“‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.'”
Acts 2:17 (NLT)
Peter stands up with the eleven to explain what just happened. These people aren’t drunk. It’s only nine in the morning. What they’re seeing is what God already spoke through the prophet Joel, and Peter uses that prophecy as the doorway into his sermon.
But before I even sit in Joel’s words, I can see something has changed in Peter. He already had the Holy Spirit in him when Jesus breathed on the apostles. He already had new life. But when the Holy Spirit is poured out on him, he’s empowered for ministry. He’s enabled to share Jesus with others with a specific gifting.
Then Joel’s line lands: God is going to pour out his Spirit on all people. Not some. Not many. All. The Holy Spirit isn’t new. I see the Holy Spirit empowering people throughout the Old Testament, like Saul to prophesy, David to write songs, Samson with strength, and Joseph to interpret dreams. But what’s new is access. Through Jesus’ sacrifice, resurrection, and ascension, the Spirit is poured out in a way that is available to everyone.
So today, I celebrate Pentecost as a marker of what’s now true. Because of Jesus, through repentance and cleansing by his blood, we can receive the Holy Spirit. We can be Spirit-led and Spirit-filled. Holy Spirit poured out shows up in many forms through His gifts, and it is God’s power accomplishing what God intends.