Yesterday was Pentecost Sunday. It is a day we remember the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the Church 2000 years ago. Often times we think of this day in terms of the power of God coming from on high. And that was certainly a part of it. But we have to remember that the coming of the Holy Spirit on that day is not to be equated with an impersonal, empowering force coming upon those believers. The Bible is clear that our God is Triune Unity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The first place we encounter this is in Genesis one, with the statements that speak of God in the Plural, such as “let us make man in Our image” (Genesis 1:26). In the Gospel of John, Jesus identifies the Holy Spirit as the one who does not speak of Himself but magnifies Jesus to the Glory of the Father (Johan 16:13-15).
Pentecost was the outpouring of the Spirit of God, meant to magnify JESUS. As Jesus was magnified that day, so was the Father God. The Holy Spirit still is doing that work today. When we become believers, the Holy Spirit comes to live in us. He magnifies the presence of Jesus, and through Jesus, the Father. We become temples of the Holy Spirit. In order to grow in God, we need the person of the Holy Spirit. We need Him to manifest the presence of God in our midst. There is a powerful, particular way God does this when as believers we are filled with His presence in a more tangible way that releases us further into God. This can happen in the company of other believers but also when we are alone. It is meant to happen more than once. Many times it is touched off through the laying on of hands but not only. Often it comes about as we are worshipping Him through song but can also happen while we are in silent prayer. It can happen through a Eucharistic encounter with Christ. The only real prerequisite is that we simply desire more of God. I pray that we together may hunger and thirst for more of God and His presence. Not just once, but persistently. This was the point of Luke 11:13. Let us ask so that we may receive Him and allow Him access to the deepest points of our lives so that we might be conformed into the character of Christ (Romans 8:29).
