Pentecost Sunday 2023

Acts 2:1-21 KJV; Pentecost Sunday; The beginning of the Season of Pentecost. Empowered by the Holy Spirit we go out to share the Good News that the Church might grow and be edified.

The Holy Spirit Came

Reading from Acts 2:1-21 KJV Pentecost: the Holy Spirit fired up those disciples to share the Good News in various languages; even as the Spirit opened the ears, the hearts and minds of the people to hear, to believe, and be baptized into the Body of Christ.

A Gift From God

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Not of works, lest any man should boast.

                                                                                           (Eph 2:8-9 KJV)

Those who say they are Christian of course try to do good to their neighbor. But, it is never by these good works that one can be saved. It does not matter how much good that we do we are saved by God's grace through faith in the one who lived and died and yet lives for us. Salvation is not something that we can earn in any way, shape, or form. It comes as a gift from God through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. 

It is this one, Jesus the Christ, who inspires us by the Holy Spirit to follow in his footsteps and to do good. So, when if and when you find yourselves sitting high and mighty up on your horse and claiming your alleged goodness for yourself; think again. You will never be so high and mighty as the Lord. 

Remember, the story of how the people of Babel fell. The people's plan was to build a tower to reach to the heavens. God saw and dispersed the people to various regions; confounding their languages so that they could not get together and plan such things again. Their plan they had considered to be a good thing. God did not think it so. Their good plan came to nothing.

We will never reach the heavenly kingdom on our own. We cannot. God came down from the heavens to reach us and to reach out to us so that we might live in his heavenly kingdom, in his presence, for all eternity. This is a gift from God!

God's Peace - Pr. J.