Pastor’s Thoughts

In the Book of Acts chapters one and two, we read about the empowerment of the disciples on the day of Pentecost. Jesus had admonished them to wait there until the promised Holy Spirit came upon them enabling them to be His witnesses throughout the world. Why wait? The mission Jesus came to accomplish was complete. Had He not cried out form the cross, “It is finished”? The complete message of salvation could be declared for Jesus had died, he had been entombed, and both seen and declared to have risen victoriously from the grave. So why wait?

Was it that those men and women were so feeble minded that they could not proclaim what they had witnessed first hand? We know better. Could it have been that their message would have been diverse and thus confused the multitudes? We are told that even before the Holy Spirit came that were of one accord and one mind. Well then it must have had something to do with their inability to make proper decisions without the Spirit. The fact is the need for the indwelling of the Spirit was that the way they, lived, their attitudes, or maybe more biblically stated, the fruit of their lives needed to be seasoned with the indwelling presents of the Holy Spirit. God the Holy Spirit would make them living witnesses of the power of God’s redemptive plan. 

It is evident that the disciples’ were changed when the Holy Spirit filled their hearts. The Spirit provided what they needed to manifested love, joy, faith, gentleness, meekness, patience, peace and other similar characteristics that set those Christians apart as a peculiar people.  They were as different as night is to day. They were light in a sin darken world. The Spirit’s presents was not only manifested to inspire them to tell of Jesus’ way to eternal life, He came to empower and gift those 120 believers to effective live a life that would attract nonbelievers to experience the life changing Gospel of Jesus.

It is essential to the life of both Christians and Congregations to acknowledge their need for and dependence upon His divine presence to empower them to be living witnesses and to participate in the great commission.  Lack of submission to the Spirit’s control opens the door to “flesh driven” attitudes and actions that are anything but attractive to lost unbelievers.  (See Gal 5:13-21; Col 3:1-17; Eph 2:3-6)

Paul’s plea to the believers at Rome was that they sacrifice their very lives to the God that they might prove or demonstrate, “the good, acceptable and perfect will of God”. (See Romans 12:1-2) When a believer or congregation consents to yield their will to God’s control, the Holy Spirit Sanctifies that individual or church holy and their whole witness can and will be effective in present the life of Jesus Christ as the way, the truth and the life needed for the salvation of the world. Anything short of that kind of commitment is going to cause believers to fall short and struggle to fulfill their mission.

So as did Paul, I urge each of you who read this article to prayerfully consider these thoughts and your relationship with God, the Holy Spirit.

In His Spirit,

Pastor Danny