The Pentecost Arrived

Today is Pentecost! 50 days after the Resurrection of Jesus, the Holy Spirit was given to His followers. Understanding His resurrection had to be an amazement in itself. He talked about it, even though they didn't quite grasp it, but when the time came, they realized that Jesus was alive after His death, just as He told them. But the Pentecost was something entirely new. 

The Holy Spirit was present at the Creation, and present with our Lord, present with men whom God chose. But never did anyone experience anything like the giving of the Spirit at Pentecost, who now lives in the hearts of all believers. When Jesus ascended to heaven after 40 days on earth, He told the disciples to wait for the Spirit. They had no idea what He was talking about.

"When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance." Acts Chapter 2

Not only did they see they see this miraculous manifestation of speaking other languages, the Holy Spirit also gave them gifts and fruits that would be evident in their lives:

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

This painting called the Pentecost displays a symbol of those fruits on the table, and symbols of those gifts in the people. The gold leaf "tongues of fire" fall upon the heads of the people, with the little sparks of gold being symbols of the move of the Holy Spirit at Creation.

How much we are needed now to display these fruits, miraculously, in our troubled countries, to troubled angry people. We are called to this. We are greater than these troubles and will live through these times. Shine like gold leaf, friends. Demonstrate God's Kingdom to the nations. We are born for this! We are called to this!