Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Come Holy Spirit Renew


Rev. Shinoi Joseph
Long Island MTC, NY

28 Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh;your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. 29 Even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my spirit.

The book of Joel is one of the prophetic books of the Old Testament. This book not only speaks about God’s Judgement upon the Israelite community but also gives the hope of the glorious future that God’s people are going to experience if they return back to Yahweh.

The prophet sees the terrible drought, a massive invasion of locusts and the constant threat of enemies as God’s way of punishments. God the Creator uses nature and Israel’s enemies as His means of divine Judgement. However, this book also speaks about hope and restoration. God has not abandoned his people but all this judgment is to bring them back to Him (Joel 2:13). 

Based on the passage I would like to share the following thought:

The Outpouring of God’s Spirit on his people signifies the God’s generosity, presence and love to this world.

Joel prophesizes that God will pour his Spirit on all people in the last days. God’s Spirit (Holy Spirit) is God’s gift to those who wait upon him. The Holy Spirit is the gift of God to his people. The dwelling of the Holy Spirit in God’s people signifies God’s presence (Joel 2: 27-28). “And the Spirit of the God was hovering over the face of the waters (Gen 1:2).”It is the life giving Spirit. It is also the empowering spirit. In Number 11: 24-25 we read that God gave to seventy men of the elders of the people, a share of spirit that he gave to Moses. As soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. Outpouring of Yahweh’s spirit is found in many passages of the Old Testament (1 Sam 10:10, Isa 32:15; 44:3-5, Psalms 104:29-30).

The outpouring of God’s Spirit upon his people also speaks about arrival of the Messianic age which is also the age of redemption and grace. The recipients of the Holy Spirit is not any individual class or group but to all ‘young and old’, ‘male and female’, ‘masters and slaves.’ Thus in God’s sight there is no discrimination. The Spirit of God is God’s divine presence in our midst and in us. It is the empowering Spirit and the guide to truth (Jn. 16: 8-11, 13-14) which enables one to dream dreams and gives visions.

This prophesy was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus as we read in Acts of the Apostles 2:17. When the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples they began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. So the gift of the Holy Spirit is also to witness of Christ. The Holy Spirit is the power that enables the Church to carry out her mission to witness and proclaim Christ. 


PRAYER

Father God who gave your Spirit to us, we pray that in each moment in our life enable us to confess, witness and proclaim “Jesus Christ is Our Lord and Messiah." Amen. 

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.- 1 John 4: 2-3

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