Feeling that something was missing in her relationship with the Lord, Lila Hunt went looking, and found positive influence in the pentecostal tradition. And so as an anabaptist, she considers herself a hybrid. Pentecost occurred during Shavuot — the Jewish Feast of Weeks that marked the wheat harvest, and also commemorated the giving of the Torah by God to the Children of Israel at Mt. Sinai. Pentecost is the Greek term for Shavuot — a joyful festival. The risen Jesus had instructed the disciples to remain in Jerusalem until they were given heavenly power. And so after watching His ascension, they wait. In Acts 2:1-21, they pray, fast, and interpret all that they had experienced with Jesus. And on Shavuot, God’s Spirit comes with signs and wonders that resemble the signs and wonders that came with the giving of the Torah at Sinai: a mighty wind, cloud, fire, smoke, and language barriers resolved, prophecy, anointed preaching, salvation, visions, dreams — miraculous and mysterious signs. But rather than giving the law, the Holy Spirit is giving Herself.

Peter describes this as an outpouring of the Spirit. Here and in other scriptures, there are indications that the early church lived expectant of the Holy Spirit’s manifest presence and power. And so, while affirming the communal and justice-oriented understanding of the Holy Spirit’s work in the anabaptist tradition, she believes that there’s more: the Holy Spirit still rests upon and empowers believers and manifests her presence in the Christian community in marvelous and miraculous ways at certain times — the first day of a new kind of relationship between God and her people.

And Lila goes on to share some of the ways she’s seen the Spirit act in the way of Acts 2.

Hear and be inspired to go forth in the Spirit!