MOST OF US WHO HAVE COMPUTERS KNOW THAT ON THE SCREEN OF OUR MONITOR IS AN ICON, OR A PICTURE, THAT IS ENTITLED: "MY COMPUTER."
IF YOU "CLICK-ON" THIS ICON IT WILL SOON OPEN A FILE THAT REVEALS THE CONTENTS OF EVERYTHING YOU HAVE SAVED ON YOUR COMPUTER.
THE SAME IS TRUE FOR US AS GOD’S CHILDREN. GOD HAS GIVEN US AN INNER SOURCE OF HELP TO LET US KNOW ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE SAVED "IN" OUR SANCTUARY, OUR LIFE.
NO, GOD DID NOT CREATE WITHIN US A FILE THAT IS CALLED "MY COMPUTER," BUT HE DID CREATE THE FILE WITHIN US LABELED "MY HEART."
HE MONITORS THIS FILE HE CREATED IN US THROUGH HIS HOLY SPIRIT. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE REVEALER OF ALL THE CONTENTS OF OUR LIVES. HE IS CONTINUALLY IN THE PROCESS OF SHOWING US OURSELVES EXACTLY THE WAY GOD SEES US.
WHETHER THIS PROCESS IS TO HELP US GROW AND MATURE, OR TO BRING US BACK THROUGH CHASTISEMENT OR CONVICTION, IT IS TO HELP US BECOME THE GREATEST EXAMPLE WE CAN BE OF CHRIST’S LOVE TO THE WORLD.
THE HOLY SPIRIT WANTS TO HELP US REPRESENT CHRIST AND TO CONTINUE ON WITH THE MINISTRY THAT CHRIST INITIATED UNTIL HE RETURNS FOR THE CHURCH.
WE DO THIS BY MAKING THE GOSPEL MESSAGE OF JESUS CHRIST RELEVANT TO EVERY GENERATION. WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT PRESENT WITH US, WE CAN DO JUST THAT!
THE HOLY SPIRIT! MANY NAMES HAVE BEEN USED TO DESCRIBE THIS THIRD PERSON OF THE TRINITY. HOLY GHOST, HOLY SPIRIT, SPRIT OF TRUTH, COMFORTER, COUNSELOR, ADVOCATE AND THE LIST GOES ON.
IN VERSE 16, JESUS REFERS TO THE HOLY SPIRIT AS "COUNSELOR." COUNSELOR, WHICH IS THE GREEK NOUN "PARAKLETOS" MEANS, "THE ONE WHO EXHORTS, COMFORTS OR HELPS" AND "THE ONE WHO MAKES APPEALS ON ONE’S BEHALF."
THIS IS WHY THIS MESSAGE IS ENTITLED "THE PARACLETE" BECAUSE THE HOLY SPIRIT WANTS US TO ALLOW HIM TO FILL US WITH POWER AND AUTHORITY SO WE CAN CONTINUE ON WITH JESUS’ MINISTRY.
WITH THE SPIRIT’S LEADING AND GUIDANCE, HE WANTS US TO LIVE VICTORIOUS AND FRUITFUL LIVES. LIVES THAT ARE FILLED WITH GOD’S HOLY POWER BECAUSE HIS PEOPLE ARE HOLY AND RIGHTEOUS IN HIS SIGHT.
GOD’S HOLINESS IS REVEALED IN HIS POWER. IF OUR HOLINESS IS A REFLECTION OF GOD’S, THEN OUR HOLINESS WILL BE ALSO BE REVEALED IN POWER TOO!
GOD’S HOLY PEOPLE CAN BE A POWERFUL PEOPLE! POWERFUL, NOT IN THEMSELVES, NOT POWERFUL ACCORDING TO THE WORLD’S STANDARDS, BUT POWERFUL BECAUSE THE POWER OF GOD HAS BEEN REVEALED IN THEIR LIVES!
IF WE ARE GOING TO WIN MORE PEOPLE TO CHRIST AND SEE LIVES CHANGED FOR CHRIST THEN WE MUST ALLOW THE HOLY SPIRIT OF PENTECOST TO SET US ON FIRE.
IT IS ABOUT TIME THAT WE ALLOW OURSELVES TO BE OPENED UP TO THE MIND-BLOWING, HEART-WARMING, LIFE-CHANGING POWER OF GOD.
THE POWER OF GOD THAT, IF WE WILL ALLOW IT, CAN INVADE THE BODY, INFLATE THE MIND, SWELL THE SOUL, LIFT THE SPIRIT AND MAKE US MORE THAN WE EVER IMAGINED.
POWER THAT CAN MAKE YOU YOUNG WHEN YOU’RE OLD. POWER THAT CAN MAKE YOU LIVE EVEN WHEN YOU DIE. THE POWER AND PRESENCE OF THE SPIRIT THAT WILL DISTURB, DELIGHT, DELIVER AND LIFT.
