Introduction: The Forgotten God
The Holy Spirit is a topic that stirs all kinds of reactions. In some traditions, he is avoided like kryptonite. In others, it’s a free-for-all. Francis Chan famously called him “the forgotten God” — we talk about the Father, we talk about Jesus, but the Spirit is often left out. This message opens a new series tracing who the Holy Spirit is and what it means to be shaped by him.
The Promise (Luke 24 & Acts 1)
Before his ascension, Jesus gave this charge: “Stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” This was not a spontaneous event — it was the fulfillment of a promise God had been keeping for thousands of years. “John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Something greater was coming. Someone better was about to arrive.
The Advocate (John 14–16)
In the days before his crucifixion, Jesus spoke clearly about what was coming: “It is good for you that I am going away — unless I go, the Advocate will not come to you.” The Greek word is paraclete — one who comes alongside, helps, guides, counsels, and teaches. Jesus was saying: what I have been to you in person, the Spirit will be to you permanently, and from the inside. “He lives with you and will be in you.”
Pentecost: The Church Is Born (Acts 2)
Fifty days after Passover — during the feast of harvest, the celebration of first fruits — the waiting ends. A violent wind fills the house. Tongues of fire rest on each one. They speak in the languages of every nation gathered in Jerusalem. What looks like chaos is actually precision: God chose this moment deliberately, with people from across the known world present to hear and carry the news home. The harvest had begun.
A Reversal of Babel
At Babel, one language was scattered into many as judgment on pride. At Pentecost, many languages are not erased but celebrated — each one a vessel for the gospel. God didn’t take the easy route of making everyone speak the same tongue. Instead, he poured his Spirit into the diversity. Every nation, every language, every people group — not a select few, but all people.
Poured Out on All People (Joel 2)
Peter quotes the prophet Joel, written hundreds of years before: “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit.” Under the old covenant, the Spirit was given selectively — to kings, priests, and prophets for specific tasks. Now it is a universal gift. Old and young. Men and women. Every nation represented.
The Response: Repent, Be Baptized, Receive
Pierced to the heart, the crowd asks Peter: “What shall we do?” His answer: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins — and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off.” Three thousand respond that day. Salvation, forgiveness, and the Spirit — not for an elite, but for all who call on the name of the Lord.
The Church That Was Born
What followed was a community shaped by four things: devotion to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer. They shared meals, shared possessions, and shared life together. There is something about eating together that lets down the barriers — it opens the door to authentic relationship. This is the church God dreamed of: not a building where his presence dwells, but a people. We are now the temple.
We Are Acts 29
The book of Acts doesn’t end — it continues in us. We are the next chapters. From your university, your neighbourhood, your workplace — the Spirit wants to take the gospel outward, just as he did from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria to the ends of the earth. The church in Ottawa began in 1995 with people who came with dreams, vision, and trust that the Spirit would guide them. That same Spirit is the one who shapes us today.