Camping for an upgrade -- Acts 2

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 Ac 1:8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

Chapter one of Acts leaves us with a huddled group of Jesus' closest friends and relatives, waiting obediently for something--or Someone that Jesus promised would not only replace His own presence, but would enable them to broadcast the news of how all men could return to their rightful place with God. Soon world changing power was coming in the form of a Person, the Holy Spirit.

Like people in the 60's camping at Canaveral to see history rocketing into space, or( in our day), shoppers camping for days to be the first to own the next new iphone, God's "early adopters", the apostles, were camped together for the arrival of this Person of the Trinity.

What did Jesus tell them about the Holy Spirit that kept them in a room for a week, waiting? 

  

Jesus had first told the Jews celebrating Feast of Tabernacles that He could offer them unquenchable, living water for thirst souls.(John 7:37-39)  Luke the Author notes Jesus was referring to the Holy Spirit.  He had also made mention of this soul-fulling water to the woman at the well in John 4. 

But at the end of his life,  he begins to unveil the mysterious member of the Godhead that would soon take His place on earth. He taught about the Holy Spirit during one of the most intimate times He had with his disciples--the Passover dinner talk  recorded in John 14-16

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 He explains the coming transition in John 14:15-17, 25 &26

  "If you love Me, keep My commandments.

  "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever--

  "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

  "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.

 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

Later in the evening He describes the Holy Spirit some more:

 "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.

 "And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

 "Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
  And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 

 of sin, because they do not believe in Me;

 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;

 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

 I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.

 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.  ( John 15:26,27; John 16:7-15)

Reading these statements over carefully, we can learn why the disciples were to eager to wait for this promise of the Holy Spirit.  

The word Helper has a deeper meaning in Greek  Parakletos:  an intercessor, consoler, advocate, comforter. It is like Jesus asking the Father to send a lawyer, prayer partner, therapist, guidance counselor, and a warm comforting blanket for each believer in one package.

Image: Marvel 

I kind of think of how Jeeves in  the Iron Man suit does everything for Tony Stark: power, flight, logistics, weapons, communication, and personal advice.  The Holy Spirit's mission is to take Jesus and wrap us inside His nature, running all the "app"s of His Spirit inside our renewed spirits. 

Watch how Jesus describes the Holy Spirit's mission:  He is our personal trainer and teacher. He reminds us of what God and others have said.  He is truth and guides to finding truth, He communicates what God the Father is saying to us.  He glorifys Christ, taking our focus off of our problems and putting it on the One who can solve them. He is the transfer conduit of Christ's nature, forming Him in us.  

Next time.  I want to talk about how the Holy Spirit is activated and deactivated, and why we are given this powerful gift.  In the meantime, if you do not have this gift of the Holy Spirit, I encourage you to ask God boldly for His Gift of the Holy Spirit.  He is anxious for you to open it!