PASSOVER TO PENTECOST
Written By: Scot Sullivan

Have you ever experienced going to a theme park and entering the park and the first ride you go on is the best ride you could ever imagine, and all you want to do is get back in line and ride that ride again because there is no way you can top that experience? But your friends push you to go and do another ride and you discover the next ride was equally as exciting! A lot of us do this in life — we experience something good and then think, “well I’ll just stop right here and keep experiencing this over and over.” We aren’t sure if there is more or better out there.

Sometimes, believers struggle with the same thing in our journey of faith. Let me explain. 

We are in a season of remembering the great gifts that have been given throughout our history as Jesus’ followers. We look back to Passover with gratitude for rescuing the Jewish nation from the oppression of the Egyptians. We remember Jesus, and the sacrifice he undertook when he went to the cross, died, and rose again to save us from our sins. Both of these things speak of the great love of our God. We are not worthy of this love and his gifts, but they were given to us because of his goodness. It would be so easy to just sit with this gift of his love and never move forward. Basically we can tend to keep riding that ride again and again. However, that was not what Jesus intended.

You see before Jesus ever went to the cross, he told his disciples in John 14 two very important things:  First, he had to go to the Father so he could send the "Advocate" who would teach us all things, and remind us of all that he spoke (John 14:26). Secondly, that "we would do the works he had been doing, and that we would do even greater things than these." Jesus coming to earth was about reconciling our relationship with the Father and eternity, but it was also about all of the days after that where we would be involved in doing even greater things. The cross and resurrection were the main events, but the encore was coming fifty days later during the next religious holy day known as Pentecost.

It was at Pentecost when God sent the Holy Spirit.
At Passover Christ died for us, and at Pentecost God filled us with His Spirit.
And he came with a boom!

Acts chapter two says the Holy Spirit came down from heaven like a ‘violent wind’ and filled the room with tongues of fire! It says the sound was so loud that those in the city came to see what was happening. When they came, they heard the good news of Jesus miraculously preached in different languages. The Bible says that over 3,000 people came to know Jesus that day! COME ON, that is a harvest!

When the Holy Spirit came, he gave the disciples the power to be all that God called them to be, and he wants to do the same with you! There is so much more to come after salvation, a life filled with power, purpose, and hope. As believers, both Passover and Pentecost remind us that we desperately need the sacrificial lamb who paid the price for our salvation, but that God has even more for us through the Holy Spirit. We need the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives to fulfill that calling. If we are just leaning on salvation, as if that is all there is, then we are missing the gift of life to the full that Jesus came to give us. Keep riding, exploring, and growing through His Spirit!

So friends, this Easter season don't stop at Passover and our salvation through Christ — make room in your life for Pentecost and live the life that God intended for you to live with unspeakable power. 


REFLECTION + NEXT STEPS

  1. Spend time today praying…“here I am…disrupt me God and fill me awe and wonder.”

  2. Scripture Reading

    • Exodus 12:1-23 (Passover)

    • Acts 2:1-41 (Pentecost)

    • John 14:15-17, John 10:7-10

  3. Journal or reflect on the questions:

    1. How does the Holy Spirit lead us to new and greater things?

    2. Have you ever found yourself resting in the salvation that Jesus provides, but not quite moving towards all that he might have for you? What is holding you back?

    3. What is something you feel God might want you to do this year that you need the power of the Holy Spirit?