At Pentecost, God fulfilled His promise by sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in and empower His people. Through wind and fire, the Spirit’s arrival signaled the beginning of a New Covenant, a New Creation, a New Temple, and a New Mission. This moment marks the launch of the Church, now filled with God’s presence to carry the Gospel to all nations.
1. New Covenant
- God is closer than the air we breathe.
At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came with wind and fire, echoing Mt. Sinai when God gave the Law with fire and trembling. Pentecost commemorated the giving of the Old Covenant. Now, God chooses this very day to establish the New Covenant by sending the Spirit. No longer is God’s law written on stone tablets. It is now written on our hearts. The Spirit indwells believers, sealing and guiding them from within. Jesus has not left us as orphans. He has come to us through the Spirit. God is closer than the air we breathe.
2. New Creation
- God is recreating us from the inside out.
The sound of the mighty rushing wind recalls Genesis 2, when God breathed life into Adam, and John 20, when Jesus breathed on His disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” The Spirit brings a new kind of life. We are born again by the Spirit and made into new creations in Christ. The same Spirit that hovered over the waters of creation and raised Jesus from the dead is now alive in us. He is renewing us daily into the likeness of Christ. We are a new creation in Christ by the Spirit for the glory of the Father.
3. New Temple
- God has taken up residence in us.
In Scripture, fire often signals God’s presence. At Pentecost, fire appeared over each believer. This mirrors the Shekinah glory that filled the tabernacle and the temple. In the past, God’s glory left the temple due to Israel’s rebellion. It returned in the person of Jesus. Now that Jesus has ascended, the fire falls again, but not on a building. It rests on the people of God. The Spirit’s fire marks us as God’s new temple. We are now the dwelling place of God. We are His address on earth.
4. New Mission
- God empowers us to make disciples of all nations.
At Pentecost, the Spirit enabled the disciples to speak in many languages. Devout Jews from every nation heard the Gospel in their own native tongues. This was not just a miracle of communication. It was a sign that the Gospel is for all peoples. No longer do the nations come to a temple in one city. Now, the people of God go out to every nation. We are a mobilized and missionary temple. The Spirit empowers us to carry the message of Jesus to the ends of the earth.
Takeaway: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.” —Zechariah 4:6
We cannot fulfill the mission in our own strength. We need the Spirit not only for salvation but also for mission. To go and be the Church, we must walk in the Spirit’s power each step of the way.
