Pentecost and the Holy Spirit

by Rev. Raymond Coffey

May 2008

When I was interviewed for the Pastorate of a church a number of years ago, I mentioned that, as one of my goals, I would both teach and lead the church in observing the liturgical calendar.  I will never forget the question that an elderly minister asked in a serious and yet whimsical manner; “We will observe Pentecost, won’t we?”  I immediately assured him and others that we definitely would. He was most satisfied because of his own personal commitment to the work of the Holy Spirit in our church and in our lives.  I realized once again that there is a danger of neglecting the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our thinking.  This has been the case in much of the church’s experience until recent years. The Holy Spirit’s work has traditionally been relegated to the margins of the church’s teaching and preaching. He has often been considered the silent person within the Trinity and his purpose was almost considered secondary to the work of the Father and the Son in redemption. This however has changed considerably, in large part due to the explosion of the “charismatic” movement in the church over the last 40 years.  There has been a resurgence of teaching and writing on the significance of the Holy Spirit in the church that has moved beyond the boundaries of the charismatic or Pentecostal movement.  This has been most encouraging and helpful in the life of the church and has enabled us to address this neglect in the evangelical and reformed church.  

But what does this mean? What is the central work of the Holy Spirit in the church today? What should we expect or seek after in our lives in order to know what it means to live and walk in the Spirit?  Often the answers given to these questions reflect the particular emphases of the church or tradition in which those matters are raised. The focus is usually on an individual’s experience of the Holy Spirit, either in sanctification, or the “baptism” of the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, healing, or the “filling” of the Spirit. Questions and concerns about these issues are legitimate and require our attention within the context of Scripture. But what is the focus of the ministry of the Holy Spirit?  

In the gospel of John we find a large body of teaching on the ministry of the Holy Spirit that Jesus imparted to his disciples before his ascension. In John 15:26 Jesus says, “But when the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.”  In the next chapter Jesus continues by saying, “When the Spirit of truth comes…He will glorify me…”  16:13,14 The primary work of the Holy Spirit is that of exalting Jesus Christ. He testifies concerning Christ Jesus. He works to bring glory to Jesus Christ. Our experiences of the Holy Spirit, whatever they may be, are secondary to the work of magnifying the person of Jesus Christ. In applying the work of Christ in redemption to our lives he will glorify Jesus Christ. Too often our witness is about ourselves, our growth, our experiences, our joy, and our ministry. But the real evidence of the Holy Spirit’s working in us is that we will focus on Jesus Christ.  

During the season of Pentecost, which covers the last half of the liturgical calendar, the church’s emphasis is that of applying the redemptive work of Christ, from his birth through his ascension, to our lives as individuals, families and communities. And as we seek to flesh out the meaning of our salvation, we do so in the power of the Holy Spirit as he bears witness to Jesus Christ. The fullness of the Holy Spirit is a Christ-centered life! May we therefore seek Christ Jesus above anything else and so demonstrate to a watching church and world that the Holy Spirit, who lives in us, is pointing us and others to him as he lifts up Christ Jesus in all of his glory, beauty and grace.