Spirit 05: God’s Spirit Brings Power
Orientate
No-one would have held much hope for the impact of the Jesus gospel once he was gone. Jesus left a group of terrified tradies who had already shown their lack of understanding and stickability. You wouldn’t really say that they were able or ready to take the world by storm. I’m not saying these guys didn’t have faith, but they were by no means world-beaters. They weren’t at all ready or wanting to take this new faith to an antagonistic empire. The future of Christianity looked bleak in the hands of these ordinary country folk. But God’s Spirit changed all that.
Explore: Acts 1:4-9
4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
Journal
Journal for a few minutes on the following questions:
1. What is God saying to me? Which verse is most significant?
2. What do I want to discuss/explore further?
3. What do I need to do?
4. What sort of power was Jesus talking about?
Reflect
This event occurred between Jesus’ resurrection from the tomb and his ascension to heaven. He was just tidying everything up before he left. Jesus wanted his mates to know that there was a radical, world-changing event about to occur. He called it being “baptised with the Holy Spirit.” Baptised means “dunked” or “immersed.” So his disciples were about to be swamped by the Spirit. (As we have already learned, the same thing happens to each of us when we believe in Jesus.) As Jesus pointed out, what was going to happen to the kingdom of Israel was not important to these Jewish boys. What mattered was that they were going to be immersed in God’s Spirit.
And the result was going to be “power.” The Spirit brings God’s power into our lives. The incredible power that created the whole of the universe, that raised up and extinguished empires, that culminated with Jesus’ being raised from the dead. This power is in believers. And you should see the difference it made for these guys. They were courageous. They were strong. They were outspoken. They were faith-filled. And the world began to be turned upside down through the gospel of Jesus. Ordinary people saturated in the power of the Spirit are spiritually unstoppable. (But remember that it comes with a cost – almost all of them became martyrs for their faith.)
The same Spirit is living in you. You are no longer a slave to fear or weakness or sin or shame or condemnation. You are not trapped by your past or your personality. Like these early disciples of Jesus, you are baptised in the Spirit and you have his power to change, love unconditionally, share this wonderful good news, and impact your world.
Pray
Lord most of the time I feel very ordinary and that’s probably good because it keeps me dependent on you. But you are not ordinary and your Spirit living in me is not ordinary. Please pour out your courage and strength and faith into my life through the power of your Spirit in me. Lord may my faith and my life impact my world.
Respond
I don’t think the Holy Spirit’s power is something that we have to grasp, but more to wait for and to look for. As you rest in God’s Spirit today, look for evidences of his power through your life. Look for anything that happens that is God’s doing more than yours.
