THE TRANSFORMING POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Acts 10:44-48
My brothers and sister as we further investigate this book called Acts, we should not have a problem in understanding the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. We read the promise in the 1st chapter verse 8 that we shall receive power after the Holy Spirit comes upon us. We saw that promise come to life on the day of Pentecost in the 2nd chapter, when suddenly there came a sound from heaven like a mighty rushing wind, that filled the house and appeared unto them like cloven tongues as of fire, and it was then that the 3rd verse of chapter 2 said “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” I tell you there is transforming power in the Holy Spirit that allowed them to be filled and to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost.
I read a humorous story on the internet about a family in a big city. In fact it was entitled “Transformed by an elevator.” It said;
A family from a remote area was making their first visit to a big city.
They checked into a grand hotel and stood in amazement at the impressive sight.
Upon leaving the reception desk they came to the elevator entrance.
There they saw something that they had never seen before. It was an elevator, and they just stared at it unable to figure out what it was for.
Suddenly an elderly lady hobbled towards the elevator, the door opened and she went inside.
The door closed, and soon, the door reopened and out came a good-looking young woman. The father just couldn’t stop staring. First at the woman than at the elevator.
Then without turning his head he nudged his son’s arm and said, "Go get your mother, son."
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We might find humor in this man thinking that an elevator can transform an elderly lady into a gorgeous woman. But if we think about it, on a given Sunday, we can see what appears to be worthless sinners going into a building called the church to hear and receive the Word of God, and we can see him leaving out brand new.
The last time we visited this chapter we saw how Peter’s connecting message connected a disconnected people. It raised three points for us to consider. The first being in verse 34 that God is not a respecter of persons, and He receives anyone that receives Him. Secondly in verse 35, we saw that Jesus Christ is our great equalizer. That is that He and only He is the Lord of all. And finally, verse 38 let us see that Jesus is our only hope for our troubled past. That He went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil. We concluded that we need to get connected and stay connected.
In this lesson we’ll see the results of Peter’s message that transformed a people that needed a transformation. And these people were Cornelius and his household who were Gentiles. The text tells us that those that heard the word received the Holy Spirit, they spoke with tongues and magnified the Lord, as did the Jewish Believers. Now verse 45 shows us that those that believed who came to Caesarea with Peter, was astonished because the Gentiles also received the gift of the Holy Spirit as they did. That is when Peter asked those who were with him in verse 47 according to the NLT, “Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?”
So let us take a look at how the Holy Spirit transformed the Gentile believers.
First of all verse 44 let’s us see that...
1. THEY EMBRACED THE WORD THEY HEARD (v.44)
“While Peter yet spoke these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all them who heard the word.”
The first thing we should note is how they embraced the words they heard. They did not take the word they heard lightly. This was evident by what those Jewish believers that came with Peter saw and heard, because verse 45 said that they were astonished. Now although Cornelius and his household accepted what was taught by their Jewish associates, their was still a void in their lives until Peter came to town. And it was this Peter that introduced them to the Lord Jesus Christ and while they attached themselves to the Savior, it was the Holy Spirit that attached himself to them, and this my brothers and sisters astonished the Jewish believers. This is what happens to a person who truly associate themselves with The Church and the Savior, instead of a church and a pastor. The more word we hear the word, the more we embraced the Church and our Savior. The more we embraced the Savior the more the Holy Spirit is evident in our lives, that is why we should not forget to assemble ourselves together in study, praise and worship. The saints of old used to sing a song called “Nothing between.”
I can hear them singing it now in that old wooden floored church. “Nothing between my soul and my Savior, Naught of this world’s delusive dream: I have renounced all sinful pleasures- Jesus is mine! There is nothing between.
Secondly, verse 45 shows us that...
2. THEY RECEIVED A TREASURED GIFT (v.45)
“And they of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
As we look into this 45 verse, we see that on the Gentile was poured the gift of the Holy Spirit. In understanding the work of the Holy Spirit, we need to understand that we are indwelt with and filled with the Holy Spirit. That means when we realize that we are sinners and we truly except Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior for the forgiveness of our sins (that is our indwelling), the Holy Spirit then takes up permanent residency in our lives, and will become the controlling Spirit in our lives (that is our filling). That is what makes being filled with His Spirit a treasure in our live. He will lead us and guide us in all truth.
That is what happen with Cornelius and his house hold. The Holy Spirit fell on them, and they spoke with tongues and magnified the Lord. In fact, this outpouring of the Spirit on the Gentiles opened the eyes of those who traveled to Caesarea with Peter. In the last lesson my second point was that Jesus Christ is our great equalizer. And in this text we see that the Holy Spirit is leveling the playing field, because they became one in the Spirit.
Finally...
3. THEY GAVE GOD SOME PRAISE (V.46)
“For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God.”
You’ve heard me quote Rev. Terry Anderson out of Houston, Tx. on his analogy of praise. He said and I believe it as well that “Praise is the rent we pay, for mercy received.” Now although all of us have our own version of praise, these Gentile expressed their gratitude for mercy received by magnifying the Lord openly. They did not hide in a corner, they didn’t just rock back and forward or just wave their hands in appreciation of what had just happened. But what they did was they openly spoke with tongues and magnified God. You see it is hard to keep quiet or to hold your peace once the Lord has done something great for you. And there is no shame in letting the world know that you’ve just been blessed by the best. These Gentiles showed this enthusiasm. In fact, the out pouring was so great that Peter knew that no one could deny them from being baptized. You see when you are willing to magnify the Lord He is more than willing to show the world that you belongs to Him and you have been transformed anew by the Holy Spirit. That is why our positions can’t make us, or what title they give us, don’t make us. It is what the Spirit do with us that make us stand out in a crowd.
CONCLUSION
Well I think I got to close now, but before I go I need to tell you that in order for the transforming power of God to come into your life, we need to empty our lives of the petty stuff that get in the Spirit’s way. You see attending church will put us in position to be transformed, but just being a body count cannot do a thing for us. You see we would be like this wireless microphone. If we judge it according to the way this one works, we would conclude that all we have to do is switch on the power and start talking. But if the microphone does not have power, it will not work. You can switch the button all we want, but without power it will not work. But when we put two AA batteries in it and turn on the switch the microphone would work because it has power. Likewise the reason why some cannot be consistent in worship is because of a lack of power. The reason why living right is hard to do for some, is because there is no power. So if you what to be transformed you need to flip the switch to make the connection and turn on THE POWER.
