A few years ago I was leading a camp for teenagers. Over the weekend we had a look at the promise Jesus gave his disciples, “I will send you the Holy Spirit, who will be your encourager, your helper, your strengthener.” We looked at the fruit of the Spirit. “God’s Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled.”
When I asked one group of boys what they would like the Holy Spirit to help them with, they didn’t have to think too long. The night before two of them had competed in a pizza eating competition – one eating 26 pieces, the other 27. Their stomachs were ready to learn about self control. Another boy was thinking about the way he related to his sisters at home. He needed to learn about gentleness, and self control. One talked about the struggle he faced as he tried to focus on getting his homework done each day. The last boy talked about his struggle with ADD – he wanted to stop hitting out at people and talking at inappropriate times. I talked about needing to spend less time on the computer and more time with people. I needed self control as well.
And so we prayed for one another, that God’s Holy Spirit would help us where it really mattered. Did it work? Not overnight. But it did start to happen. That group of young people started to demonstrate the character of Jesus in their life together. Parents commented on the changes as well. God’s Spirit made it possible for those boys to change for the good.
This Sunday, May 15, is celebrated as Pentecost Sunday in churches around the world. The day when an unruly group of Jesus followers experienced the life-changing arrival of God’s Holy Spirit. Pentecost was the Greek word for the festival that came 50 days after Passover. A group of men and women, children and youth, were gathered together in Jerusalem, wondering what Jesus had meant when he promised the Spirit. And then something happened. They had a spiritual experience that seemed like flames of fire.
Did the experience change them? Yes! Over time they started to take on the character of God – fearless, loving, taking initiative, looking for opportunities to serve and connect with their community. They also learnt how to forgive when they were mistreated, and how to persevere in hard times. God was working inside them and among them to move them from being self-centred people to being life-loving people.
What would you like the Holy Spirit to help you with?