Pentecost: Keep In Step With The Spirit

When the Holy Spirit was first poured out on the church, that event was spectacular in every way, with a rushing wind, tongues of fire on the disciples’ heads, and foreign languages on their lips. But that first Pentecost was more than just an impressive beginning. For now that they had the Holy Spirit, what would the disciples do? Now that the age of the Spirit had begun, how would they live and where would they go? Energized by the Spirit, the disciples of Christ had to get up and serve their Lord.

And that’s what they did. The whole book of Acts is an account of how the Spirit moved the believers to share the gospel boldly, to pray earnestly, to live in true fellowship, to withstand persecution without wavering, and to build the church all across the world. We see that it is impossible to receive the Holy Spirit and to remain inactive. He does not create Christians who are sleepy or lazy or lukewarm, but transformed and passionate.

This is why when the New Testament describes the amazing work of the Spirit, it also tells us what we need to do. We must live in the Spirit; we must work in the Spirit; we must pray in the Spirit. In short, we seek to be filled with the Spirit, so that with his great power we can live for the glory of God.

And in Galatians 5:25 we hear another command about our calling in this age of the Spirit. Now that we have the Holy Spirit, we can’t go our own way, nor put our feet up and enjoy the ride, but we must strive to keep in step with the Spirit. Since Pentecost so long ago, this is still our calling today. I preach God’s Word from Galatians 5:25,

If we live in the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit.

1) where our new life is from

2) where our new life is going

1) where our new life is from: When Paul writes to the Galatians, there’s a heavy load on his mind. Some years before, Paul had ministered to these people living in Galatia, which is the eastern part of what is today known as Turkey. They had received the gospel of Jesus Christ in true faith. As was his usual practice, Paul now writes to the churches in order to teach and encourage. And in this case, also to rebuke.

Already in the opening verses, Paul admonishes the believers: “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – which is really no gospel at all” (1:6-7, NIV). It wasn’t long after their conversion that many were misled by a deadly variation on the true gospel.

It’s the false teaching that we can be justified by our works. It’s the notion that we can be saved—or that we can at least be made more agreeable in God’s sight—by all the good religious things that we do. In the Galatian churches, some were insisting that believers still had to keep the law because this was the way to win and keep the favour of God.

In his letter Paul can’t put it strongly enough. This is not the gospel, but a message worthy of condemnation forever! ‘Salvation by works’ is a teaching that sucks all the power out of the cross, and it’s a teaching that inflates our position before God. What is more, it’s actually a hopeless, pointless way of life, because the fact is, you will never be able to do enough but will forever remain under the curse.

Instead of vainly trying to earn salvation or secure their own well-being, the church is called to get back onto the simple path of salvation: We have to believe! “The just shall live by faith” (3:11). It is only when we live by true faith that God showers his blessings upon us, the blessings of grace, forgiveness, eternal life—together with all the blessings of his Holy Spirit.

This is why Paul asks an important question to the Galatians in 3:3, “Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” Do you think you can do this on your own? In other words, if we’re going to save ourselves—relying on our religious contributions and good moral qualities—then we don’t need the Holy Spirit. If we’re going to discard the work of Christ, then we can discard the Spirit’s work, too. Though the Galatians had started well on the path of faith, now they were going astray.

The apostle is blunt with them, and with everyone who thinks of himself more highly than he ought. He warns us, calls us to repentance. The situation was grim, but he reminds the Galatians of what they’ve been taught and already been allowed to experience as God’s children.