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News and views from the German-language region of Europe

May 21, 2010

Pentecost and Jesus’ promise

Filed under Sabbath Thoughts

On Sunday we celebrate Pentecost and are reminded of the outpouring of God’s holy spirit on the disciples.

As we say, it was the birthday of the New Testament church.

The coming of the holy spirit also reminds us of the promises Jesus gave His disciples, because it is through that spirit that those promises were fulfilled and continue to be fulfilled. In John 14:18 Jesus told His disciples: "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." A few verses later we read in verse 23: "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him."

That promise was fulfilled when the disciples received the holy spirit on Pentecost. And it is an ongoing promise, because Jesus speaks in the present tense in John 14, verse 23: "We will make our home with him." The Father and the Son make their home with us today via the holy spirit.

In fact, Jesus promised to be with His disciples until the end of the age: "Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). The fulfillment of that promise is also made possible via the presence of the holy spirit in our lives and in the church as a whole.

Pentecost reminds us that God is a faithful God – He keeps His word!

With these thoughts I wish us all a rewarding Sabbath and Feast of Pentecost!

Paul Kieffer's blog with personal insights and news from the German-language region in Europe.

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