Read Acts 10:36-48
First Sunday of Epiphany (Year A)
Jesus revealed the essence of the Holy Spirit's mission in John 16:14: "He will glorify me."
"The essence of the Holy Spirit's ministry is, at this or any time in the Christian era, to mediate the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ" (J.I. Packer, Keep in Step with the Spirit, p. 55).
In other words, the Spirit is sent to make Christ real to people, and to show us who he really is in his glory, so that we come to love him and trust him and obey him and, in turn, show him to the world. What this means is that the Holy Spirit is more likely to come in power where the truth about Jesus is being lifted up and made plain. The Spirit loves to come and take the truth about Jesus and turn it into an experience of Jesus.
That's what happened in Acts 10:36-48: Peter presented a verbal portrait of Jesus, and the Spirit transformed the portrait into the living reality of Jesus himself.
