In west Texas during the Depression. Mr. Ira Yates was like many other ranchers and farmers. He had a lot of land and a lot of debt. He wasn’t able to make enough on his ranching operation to pay the principal and interest on the mortgage. He was in danger of losing his ranch. With little money for clothes or food, his family lived on government subsidy.
Day after day, as Ira grazed his sheep over those rolling West Texas hills, he was no doubt greatly troubled about how he would pay his bills and care for his family. Then a seismographic crew from an oil company came into the area and told him there might be oil on his land. They asked permission to drill a wildcat well, and he signed a lease contract.
At 1,115 feet they struck oil. The first well came in at 80,000 barrels a day. Many subsequent wells were more than twice as large. In fact 30 years after the discovery, a government test of one of the wells showed it still had the potential flow of 125,000 barrels of oil a day. And Mr. Yates owned it all and had owned it all for years. The day he purchased the land he had received the oil and mineral rights. Yet he’d been on the verge of poverty and despair while all the while he was sitting on a multimillion dollar heritage of resources (Sermon Central).
You and I are a lot like Mr. Yates. We are heirs to a vast treasure and yet we often choose to live in spiritual poverty. We are despondent, frustrated, disappointed, questioning our faith and doubting our heritage while all the while within us is a power that is just waiting to be let go - the power of the Holy Spirit. In these weeks as we pray for a reviving of the Holy Spirit within us, we need to look back and understand what we are asking for and what God’s promising.
Luke in writing Acts 1 was reminding Theophilus and us that the disciples had been eye witness to all that had happened to Jesus Christ. He is encouraging us to follow their example by showing how God has worked before and fulfilled his promises. Acts 1 is a bridge between the events of the Gospels and the events marking the beginning of the work of the Church. Jesus had spent 40 days teaching and encouraging his disciples and as a result they were changed drastically. Before they had argued with each other, deserted their lord and one even lied about knowing Jesus. But by reflecting and remembering the resurrection they were convinced the future was Christ and so they opened themselves up to hearing and learning more the kingdom of God. The more they heard the more they believed, the more excited they became. They were get to work So what did Jesus say, wait! Wait!
Oh, how the disciples must have groaned at that word wait. They had waited three days, they had waited for three years, and their people had been waiting for generations. We hate to wait for anything, especially God to work! It goes against the grain. We are like the owl in the tootsie roll commercial. How many licks does it take to get to the center of the sweet chewy, tasty of tootsie roll, one two three crunch! That’s long enough, we want it and we want it now.
But Jesus’ word of wisdom to his anxious followers at a crucial juncture in history was wait. Wait and be patient and let God be in control. Jesus wanted them to wait so could go forward on the basis of God’s power, not their own. They paused not because they weren’t ready or they didn’t want the future, they paused to allow God to lead them. Their effectiveness in carrying out their mission was dependent upon their reliance on God’s leading and his purpose. In waiting they were demonstrating their willingness and desire to follow God however he was to lead. Wait for the gift my father promised, which you have heared me speak about. There are times when we need to hear the word from God that says wait! And then we need to do just that, wait, patiently.
Oh I know it isn’t easy to wait, it never is. Christmas is never easy to wait for whether you are four or sixty four. But waiting doesn’t take away the gift. It only makes it better.
Verse 5 – “For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Not maybe or might. Jesus does not make this a conditional imperative. He states unequivocally and absolutely: you will receive the Spirit. In the Gospel of John, we read the promise in these words of Jesus. "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever –the Spirit of truth…you know him for he lives with you and will be in you."
The giving of the Holy Spirit is not a second baptism, a second promise that only some will receive. It is a promise, a guarantee for all persons and it is essential to the Christian experience for we cannot belong to Christ without his Spirit (Rom. 8:9) We cannot be united to Christ without His Spirit (1 Cor. 6:17); we cannot be adopted as his children without his Spirit (Gal 4:6-7); we cannot be in the body of Christ except by baptism in the spirit (1 cor 12:13). It is the spirit that convicts the heart and brings us into communion with God. The Holy Spirit is the power of God and Jesus has promised us the power. You will receive the power.
The power of the Holy Spirit is unlike any other power. It is not a power that is invented sculpted, or demolished by human hands. It is not a power that can be manipulated for political or social purposes. It is not a power that can be manufactured, canned or distributed like dry goods. The power Jesus promises is a transforming, liberating redeeming, life changing power that can change the course of nations, history, you and I and this church. It is a power unlike any other. The Greek word for the power is dunamis, it is the root of the word dynamite. It is explosive, changing power.
