THE HOLY SPIRIT POWER IN YOUR LIFE
In the classic
French film Jean de Florette, townspeople in a small village in
Provence, France, conspire against a local landowner named Jean, who has just
inherited a plot of land. They want to force Jeanes's little farm to fail so
they can possess the land.
The land receives only scant rainfall, so they sneak
onto his property and plug a healthy stream, cementing it shut and covering it
with dirt. Jean does not know about the nearby spring, but he knows of another,
more distant water supply over a mile away.
Along with his wife and young daughter, they dragged
water from a spring on the other side of the mountain. He initially makes
progress, but eventually, getting the water from the distant spring becomes a
backbreaking experience. He started digging a well using a stick of dynamite to
break the ground but unfortunately died as one of the rocks lands on his head.
Sadly, he never discovers that he already has an
inexhaustible supply of water underground but nearby. Similarly, Christians
have an endless supply of power—the Holy Spirit— Jesus refers to it as "a
fresh, bubbling spring" living within us.
Sadly, some of us are like Jean in this film. We spend
our lives in a backbreaking effort trying to haul another supply. Today, we
will look at how we can receive the Holy Spirit Power in our lives.
Before that, let me share a few thoughts about the significance of Pentecost.
Pentecost is one of the three Jewish festivals
God-ordained. It is the feast of Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks. The
festival of Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Let's
pray on this Pentecost; many Jews would recognize and accept Jesus as their Messiah.
For Christians, Pentecost is observed on the seventh
Sunday after Easter and ten days after Ascension. The name comes from the Greek
word “pentekoste” which means fiftieth, as Pentecost Sunday takes place
on the 50th day after Easter. Before going to Corinth, the Apostle Paul stayed
at Ephesus until the Festival of Pentecost, which shows its importance.
I.
The Promised Holy Spirit and birth of the Church
After Jesus rose from the dead, "Once when he was
eating with them, he commanded them, do not leave Jerusalem until the Father
sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water,
but in just a few days, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Acts
1:4 He reaffirmed a ninth-century B.C prophecy by the prophet Joel.
Since the time of Joel, people had been waiting for it
to be fulfilled. The time of preparation and waiting for the disciples finally
ended. On Pentecost Day, the Holy Spirit descended on a group of doubting,
fearful yet expectant believers.
During the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost, the Diaspora
Jews and the locals gather in Jerusalem to celebrate. A hundred and twenty disciples,
with Mary, the mother of Jesus, gathered in the upper room for prayer. Suddenly,
a sound from heaven like a hurricane filled the house.
Flames of fire appeared and settled on each of them.
Everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages
as the Holy Spirit enabled them. People from eighteen languages heard them
speak of the wonderful things God has done.
Many were amazed and asked each other, what can this mean? But some skeptics in the crowd ridiculed them, saying, "They're just drunk, that's all." Not only then, but even now, some people make fun of God's amazing things in our lives. Was this promise of the Holy Spirit only for those hundred and twenty people alone or for all the believers of God?
Peter stepped forward and gave a powerful message. He reminded
them of the prophet Joel's prophecy. Vs. 17-18, " 'In the last days,' God
says, 'I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will
prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In
those days, I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women
alike—and they will prophesy." On Pentecost Day, that prophecy was
fulfilled.
Peter continued his preaching, highlighting Jesus'
ministry, miracles, and death through Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension
into heaven. He reminded them that they had just witnessed the outpouring of God's
promised Holy Spirit. He challenged his fellow Jews and Jerusalem residents to
recognize and believe in Jesus as the Lord and Messiah.
The crowds were pierced in their hearts with that
powerful message and asked Peter what we should do? Peter said you must repent
of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for
the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit. Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the
Church that day.
That was the beginning of the Church of Jesus Christ.
The number of believers grew from 120 to 3,000 in one day. Now, approximately
2.38 billion people call themselves Christians.
What does this mean to us today? As Peter said, the
gift of the Holy Spirit is for all those who God has called. Are you one of
those called ones by God? If you are a Christian, I mean you are a follower of
Jesus Christ, then you are called by God. Jesus said, "No one can come to
Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him [giving him the desire to come to
Me].
We are not saved because we thought it was an
excellent idea. God put that desire in us to come to Jesus. The Holy Spirit
convicts us of our sins. We repent of them and turn to God by receiving
forgiveness of our sins through Christ Jesus. We take another step and get
baptized. Then as promised, if you believe in Christ, you have the abiding Holy
Spirit inside of you.
II.
The Holy Spirit Power In Your Life.
Jesus commanded the disciples not to leave Jerusalem
until they received the promised gift of the Holy Spirit? Why do we need the
Holy Spirit Power in our lives? We have the Bible and Jesus; isn't that
sufficient? Firstly, we need the Holy Spirit to know the truth, Jesus. John
16:13, "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth."
Secondly, we need the Holy Spirit Power to become
Jesus' witnesses. Acts 1:8 "But you will receive power when the Holy
Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling
people about me everywhere-in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the
ends of the earth." Can you imagine what an incredible privilege it is to
be called by Jesus "My Witnesses.?
Andrew Murry notes, "My Witnesses."
These two words contain the perfect description of the Spirit's work and our
work—the work for which nothing less than His divine power is needed,"[1] In a courtroom, there is
nothing as effective as an honest witness. A confident witness will make the court
and the jury have more faith in what they are saying.
Jesus is commanding all his followers to be His witnesses. How do we do that practically? To be a witness of Jesus is to talk about what Jesus has done in your life. You can share with others openly and confidently how he saved you and gave you hope. Talk about your healing and deliverance from addiction, hopelessness, and purposelessness. We are weak and cannot do this task of witnessing. We need the Holy Spirit Power in our lives.
III.
How to receive the Holy Spirit Power?
Before receiving the Holy Spirit's power, one must
repent, turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of sins. As promised, God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy
Spirit come in and dwell with you. In other words, you have the "Rivers of
living water" inside you. (John 7:39) Remember, John inherited the
inexhaustible spring with the property in the story, but his enemies hid it
from him. He could never enjoy its benefits.
Similarly, the devil, our enemy, deceives us so that
we might not discover the spring of the Holy Spirit. By faith, we need to
recognize that we have the Holy Spirit living in us and tap into His unlimited
power to become effective witnesses of Jesus in this world. Amen!
