Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. – Acts 2:33
Scripture reading: Acts 2:1-13
Having been born by and anointed with the Holy Spirit, having offered the Father the sacrifice of His life and death through the Spirit, having been vindicated by the Spirit when He arose, having ascended into heaven through the Spirit and been exalted at the right hand of His Father, Jesus received from His Father the promise of the new covenant Spirit. He poured this Spirit out on the church on the day of Pentecost as the climax of Israel’s history and of the history of His life.
Jesus had promised that He would ask His Father to send Israel the Spirit. He commanded His disciples not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait to be baptized with the Spirit as the fulfilment of the promise of the Father. Obedient to this command, the disciples remained in Jerusalem where, with a group of about 120 people, they devoted themselves to prayer.
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all in one place. Suddenly, they were baptized with the Holy Spirit and all began to proclaim the mighty works of God in different languages as the Spirit enabled them. This symbolizes the incorporation of the nations into Israel, participating in God’s mission for His glory. Peter explains that by participating in Christ’s prophetic ministry from heaven, the promise of the new covenant, where in the last days God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh. Was fulfilled. This outpouring of the Spirit is the climax of Israel’s history and the history of Jesus’ life before He returns.
Suggestions for prayer
Praise your heavenly Father that Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit on Pentecost and ask Him to daily fill you with the Holy Spirit so that you can faithfully participate in God’s mission for His glory.
Rev. Dick Moes is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. This daily devotional is also available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional.