It is not limited to strength beyond the ordinary. It is not just the power of miracles; it is also a power that brings courage, boldness, confidence, insight, ability and authority. Jesus knew the disciples needed this power to fulfill their mission. As individuals we need this power to face the challenges and temptations of this world, we need this power to fulfill our individual and corporate church mission. We need the infilling of the Spirit and Jesus promises we will receive the power.
God doesn’t withhold it. It is our own disbelief that impedes the full gust of the Spirit’s anointing in our lives. It is our impatience that rushes forward without waiting on the Spirit. It is our self reliance that thinks we can do it on our own. But when we wait on the empowerment of the Holy Spirit something happens inside and outside of us that brings us into glorious submission to God’s will. It gives us holy boldness, fervor and zeal that the world can’t give or take away.
Verse 8 - you will receive the power and you will be my witnesses. Now I know this means that we will be testify and tell others about God’s power and might but I can’t help but also believe Jesus was making a little play on words here. He loved to do that we see it over and over again in scripture. I believe Jesus was also saying here you will also be witness or see amazing things happen. The disciples when they waited on the power of the Holy Spirit became witnesses for God and they saw or witnessed astounding results. A Hundred and twenty Christians, empowered by the Holy Spirit began to speak a new language, a language of love that breaks down all barriers. They saw three thousand come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ in one day. They saw a new synagogue of faith formed in the birth of the church. They saw their numbers grow daily – every day some one else came to faith in Christ. Now that was amazing results that they witnessed.
Now the way I figure it there are over 60 of us in this church and if 120 could witness to and lead 3000 to faith in one day then We ought to be able to lead 1500 to faith in one day – like on the day of the BBQ – we ought to be able to be able to add to our numbers at least every other day that would be at least three or four a week. So where are they?!
You see there is one more step to being empowered by the Holy Spirit. It is the step of commitment. On the Day of Pentecost the disciples were gathered together in one place, in a house, with four walls just like this church. When they received the power of the Holy Spirit they could have remained in the house. They could have kept the power for themselves and I believe that power would have worked in them to bring changes in their lives and bring them closer to Christ and give some peace. But I also believe, no, I know that power could not have worked in those people to the fulfillment of God’s plan if they had not committed themselves to going out to where the people where. If they hadn’t committed their lives to following God’s lead. If they hadn’t committed to sacrificing their own desires and wishes for the glory of God.
And I also believe that they had to commit together. It was not a job for one or two people. It took all 120 of them to convert 3000. It took all 120 of them to bring others to Christ every day of their lives. And I believe when we are ready to commit to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us as individuals and as a church, when we commit together to make a difference in the community of Abbotsford, when we commit to sacrificing our own priorities and schedules in lieu of God’s plan and purpose for this church – we too will witness amazing results. Our numbers, the numbers in the kingdom of God, will be added to daily.
“Folks it is time to open up to the mind blowing, heart warming, life changing power of God. The power of God that can invade the body , inflate the mind, swell the soul, lift the Spirit and make us more than we ever imagined. It’ll make you young when you are old and it’ll make you live even when you die. The power and presence of the Spirit will disturb, delight, deliver and lift.
When God sends forth the Spirit, “the whole face of the earth is renewed. When God sends forth the Spirit chaos is changed into creation, the Red Sea opens up to a highway of freedom. When God sends forth the Spirit a young woman says “yes” and Jesus is born and life is never the same.
When God sends forth the Spirit amazing things happen: barriers are broken, communities are formed, opposites are reconciled, unity is established, disease is cured, addiction is broken, cities are renewed, races are reconciled, hope is established, people are blessed and church happens.
Today the Spirit of God is present in this church So be ready, get ready…discouraged folks cheer up, dishonest folks, ‘fess up, sour folks sweeten up, closed folks open up, gossipers shut up, conflicted folks make up, sleeping folks wake up, lukewarm folk fire up, dry bones shake up and pew potatoes stand up!” (from Sermon Central)
For Christ the Savior of all the world has been lifted up and the spirit of God is ready to power you and this church up. Get ready saints the future for you and I and this church is here!
Amen and Amen.
