Pentecost Power: Walking in the Spirit to Do the Work of Christ

Acts 1:8 (NIV):
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

This Sunday, June 8, 2025, we celebrate Pentecost — not just a date on the Christian calendar, but a powerful reminder of what God has placed inside of us. Pentecost marks the moment when the Holy Spirit descended on the early believers, just as Jesus promised. And today, that same Spirit still moves. Still speaks. Still fills. Still sends.

As a Black woman who has walked with Jesus through joy and pain, I know Pentecost is more than a church service with red banners and scripture readings. It’s a call to action. It’s the day heaven poured out power on ordinary people to do extraordinary work — the work of Christ.

When the Spirit came in that upper room, the disciples weren’t the same. They went from hiding behind locked doors to preaching boldly in the streets. They healed the sick. They broke bread with strangers. They challenged corrupt systems. They loved without fear. Why? Because the Holy Spirit was in them, making it possible.

That same Holy Spirit is in us today.

Too often, we think of the Holy Spirit only in terms of speaking in tongues or shouting in church. And while I thank God for holy fire and spiritual gifts, let’s not miss the bigger picture: the Spirit was given so we could continue the work of Jesus. That means loving our neighbors, standing up for justice, feeding the hungry, comforting the broken, and telling the truth — even when it costs us.

Jesus didn’t leave us powerless. He said in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses…” That power is not just emotional. It’s practical. It’s spiritual authority. It’s courage. It’s discernment. It’s perseverance in a weary world. It’s love in action.

As a people who know what it means to suffer and survive, to hope and rebuild, we also know that we may have to repeat work in the future. But we carry something deep in our bones — resilience. But the Holy Spirit gives us more than resilience. The Spirit gives us purpose. We’re not just surviving anymore. We’re walking in victory. We’re spreading the Gospel. We’re building community. We’re praying with power. We’re raising children to know Jesus. We’re working in classrooms, courtrooms, and hospitals with divine assignment.

Pentecost reminds us that we are not alone. The Spirit helps us when we don’t have the words. The Spirit convicts us when we’re going off track. The Spirit comforts us when the weight gets heavy. The Spirit pushes us forward when we feel like giving up.

So this Sunday, let’s not just celebrate what happened then. Let’s open our hearts to what the Holy Spirit wants to do now — in our families, in our churches, in our cities.

Let the fire fall again.
Let the power rise again.
Let us walk boldly, not in our strength, but in the strength of the Spirit.

Because the work of Jesus is not finished, and He has chosen us — empowered, equipped, and filled — to carry it forward.

Amen.