Devo Week 20

Pentecost and the Coming of His Spirit -- In All Places, At All Times

We discovered the Akha knew very little about the Holy Spirit, even though the Gospel had been presented to them some 25 years before we arrived. I was soon confronted with this. A simple analogy began to help the Akha understand and come to know the Holy Spirit as their Guide and Helper.

Key Concept: Holy Spirit as our Guide and our Helper

It was the analogy of traveling treacherous village roads in rainy season. The Akha, being mostly illiterate, could not relate to the idea of a road map, but they understood well the idea of a guide (sheu geh'eu g'a). I could also see that emphasizing a road map would have a similar effect to handing someone a Bible who couldn't read or write. A tour guide, on the other hand, would be with them at all times. And a very comforting presence. Most of them had fled wars and difficult lives in the surrounding countries. While a road map provided an overview with landmarks, a guide offered experience and could forewarn of dangers and pitfalls along the way. Likewise, the Holy Spirit has experience with any situation we will face in life.

Both the Akha and Akeu also resonated well with the idea of a helper (tsaw ba-eu g'a). When you do a lot of physical labor, help is a welcomed relief. With help, we can accomplish more and most often do a better job. Jesus told His disciples, "It is to your benefit that I go away so that the Holy Spirit can come." (John 16:7) He promised the Holy Spirit would indwell all those who would receive Him as their Lord and Savior. (Rom. 8:9) John the Baptist also prophesied that Jesus would even "baptize us with the Holy Spirit." (Matt. 3:11)

Both the indwelling and infilling of the Holy Spirit affirm His roles as our Guide and our Helper. Look for simple analogies to emphasize the work of the Holy Spirit as Jesus did.

Key Word Definition: revelation (noun)

-- a surprising and previously unknown fact, especially one that is made known in a dramatic way.
-- the divine or supernatural disclosure to humans of something relating to human existence or the world.

"Revelation is not the creation of something new, but simply the unveiling of what is already there." -- Rolland Allen

Excerpt from Devotional 20 with highlighted word:

"That legend became a key to unlocking the revelation of God’s Kingdom to the Akeu."

Scripture: Zechariah 4:6

“Then he said to me, ‘This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.’”