Lead-up to Pentecost
God reveals Himself as Trinity. The self-revelation of God is concluded in the Pentecost event, the grand finale. The divine services in the month of May revolve around the promise, sending, and efficacy of the Holy Spirit.
The power of the Holy Spirit
“And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.” This is the promise in Joel 2: 28.
The nation had fallen on hard times. Incursions from rival nations had weakened Judah and locusts had devastated the fields. The country was at its lowest point both economically and spiritually. This was the situation. And then the prophet Joel predicted the powerful activity of the Holy Spirit.
This promise was fulfilled at Pentecost and continues to have an effect to this day. This is what the first Sunday is all about.
The coming of the Holy Spirit
“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.” This is the promise of Christ recorded in John 15: 26
Sure, the Holy Spirit leads into all truth. That does not mean, however, that everyone’s curiosity will be satisfied and everything about the future will be revealed to us. Because Jesus is the truth. So the Holy Spirit leads us further and further into the knowledge of Christ. The second Sunday in May will explain what all there is to discover for us.
The teaching of the Apostles
“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.” This is taken from Jude 20 and is the Bible text for the Pentecost service on the third Sunday in May.
On the day of Pentecost, Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and preached the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The epistle of Jude exhorts believers to defend the Apostles’ doctrine and to base their lives on it.
Today’s Apostles also preach the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit. Like the early Apostles, they proclaim the death, resurrection, and return of Jesus Christ. But many people question this teaching.
The triune God
“Then the Lord appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him.” This incident is described in Genesis 18: 1–2 and in Christian tradition this is understood as a reference to the trinity of God.
God reveals Himself step by step in the course of salvation history. The incarnation of God the Son in Jesus Christ and the revelation of God the Holy Spirit at Pentecost are the important stages that lead to knowing the triune God. And they show that God is close to us. How He does that will be the subject on the fourth Sunday in May.
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