Main Thought
The Book of Joel was written during a dark time in Judah’s history. Locusts ravaged the land and created a famine. It was against this dark backdrop that God made a promise of light and hope. God promised that He’d eventually pour His Holy Spirit out to His people. God kept this promise when the Holy Spirit arrived on the Day of Pentecost (50 days after Jesus Christ rose from the dead). Today, God’s Holy Spirit is available and accessible - but that doesn’t necessarily mean that we’ll experience Him. If we want to experience God’s promises, then we need to fulfill God’s premises. A premise is a condition that we need to meet. If we want to feel close to God, then we need to draw near to Him in faith. God wants to save, shape, and satisfy everyone who draws near to Him.
Main Passages
16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
- Acts 2:16-18, 21
6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.
- Galatians 4:6-7
‘On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.'
- John 7:37-39
Discussion Questions
What stands out to you in the Main Thought or the Main Passages above?
God made a lot of promises in the Bible. Which one is your favorite? Try to find it in the Bible and share it if you can.
Is there a promise of God that you’d like to see fulfilled in, or through, your life? If so, then is there a premise (condition) that you are responsible for meeting?