The Holy Spirit Poured Out – How God Gives us the Ability to Time Travel • David Wilber Teaching

The Significance of Shavuot and the Holy Spirit

David Wilber, a guest teacher at Founded in Truth Fellowship, delivered a teaching on the profound significance of the Feast of Shavuot, also known as Pentecost. He explained that while Passover celebrates God’s deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt, Shavuot traditionally commemorates the giving of the Torah, God’s law, at Mount Sinai. However, in the New Testament, similar to Passover, Shavuot gains an even deeper meaning. It marks the pivotal event of the giving of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, as recorded in Acts chapter 2. This event, occurring approximately 2,000 years ago, initiated God’s mission to rescue the nations, fulfilling the promise made to Abraham. Wilber emphasized that this mission continues to this day.

Drawing on previous teachings by Pastor Matthew Vander Els on the Holy Spirit, Wilber reminded the congregation that biblical authors saw the Spirit as intimately involved in creation and its sustenance. The Spirit empowers individuals with wisdom and creative abilities, as seen in figures like Joseph and the builders of the tabernacle. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit influences our own spirits, guiding our emotions and motivations. Crucially, the Spirit was active in the ministry of Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, who came to reverse the curse of sin and death introduced in Genesis. Just as the Spirit was involved in the first creation, it is equally involved in bringing about the new creation through the work of the Messiah. Wilber proclaimed that this new creation is being birthed right now through believers, empowered by the Holy Spirit poured out on Shavuot.

The “Already, But Not Yet” of the Kingdom

Wilber then addressed a key question faced by Yeshua’s disciples just before his ascension, as recorded in Acts 1:6: “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” This was a logical inquiry given Yeshua’s teachings on the Spirit and the kingdom throughout Luke’s Gospel, coupled with the Old Testament prophets’ connection between Israel’s restoration, the coming kingdom, and the promised Spirit. However, Yeshua’s response in Acts 1:7-8 shifted their focus: “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Wilber highlighted the tension presented here: the future age, characterized by Israel’s restoration and the full establishment of God’s kingdom, is both here and not yet. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Shavuot, described in Acts chapter 2, with believers speaking in other languages, signaled the arrival of the “last days,” as Peter declared, quoting the prophet Joel. This event marked the beginning of the future age in the present. We see evidence of this new age in the healings and transformations that occurred, fulfilling prophecies of a time with no more sickness or death. The word of the Lord went forth from Jerusalem, and people were saved, demonstrating that the future age to come had, in a sense, arrived.

However, Wilber clarified that this future age is “already, but not yet.” We still live in a fallen world marked by sin and death. Yet, through the Holy Spirit, believers have access to the powers of the age to come right now. Drawing from Hebrews 6, Wilber stated that those who share in the Holy Spirit currently experience the powers of the age to come. He used the analogy of a down payment on a house to illustrate this concept. The Spirit is the guarantee, the “aribon” (a Semitic loan word meaning down payment or pledge), ensuring the future inheritance and granting us access to it in the present, as Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 5:5. This access to the future age in the present through the Holy Spirit is what Wilber metaphorically calls “time travel.”

Living in the Age of the Spirit: Six Key Aspects

Wilber then outlined six ways believers experience this future age right now through the Spirit:

1. The Age of the Spirit is for Believers

Only believers in Yeshua can experience this new age of the Spirit. As John 14:16-17 states, the Spirit of truth is given to believers and dwells in them, but the world cannot receive Him because it does not know Him. The future age will be exclusively for believers; therefore, experiencing its benefits now through the Spirit requires faith in Yeshua.

• Application for Everyday Life: If you do not yet believe in Yeshua, consider the invitation to faith offered. Becoming a believer opens the door to experiencing the transformative power of the Holy Spirit in your life right now.

2. Being Uncomfortable with Sin

The Holy Spirit convicts believers of sin, causing them to feel genuine sorrow and leading to repentance. Revelation 3:19 says, “‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.'” This conviction aligns with Joel’s call to repentance in Joel 2:12-13, urging a heartfelt turning to God. The response of the people to Peter’s preaching in Acts 2:37, where they were “cut to the heart,” exemplifies this.

• Application for Everyday Life: When you feel convicted of sin, don’t ignore it. Recognize it as the Spirit’s work leading you to repentance. Embrace this discomfort as a sign of God’s love and an opportunity for growth and transformation.

3. God Gives Us a New Obedient Heart

Through the Holy Spirit, God empowers believers to obey Him and be transformed. Ezekiel 36:26-27 prophesies that God will put His Spirit within us, giving us a new heart and causing us to walk in His statutes. This is akin to a heart transplant, changing our very character and enabling obedience.

• Application for Everyday Life: When you struggle with obedience, rely on the power of the Holy Spirit. Seek His guidance and strength to overcome sinful desires and to walk in God’s ways.

4. The Spirit Empowers Believers to Be Witnesses to the Nations

Acts 1:8 promises, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses.” The book of Acts demonstrates how the apostles were empowered to proclaim the gospel and perform miracles, leading to the salvation of people from various nations.

• Application for Everyday Life: Be open to the empowering of the Holy Spirit to share your faith with others. Pray for healing and expect to see God’s miraculous power at work in your life and community.

Conclusion

In conclusion, David Wilber’s teaching at Founded in Truth Fellowship illuminated how the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Shavuot inaugurated the “last days,” a period where believers can experience the blessings and power of the future age in the present through the Spirit. This “time travel” is evidenced in believers’ discomfort with sin, their new obedient hearts, their empowerment as witnesses, their unity with fellow believers, and their unrestricted worship. By embracing the work of the Holy Spirit, believers can begin to live in the reality of the new creation right now, experiencing genuine transformation and the power of the age to come.

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