Paul traveled across the hill country to Ephesus, where he met some of the Lord’s followers. He asked them, “When you put your faith in Jesus, were you given the Holy Spirit?” “No!” they answered. “We did not even know that there was a Holy Spirit.” Acts 19:1-2

In case you missed it, yesterday was the Day of Pentecost, celebrating the coming of the Holy Spirit to abide within each of us. Many Christians are like the Ephesians in today’s verses. When Paul asked them if they’d receive the Holy Spirit when they believed, they replied, we did not even know that there was a Holy Spirit. Then Paul placed his hands on them. The Holy Spirit was given to them (v6).

Of course, today, most Christians are aware of the Holy Spirit’s existence, but for many, that knowledge does them little good because they haven’t been to their own Day of Pentecost.

They don’t understand the role of the Holy Spirit because they haven’t reached out and taken hold of the Spirit for themselves; they don’t experience the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives. I’ve heard present-day, North American Christianity described as “The Era of Pentecost Substitutes”. Lacking the real power—lacking the real fire from God— many try to produce their own fireworks.

Many whole churches today are fat, out of shape and out of breath. They are muscle-bound through over-organization, controlism, judgmentalism, honor-brokering, etc. What we need today is the wind and the flame of Pentecost. What we need is the Holy Spirit affecting our lives, not just our organization or theology.

Back to “Pentecost Substitutes”: We are living in the day of programs and promotions and pulpit stunts, trying to duplicate the excitement that God-the-Holy-Spirit did back in the New Testament. Much like Nadab and Abihu who offered fire that was unacceptable to the Lord (Num 26:61), we whip up our own flames, but we lack the reality and the warmth of the real thing.

So instead of flowing in the unity of the Spirit, for example, we spend our time and efforts trying to maintain a semblance of man-made unity. But it’s unfair to place all the blame on our church culture because our churches simply reflect the people associated with them… each of us. You see, the Holy Spirit never came to dwell within a church structure, organization, or group. He came to indwell individual believers.

Jesus said, “How much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him” (Lk 11:13).

The real Pentecost is the Holy Spirit, living and abiding within each one of us.