Power from the HS is not limited to strength beyond the ordinary – that power also involves courage, boldness, confidence, insight, ability and authority. The disciples would need all these gifts to fulfill their mission.
The concept of witness is so prominent in Acts (the word in its various forms appears some thirty nine times)We are empowered and guided by the self same Spirit that directed and supported Jesus’ ministry
This is not just a or only a coroporate body commision to be witness it is a very personal command to each believer personally, privately. This was given to t these men even before the Holy Spirit and come and romed the church. It is our budiness to get the Word of God out ot the world. We can’t say that it is up to the church to send missionaries and to vgive out the Gospel.
God alone would be able to empower them to carry out the ministry of Christ. Only God was capable of sustaining them in the face of the persecution that would come. It was God who would be able to guide and direct them out of their current state of confusion.
In Luke’s writing, the emphasis is clearly on the need to draw power from God. The Church could only succeed without Jesus’ physical presence if it went forward empowered as Jesus had been, by the Spirit of God.
Jesus instructed his followers to wait. They must be patient and allow God’s Spirit to come to them. In this way, they would be able to go forward on the basis of God’s power and not their own
A secret of the early Church’s phenomenal growth is that they began by waiting. They paused to allow God’s Spirit to empower them and to lead them. Their effectiveness in carrying out their mission was ensured by their willingness to rely on God. God’s Purpose
It is impossible to read the New Testament record of the early Church and not come away with a recognition of the integral role of the Holy Spirit in the Church’s growth and the effectiveness of its ministry. If we desire our churches to have similar effectiveness, then we too must pursue the promise of the Holy Spirit. It is through the Holy Spirit that our churches will receive much needed guidance and power. It is through the Holy Spirit that our churches will become God’s churches and God’s agents for ushering in a new kingdom.
In the state of confusion and uncertainty in which Jesus’ followers found themselves, they desperately needed reassurance. That reassurance came from the promise that Jesus reiterated in this passage. In the Gospel of John, we read of the promise in these words, "And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you forever ... you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you" (John 14:16-17).
The power of the Holy Spirit (Holy Ghost power) is unlike any other power. It is not a power that is invented, sculpted, or demolished by human hands. It is not a power that can be manipulated for political or social purposes. It is not a power that can be manufactured, canned, and distributed like dry goods. No! The power Jesus promises is a transforming, liberating, redeeming, life-changing, and saving power that can change the course of nations and history. It is Holy Ghost power that is unlike any other power man has experienced
But you will receive power." Jesus does not make this a conditional imperative. He states unequivocally and absolutely: you will receive power. Power to do what? Power to rule nations? Power to dethrone Caesar? Power to vanquish forever the enemies of Israel? Power to change light into darkness? Power to restore the Kingdom of Israel to its former greatness? What kind of power is Jesus talking about?
His apostles are nervous, anxious, excited. They envision a power that will forever change their lives and those around them. They sense that a new power is permeating the air: the power of renewal and change. To possess this power would mean a new might and spiritual hegemony for them as followers of Christ.
Jesus promises this power to his followers. During his ministry he gave the disciples the power to cast out demons and heal the sick. Some of them used that power and some of them didn’t. Jesus promised it then and promises it now. Only we do not accept and receive the power that he has promised to bequeath. "You will receive power." Christ promises to give that power and we must trust in him to make good on his word.
Jesus promises that we shall receive power, but it is our disbelief that often impedes the full gust of the Spirit’s anointing power in our lives. Somehow it is hard to bring ourselves to believe that this power is given to little old me. But Jesus promises it. He promised it to his apostles and promises it to his people today who have faith in him. You can’t claim what has been given or promised to you if you don’t have faith. If you have faith, you can believe and achieve what God has promised and then you will receive power.
When the Holy Spirit comes on you — thus the power comes when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. This is the crux, substance, core, and basis of the power. When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, the power of God will come upon you. You will have the power to preach and teach boldly in the name of Jesus, to stand up to power and principalities, to be Christ’s witnesses in a world that assaults and persecutes you for your beliefs. When the Holy Ghost comes, you will receive a power you never thought you had. You will have a holy boldness, a joy, a fervor, a zeal that the world didn’t give and cannot take away.
We cannot do what God calls us to do without the power, authority, leadership, anointing, and guidance of the Holy Ghost. When the Holy Ghost comes upon us, something happens inside and outside.