IF WE WILL JUST LET GOD SEND FORTH HIS SPIRIT THROUGH US THE WHOLE FACE OF THE EARTH CAN BE RENEWED. IF WE WILL JUST LET GOD SEND FORTH HIS SPIRIT THROUGH US THE CHURCH UNIVERSAL CAN BE REVIVED.
IT CAN HAPPEN! IT HAS HAPPENED BEFORE! IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, WHEN GOD SENT FORTH THE SPIRIT CHAOS WAS CHANGED INTO CREATION AND THE RED SEA OPENED UP TO A HIGHWAY OF FREEDOM.
IN THE NEW TESTAMENT WHEN HIS SPIRIT OF GOD CAME TO EARTH A YOUNG WOMAN EXPERIENCED HIM AND SAID "YES." JESUS WAS BORN AND LIFE HAS NEVER BEEN THE SAME.
IF WE WILL ALLOW GOD TO SEND HIS SPIRIT UPON US WE WILL BEGIN TO SEE AMAZING THINGS HAPPEN. WE COULD SEE BARRIERS BROKEN, COMMUNITIES FORMED, OPPOSITES RECONCILED, AND UNITY ESTABLISHED.
DISEASE CURED, ADDICTIONS BROKEN, CITIES RENEWED, RACES RECONCILED, HOPE ESTABLISHED, PEOPLE BLESSED, AND CHURCHES ON FIRE.
TODAY THE SPIRIT OF GOD IS STILL PRESENT WITH US AND THAT MEANS WE CAN STILL EXPERIENCE THE REAL DEFINITION OF CHURCH ONCE AGAIN.
SO BE READY, GET READY...GOD IS UP TO SOMETHING! THAT MEANS DISCOURAGED FOLKS CAN CHEER UP, DISHONEST FOLKS ’FESS UP,’ SOUR FOLKS SWEETEN UP.
CLOSED FOLK WILL BE ABLE TO OPEN UP, GOSSIPERS WILL SHUT UP. CONFLICTED FOLKS FINALLY MAKE UP, SLEEPING FOLKS WILL FINALLY WAKE UP, AND LUKEWARM FOLK, WILL FIRE UP! BUT MOST OF ALL, CHRIST THE SAVIOR OF ALL THE WORLD IS LIFTED UP.
WE ARE EMPOWERED WITH GOD’S HOLY SPIRIT. CAN WE, THIS PENTECOST, MAKE IT OUR GOAL TO TAKE OUR RIGHTFUL CLAIM TO THIS POWER AND USE IT FOR GOD’S GLORY?
THE USE OF THE SPIRIT’S POWER CAN BE USED IN AT LEAST TWO WAYS TO GLORIFY GOD. IT CAN BE UNLEASHED, OR IT CAN BE HARNESSED.
THINK OF IT THIS WAY: THE ENERGY IN TEN GALLONS OF GASOLINE CAN BE RELEASED EXPLOSIVELY BY DROPPING A LIGHTED MATCH INTO THE CAN.
OR IT CAN BE CHANNELED THROUGH THE ENGINE OF A CAR OR TRUCK IN A CONTROLLED BURN AND USED TO TRANSPORT A PERSON AT LEAST 300 MILES.
EXPLOSIONS ARE SPECTACULAR, BUT CONTROLLED BURNS HAVE LASTING EFFECT, STAYING POWER. THE HOLY SPIRIT WORKS BOTH WAYS.
AT PENTECOST, LIKE THE MATCH DROPPED INTO THE TEN GALLONS OF GASOLINE, HE EXPLODED ON THE SCENE AND HIS PRESENCE WAS LIKE "TONGUES OF FIRE" IN ACTS 2:3. THERE WERE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO WERE AFFECTED BY THIS ONE BURST OF GOD’S POWER.
BUT HE ALSO WORKS THROUGH THE CHURCH. JUST LIKE THE GASOLINE CHANNELED THROUGH THE ENGINE OF A CAR OR TRUCK IN A CONTROLLED BURN, GOD PUTS WITHIN OUR HEARTS THE HOLY SPIRIT’S POWER FOR THE LONG HAUL.
THROUGH WORSHIP, FELLOWSHIP, AND SERVICE, MAY WE GO FORTH THIS DAY MORE DETERMINED THAN EVER TO BE A HOLY PEOPLE -- HOLY AS GOD IS HOLY.
LET US BECOME A PEOPLE OF POWER AND AUTHORITY BECAUSE WE HAVE OPENED OURSELVES FULLY TO THE POWER OF THE PARACLETE! THAT IS WHAT WE ARE CALLED TO BE.
SO ARE WE READY TO TURN TO THE PARACLETE AND ALLOW HIM TO CLOTHE US WITH THE POWER OF GOD? I HOPE YOUR ANSWER TODAY IS THAT GOD WILL SET YOU ON FIRE WITH HIS SPIRIT!
