In the Gospel of Luke, the Holy Spirit was fully poured upon Jesus, the beloved Son who acted with God’s power, spoke with God’s authority, and loved with God’s love. Through the gift of the Spirit God’s justice was announced and demonstrated as Jesus traveled from Galilee to Jerusalem, freeing the sick from their illnesses, liberating the enslaved from their sins, and enriching the poor with the good news of the messianic banquet open to all.
In the Acts of the Apostles, also written by Luke, the same Spirit was given to a body of God’s sons and daughters who surrendered their lives to God’s love.
There is a difference between knowledge “on ice” and knowledge “on fire.” For most of us, our belief is just knowledge “on ice,” not experiential, firsthand knowledge. There is a difference between talking about transformation and God’s love and stepping out in confidence to live a transformed life of love.
Since Christ walked with us on this Earth, we tried to contain the Spirit in manageable doctrines. We exchanged the fire of the Spirit for the ice of religious self-confidence. We turned the wine back into water, and let the water go stagnant and lukewarm.
In our world today filled with challenges, we need to experience the mighty rushing wind of Pentecost. We need our hearts to be made incandescent by the Spirit’s fire.
Acts 1:8 “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Revelation 3:16 “But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!”
