According to the Armenian church calendar, after fifty days from the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we celebrate the Pentecost. Before starting the sermon topic, I want to briefly explain the word “Pentecost”. Pentecost in the Greek language means fiftieth. Also, is known as the birth of the Christian church. Why it’s called the birth of the church. First, I want to read the bible passage from the book of Acts where the writer St. Luke tells us the story. We read the following. – “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.” (Acts 2.1-4). So, the reason they call the birth of the church is that after Pentecost they started to spread out all over the world and preach Christianity, the word of God. And today’s sermon topic is the following: Usually in our life we remember God as a Father, and the Son as Jesus Christ, but we don’t talk too much about the Holy Spirit. And if we read the whole bible, we will not see stories and passages as much as we see about the Father or the Son. But as we know, when we say Holy Trinity, we mention three of them the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and we must know that none of them is bigger or more powerful than the other, and today I want to bring your attention on the Holy Spirit influences in our daily life. I want to ask a question and think about it. Have you felt the Holy Spirit in your life?
1. Holy Spirit makes us understand God’s mystery.
When we look and read about the life of the apostles when they were with Jesus after every parable or prophecy, they were asking him the meaning of that. The reason for their question was that they didn’t know God’s plan, they didn’t understand what God has planned for his son and for them. They couldn’t understand because God was hiding his plans from them, they didn’t have the Holy Spirit in them. When they received the Holy Spirit as we read, they started to talk in other languages and started to understand Jesus’s word that was spoken to them while he was ascending from the earth by saying. – “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you” (John 14.25). 2. Holy Spirit gives us the power
Paul the apostle in his second letter to Timothy says the following. – “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1.7). If we want to make a comparison of the apostles’ life before receiving the Holy Spirit and after, we will see a difference. For example, when soldiers came to arrest Jesus on the Mount of Olive, the apostles were afraid, and they run away. They didn’t stay with Jesus. But if we read about their life after receiving the Holy Spirit, we will see how they have been tortured, and they were not afraid, instead they were happy because they had participated in Jesus’s suffering. In the same way, when we feel wick, and helpless, do not hesitate to ask God to send his Holy Spirit. If you feel in your life that you are surrounded by people who don’t care about God, or about Christianity, they keep ignoring you and you feel hopeless as our Jesus Christ said. – “Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.” (Matthew 7.7).
3. Transformation and Renewal
The Holy Spirit brings about transformation and renewal in the lives of believers. He helps us come out from our sinful life, leads us to repentance, and imparts the character of Christ within us. The Spirit enables us to bear the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Through His sanctifying work, we are continually transformed into the image of Christ, reflecting His glory to the world around us.
As conclusion, Paul the Apostle in his first letter to the Corinthians said the following. – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6.19). So, when you go outside of this church and continue to live your daily life, remember this passage and act according to it. Don’t listen to those who like to complain about everything or those who are always dissatisfied. Listen to what God is saying through his apostles and his saints. On this Pentecost day, my prayer is that all who don’t have the Holy Spirit in their hearts may almighty God appears the gifts of the Holy Spirit so that they can love each other, forgive each other, and start to live like true Christians forever and ever Amen.
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