There is something about Holy Ghost power that charges, renews, refreshes, and restores. There is something about Holy Ghost power that gives joy in the midst of sorrow, victory amid defeat, and sweet release from the solitary confinements of sin.
What the church needs today is Holy Ghost power — the power to heal, redeem, renew, and save lost souls for Christ. The church needs Holy Ghost power to proclaim boldly the Good News of Christ in a dying and crazy world. Where is the Holy Ghost power of the church? Has the Holy Ghost gone out of style? Is it now just a figment of the imagination? Do we not hear much about the Holy Ghost anymore in the church because it is no longer fashionable to be holy?
What happened to the power to say no to evil, to stand up to the enemy in ways that will encourage the saints? In an effort to be more secular than sacred and to accommodate the world, has the church compromised its Holy Ghost power?
Jesus promises that we shall receive it when the Holy Spirit comes upon us. He promises that when we receive that power we will be his witnesses in familiar and foreign, comforting and uncomforting places. But in order to receive that power, we must believe it, claim it, and achieve it by our faith in Christ.
From Esermon - The Cost of Discipleship by Brett Blair
We must establish our priorities. Too often we allow things to stand in the way of that which we consider important. And so hobbies interest us more than our children. A job takes precedent over a marriage. And television displaces family conversations over dinner. We have the best of intentions but the priorities we know to be vital to a good and happy life never get carried out in our day to day living.
Someone has calculated how a typical life span of 70 years is spent. Listen to these surprising numbers:
Sleep.................23 years.........32.9%
Work.................16 years..........22.8%
TV.....................8 years..........11.4%
Eating................6 years...........8.6%
Travel................6 years...........8.6%
Leisure...............4.5 years.........6.5%
Illness................4 years...........5.7%
Dressing..............2 years...........2.8%
Religion.............0.5 years...........0.7%
Total................70 years...........100%
When put in these terms we see how little a priority spiritual matters occupy in our lives. But Jesus is a demanding leader. A thousand times more demanding then any you will ever know. Jesus said, "So, therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." Possessions cannot stand between you and the Lord. Jesus went so far as to say, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own mother and father, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters, he cannot be my disciple." Even something as noble as the love of family, as good and right as that is, cannot stand in the way of commitment to the Kingdom of God. Jesus said, "If any man would come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Laziness, fear, selfishness, family--nothing can stand between us and the call to discipleship. Jesus Christ demands our obedience. Jesus is not some wishy-washy little fellow coming up to us, hat in hand, hoping to win our favor, saying softly: Please sir, may I have a word with you. He comes to us as the Lord of History and makes demands: "Take up you cross and follow me." He comes to us as one to be obeyed.
It is my heart that we encounter a re-visitation of the Holy Spirit through Pentecostal experience, not merely the recognition of an annual event on the Christian calendar, but a rekindled passion for God and the work, which He calls us to perform…
Jack Hayford said, Such a heartfelt passion must be sustained in our lives as disciples of Jesus. Otherwise, Christian living" becomes reduced to simply being nice girls and boys for Jesus, rather than living in the timelessly available resources of the Holy Spirit, fully empowered as witnesses of His life, love and power.
Some traditions persist without the knowledge of their significance. William Poteet wrote in The Pentecostal Minister how in 1903 the Russian czar noticed a sentry posted for no apparent reason on the Kremlin grounds. Upon inquiry, he discovered that in 1776 Catherine the Great found there the first flower of spring. "Post a sentry here," she commanded, "so that no one tramples that flower under foot!"
Lord, send revival in mighty flood-tide;
Send streams of blessing to sweep far and wide.
Send them engulfing like waves of the sea;
Sweep through our lowlands and work mightily.
Send the outpourings of God’s Holy rain
Send mighty cloud-bursts again and again
Strike holy lightning at home and abroad;
Speak in your thunder, O Spirit of God!
Fill all our churches with rivers of power
Flood man’s embankments in this holy hour!
Sweep away rubbish and all the debris;
Sweep all the hindrances out to the sea.
Things long unmoved by our normal smooth way
You can remove by Your flood-tide’s full sway.
Unsightly jumble that littered each side
Sweep to oblivion by Your holy tide
Lord, send revival to flood all around;
Flood by Your blessing all low parched ground.
Sweep on in power; oh, sweep, mighty flood!
Sweep in all fullness, O river of God!
(Dr. Wesley Duewel from "More God More Power")
