By Richard Charles Ofou (Charles Lwanga Jnr)

(Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11, Romans 8:8-17)

“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance… and they were bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language… If the spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raise Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through His Spirit who dwells in you”. (Acts of the Apostles 2:4-6, Romans 8:11)

My dear brethren in Christ, peace and love of Christ be with you. Today, we are celebrating the feast of Holy Spirit, commemorating the Pentecost event where after 50 days of Christ Glorious Resurrection, He fulfilled His Promise (John 14:16-17), the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles empowering them to witness and share the message of the Gospel (Acts 2 :11b).

However, the Holy Spirit did not just empower them to witness and spread the Goodnews of the Gospel but it also gave life to their mortal bodies; victory over ‘self’ and ‘death’. Hence, they did not bear witness out of their own ability but as the Spirit gave them expression (Acts 2:4).
On this memorable day of the Holy Spirit, the reflection will be anchored on the epistle of Paul to the Romans (Romans 8:8-17 and the Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11) highlighting the attribute of the Holy Spirit as the source of Life and Unity. The reflection will be split into five parts. The first part points to us the form in which the Holy Spirit came on the Apostles and the resulting effect (Acts 2:2-4).

The second part expresses the unifying factor of the Holy Spirit, unity in diversity (Acts 2:6-8). The third part points towards leading a life guided by the dictates of the Holy Spirit as an indicator of our being God’s own (Romans 8:8-9). The fourth part of the reflection calls to mind the ability of the Holy Spirit to give life, energizing our mortal bodies to live beyond mortality (Romans 8:11) and finally is the joy and our place in God by our leading a life that is guided not by self but by the power of the Holy Spirit; Sons and not just Sons but Heirs… (Romans 8:14-17).

In the first part of today’s reflection, we can see the form of tongues of fire resting on the heads of the Apostles. The tongue of fire does not mean the real essence or its Divine form but a physical reality through which He can express His presence. The Holy Spirit can take different forms as the case may be to highlight His mission at the time or within that era. So, that He came in the form of fire does not mean ‘He is Fire’ in the literal sense of it, but a pointer or indicator that the coming of the Holy Spirit is to energize and empower the Apostles for the mission ahead. Hence, they went on to proclaim the goodnews of the Gospel as the Holy Spirit enabled them, putting His Words in their mouth that they spoke not from their intelligence but the Word which is also Spirit.

In the second part, the effect of the the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles carried on. By the unction of the Holy Spirit, they spoke in different tongues (languages and dialects) that all who were present at the explosive unprepared first Crusade of the early church were astonished at the first miracle of the early church (the miracle of languages). All those who had come to Jerusalem for the Feast of Weeks or Feast of the First Fruits (50 days after the Passover) marking the Omer counting period (counting down to the giving of the Torah; the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai) were able to understand the Apostles speak in their different native languages. The most fascinating thing about this, was the fact that they did not only understand them but they spoke the same thing, the same message, the same Spirit, the same Faith… An exercise that the Holy Spirit is not an author of confusion but a bond of unity, a unifying factor in our Christian journey.

Furthermore, in the third part of the reflection, we see Paul writing to the church in Rome on the benefits of leading a life that is engineered by the Holy Spirit and not the self or limited to human intelligence. The life of the self (flesh) is opposing to what God wills (Galatians 5:17) and hence, cannot be pleasing to Him.

But if we are to indeed claim our identity in Christ, then the Holy Spirit will dwell in us and enable us to live according to His dictates in order to do the will of God and then become part of Him then alone can we do what we want to do and please God. This points to the necessity of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our individual life to lead a life that is pleasing to God while on earth.

In the fourth part of the reflection, Paul went on to highlight the place of the Holy Spirit as a life giving agent. A force that is the source of life that even when we are dead through the flesh, it causes life to flow through. This does not imply that by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, one does not experience death (physical death), common to all living things (except the predestined) but that you live beyond the abilities of your mortal nature. You live above the desires of the flesh and self because you are no longer within their confines. Though you are embodied in the flesh, it is the Spirit that engineers your actions and thoughts, His will becomes yours. You live above the ordinary because you have being transformed into being more like Him (Christ).

In the concluding part of the reflection, we are presented with the blissful joy of the transformative power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, making us more like Him. By the dwelling and energizing power of the Holy Spirit who quickens or transforms our mortal bodies, we begin to live the life of Christ, participating in the the Divine sonship of Christ and not just sons but also co-heirs with Him to the Father. It is not the spirit of fear and slavery for we cannot be held captive any longer by ‘self’ but the Spirit that enables us to cry out to God, ‘Abba’ marking our intimacy with God and sharing in the glory of the Son of Man (Christ).

My dear brethren in Christ, this is a solemn call to reignite our relationship with God through the working of the Holy Spirit who is our Counselor, Paraclete, Teacher and Comfort, our unfailing help in time of trial. In our journey with God, the place of the Holy Spirit cannot be over emphasized because He is the fulfillment of God’s ever presence in the affairs of men.

He does not just inspire us but energizes us to do great and mighty things for the sake of God’s Kingdom but the betterment of the human society. In a world where we are often distracted, confused, demoralized, caught up in the dynamics of conventionality and modernism, it becomes necessary that He is given a place to reign and captain the ship. In a world where what unites us is greater than what divides us yet we are more divided than we are united, across religious, political and social spheres, let us allow Him to unite us that our thoughts, words and actions can speak the same language of peace, love and equity irrespective of the dialect of tribe, religious and economic we speak. Most times, we often give up because we have accessed everything within our human nature, give Him a place to quicken you and empower you to do exploits, that which seems impossible becomes possible because you are operating from a realm beyond humans.

The Holy Spirit is the answer to a chaotic world… The life to dead situations… The unbreakable bond of unity in a divided world… Unity in Diversity.
May the Peace and Love of God that surpasses all things rest and abide in your hearts. Amen.

(Published by The Southerner on Sunday, June 8, 2025)