Recently Catherine and I noticed the day of Pentecost in our Christian calendar and determined to keep this day in remembrance of our Lord, not because of any church rule, but because we wanted to bask in the Trinity’s glory via Christ’s Spirit — with the Father, Son and in their Spirit.

At Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4) the Holy Spirit was made available to all who believed in Jesus. Jesus promised this to his disciples prior to his ascension, when he returned to heaven to sit down at His Father’s right hand.

I am going to send you what my Father has promised but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. – Luke 24:49 NIV

This gift is for every Christian believer who follows Jesus Christ as Saviour and Sovereign Lord in this wicked world. We all received the Holy Spirit — when baptized within him — when we receive Jesus Christ. The unifying baptism of the Holy Spirit must be understood in the light of his total work in a Christian’s life as He builds his church and sustains it.

The Spirit firstly marks the beginning of the Christian experience. We cannot belong to Christ without his Spirit (Rom. 8:9); we cannot remain united to Christ without his Spirit (1 Cor. 6:17).

We cannot be adopted as his children without his Spirit (Rom. 8:14-17; Gal. 4:6-7). We  are in the body of Christ insofar as we receive the baptism in the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13).

The Spirit empowers our new lives to overcome sin and remain united in Christ amidst our life’s journey — throughout the inevitable ups and downs. He begins a progressive, lifelong process of change as we become more like Christ (Gal. 3:3; Phil. 1:6).

By receiving Christ by faith, we begin an immediate personal relationship with God.  The Holy Spirit works in us to help us become like Christ.

The Spirit unites the Christian community in Christ (Eph. 2:19-22). And the Holy Spirit is to be experienced by all, as he works through all His church family. (1 Cor. 12:11; Eph. 4:4).