Holy Spirit in 1 and 2 Thessalonians

References to the work of the Holy Spirit in the Christian or in the church are rarely discussed in light of Old Testament revelation about the Holy Spirit. It seems that we take the words of the disciples of John in Acts 19 to mean that little to nothing about the Holy Spirit can be gleaned from the Old Testament, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit” (Acts 19:2).[2] However, their words do not accurately reflect what the Old Testament reveals about the Spirit.

Stated as simply as possible: “The gift of the Holy Spirit is the fulfillment of the promise of the Holy Spirit.” That promise is said to have been responsible for the presence of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:33). The nature of that promise is explained in the quotation of Joel 2 in Peter’s defense of the apostles’ actions (Acts 2:16-21).

Additional “Spirit” Verses from Genesis to Song of Solomon (This is Appendix “B” from Essay #1) Several verses from Genesis to Song of Solomon, which

God devoted three chapters of Acts to explain the temporary, prophetic work of the Spirit among the Gentiles. Should we not find it very strange that in the same book He did not devote even more attention to the permanent, non-prophetic work of the Spirit, which is at the heart of most modern teachings about the Spirit?

Our tendency in reading through Joel’s words is to emphasize the prophetic terms contained within them. However, to do so is to miss the point. The words that need our attention come before the mention of prophecy, dreams, and visions and are repeated afterwards as well. What makes Joel’s prophecy so amazing is that the promised prophetic abilities are guaranteed to “all flesh.”