or deny the Holy Spirit! In Romans 12:4-8, 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, Ephesians 4 and Hebrews 2 are lists of gifts of the Spirit. These overlap and give lists of different gifts, so we cannot say that these are the only gifts. 1 Corinthians 12 helps us understand why these are spiritual gifts. “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good” (verse 7)”. “ These are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work” (verse 6). The spirit gave different gifts to Samson and Saul too, but it was the same God who gave! Paul ends the list of gifts in 1 Corinthians 12 with “All these are the work of the same Spirit, and He distributes them to each one, just as He determines.” The Holy Spirit gives different gifts to people but it is our task to find our gifts and use them for Gods’ glory! In Luke 11:13 we read: “How much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Yes, that’s Pentecost! Ask the Father for the gift of the Spirit in your life! Prayer: Thank you Lord, for your Spirit that you sent me, and for the spiritual gifts He gives me to serve You. Amen.

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