Peter replied, "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." (NIV)

Amid the fun and sun-seeking frenzy of this Alaskan summer, this moment is quiet and cool. I find myself in a church library as I write, feeling small in front of a bookshelf heavy with biographies that seem to stare down at me. Names like George Mueller, Mary Slessor, C.S Lewis, Jim Elliot and Mother Theresa bring to mind the questions, "What could I possibly have in common with such giants of the faith? What spiritual gift have I received that could compare with what they had to offer?" The answer is the same to both questions, the Holy Spirit.  

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Greater than any gifting, spiritual or physical, is the indwelling Holy Spirit. What other gift causes a complete change of heart within a person? In our walk with Christ, we experience heart change that could only come from the loving hands that made us. "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26).

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What other gift but the Holy Spirit living and breathing within us could provide the privilege of God’s voice teaching and guiding us, working in infinite mysterious ways to mold our minds and will to unity and harmony with his. "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you" (John 14:26).

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And finally, what greater gift could we receive than the power and personal presence of God within us, the guarantee of our inheritance and the taste of a future, face-to-face with Him. "And I heard a loud voice saying, "Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be their God" (Revelation 21:3).

In the passage in Acts above, Peter replies with a free invitation to a group of people who have just witnessed the power of the Holy Spirit and are amazed and convicted by it. When we are cut to the heart as these people were, mindful of our sin and in the humility of desperation, we draw near to God. A beautiful thing about our faith is that it is free; it does not exclude any who truly pursue it. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God" (Matt. 5:3,8).

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Peter continues in his reply to the people in the next verse in Acts, "The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call" (Acts 2:39). This is another beautiful truth about our faith, the Holy Spirit is promised to all God’s people, not just to the giants of the faith on the bookshelf, but all whom the Lord asks and all who ask the Lord. "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:13).  

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Dear brothers and sisters, as Christ followers baptized in his name and forgiven of sin, we have an uncommon confidence. We have the Spirit of the living God in us, a hope unlike any other religion and given freely without need of personal merit or work. Whether you or I become a name on a shelf or no one ever knows our names, we’re temples of the Holy Spirit. We have the same Spirit in us, changing, teaching and empowering us in whatever opportunities or gifts we have, and at the end of our lives, regardless of our achievements, we have received an incredible spiritual gift, for our good and to his glory.  

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May we praise God for the hope and joy we have in the gift of the Spirit and, taking confidence in his empowering presence, seek greater unity with him and harmony with his body, the Church.

Holy Spirit, may my will be increasingly submitted to yours. Let me wake each moment of my day to the reality of the gift of your presence. Let your power follow your will each moment, empowering me toward your purpose and plan, for my joy-filled good and to your glory. Through you, let it always be so. Amen.