Power From The Holy Spirit

Power from the Holy Spirit

Acts 1:3-5 & 8 “After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait there for the promise of the Father. “This,” he said, “is what you have heard from me;  for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Last night in my Encounter Ministries class we had a baptism of the Holy Spirit.  This is when someone gets prayed over for the Holy Spirit to become active in someone’s life.  As a Catholic, I know that when I was Baptized as a baby, I received the Holy Spirit.  Then when I was confirmed, that was my adult Baptism into the church and the Holy Spirit came upon me then as well.  For those listening who are not Catholic, I am not sure on your beliefs.  I have heard the Holy Spirit comes upon you when you accept Jesus Christ as your savior and receive a Baptism at your church.  For all of us, a Baptism of the Holy Spirit, in its fullness, is not an event, it’s a lifestyle.    They Holy Spirit has the power to transform your life so that you are never the same again.  However, you need to cooperate with the Spirit and give it permission to do so.  

So, if we have already received the Holy Spirit at our Baptism, why would we need or want a Baptism in the Holy Spirit?  Doesn’t He already live inside of us?  Yes, if you have been Baptized then the Holy Spirit is living inside of you.  However, have you asked the Spirit for the gifts He has to share with you?  Have you invited Him into your life to work in a powerful way?  When you are baptized you are given the gift of the Holy Spirit.  However, it is up to you to open that gift and use it.  Encounter has an interesting way of explaining it.  Imagine you are a glass of milk and the Holy Spirit is chocolate sauce.  You can add the chocolate sauce to the milk, but if you don’t stir the milk you don’t have chocolate milk, you just have chocolate sauce in your milk.  The Holy Spirit is kind of like this.  Yes, you have the Holy Spirit, but you have to do something to activate that gift.  

In the verse above, Jesus was spending time with the apostles after He came back to life after being crucified.  Let's stop there for a minute. The Holy Spirit brought Jesus back from the dead.  That same Holy Spirit is living inside of you.  Isn’t that amazing?  I still remember the first time I heard that I just couldn’t believe it.  If you don’t believe me you can look in the Bible at Romans 8:11 “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.”  That just blows my mind that we have the same Spirit Jesus had.  The Holy Spirit is the one who empowered Jesus to do all the miracles.  The Holy Spirit gave Jesus the power to touch so many peoples lives.  Jesus did not use his divinity while here on earth, He relied on the Holy Spirit, the same one that we have living inside of us.  

In the verse above Jesus orders the apostles to stay in Jerusalem and wait there for the promise of the Father. “This,” he said, “is what you have heard from me;  for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” This is the great commission Jesus gave to His apostles and all of us.  We are all to spread the word to everyone, all the way to the ends of the earth.  Jesus is talking to you and me as much as He is talking to the apostles.  Jesus never intended for it to be the job of 12 men to spread the Good News to the entire world.  

I believe He intended for them to begin spreading the world and then each person they talk to does their part in spreading the Good News.  This is much easier to do if we have the power of the Holy Spirit to help us.  I don’t know about you, but I could sure use some help.  I am not necessarily a shy person, but I am a people pleaser who does not like confrontation and cares way too much what other people think about me.  So, it is not easy for me to talk to others about Jesus.  I worry if I will upset them, I worry I will look stupid, I worry they will be mean.  All of this means that I don’t open my mouth in many situations. However, through prayer the Holy Spirit is helping me get over this fear.  I pray often for a Holy boldness to say whatever I feel the Holy Spirit prompting me to say.  I definitely still have times when I am not confident enough to say what I feel led to say, but those times are becoming less and less.  

I would not be doing this podcast if the Holy Spirit wasn’t helping me write each episode and giving me the courage to put them out there in the world where people can hear them.  Writing them is one thing, but sharing them with the world is another.  What if they don’t like them, what if I say something that isn’t true, I am not a theologian, what if I upset someone?  These are the type of questions that can paralyze someone and keep them from stepping out into the purpose God gave them.  I am grateful that I know the power of the Holy Spirit.  I am grateful I know that He wants to equip each one of us for our mission.  I know that He is there giving me the strength to do all things I am called to do.  One of my favorite sayings is, “God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called.”  The Holy Spirit will give you all you need to do whatever God is asking you to do.  All you have to do is say yes!

If you have been baptized and you have not asked the Holy Spirit for any of His gifts I ask you to consider doing so.  I ask you to consider asking the Holy Spirit to come into your everyday life.  Give Him permission to act in your life.  Ask Him to show you what God has in store for you and then ask Him to give you the power to yes to God’s plan, even if you are scared, even if there is so much that is unknown, trust in the power of the Holy Spirit to help you.  I know this is a big prayer and also, who couldn’t use a little more power in their life?  If there is one word that God has been making sure I heard over these last few months, it’s that God has so much more for us.  He wants to give us more but we aren’t asking for it.  Spend some time with God today and ask Him where in your life He wants to give you more.  Talk to the Holy Spirit and give Him permission to work in your life.  I am sure He is already working in your life, but give Him the permission to work more powerfully in your life.  You will be amazed at the ways you see your life changing.

Dear Heavenly Father, please bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord, thank you so much for giving us the Holy Spirit, you are amazing, The Holy Spirit is amazing.  Thank you for bestowing this power upon on. Help us to use the Holy Spirit to build up your kingdom.  Help each one of us to do our part to fulfill your great commission.  Open our eyes, hearts and mind to the Holy Spirit. If anyone is confused, or doesn’t understand about the Holy Spirit, we pray you enlighten their mind so they can live more fully with the Holy Spirit in their lives.  We love you Lord, you are awesome.  You love us so much and we are so grateful. We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’ holy name, Amen.  

Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus.  I truly appreciate each and every one of you for listening.  If you are interested in doing a witness Wednesday, please let me know.  It is much more interesting when it isn’t me doing them each week.  I look forward to sharing another witness with you tomorrow.  Remember, Jesus loves you and so do I. Have a blessed day!

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