The Fullness of God
Pt 3 – You Will Receive Power
Acts 1:6-8; 4:31-37
We have been talking about rediscovering the work of the Holy Spirit in the church this third person of the Trinity – the God who seems to be all but forgotten in the church of the 21st century. Last week we talked about the message of Jesus that a Parakeltos (a comforter) would come. Today we look at those last moments that Jesus spends with His disciples before He ascends into heaven. Once again the coming of the Holy Spirit is foremost in His message.
You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…
Dunamis – Power, might, strength – the meaning of this word is not stored power like a battery but power to enable to work to accomplish.
The disciples were interested in political power – the power to change the world physically and politically. “Is it at this time?” Jesus offers them a new and different kind of power.
1) Power is for His glory not ours – The disciples even at this point want power – they want political and worldly power. They want a Kingdom where they are the movers and shakers. Jesus bluntly puts down this idea – it’s not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be MY WITTNESSES. Too often in the church of today as we seek for the power of the Spirit of God we do so for our own purposes and our own ends. Preachers interested in fame and fortune, churches interested in building their own little kingdoms, people interested in their own displays of power and giftedness, these are not the heart of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit has not come to make you popular, powerful, or prestigious He has come to glorify the Father in us. Francis Chan asks the question “Why do you want the Holy Spirit? Is it for power? Is it for your own betterment and purposes? Or is it because you want to experience all that God has for you? Is it because you love the church and desire to be a better servant to your sisters and brothers?” The Spirit comes to move us outside of ourselves and to make a difference for others.
2) Power that brings radical change -
•Radical Boldness – Acts 4:31 – without fear – openly - hopefully
•Radical Unity – Acts 4:32 – they were of one heat and soul
•Radical Witness – 4:33 – 2:47 favor with all the people – added to number dy
•Radical Love - 4:34 – not a needy person among them. Gets involved.
3) Power for living as the Church – It’s amazing to me how weak the church has become in our culture. No one believes us anymore. No one believes that there is power to be free in Jesus, no one believes that Jesus holds the keys to prosperity and success as individuals and as a culture. No one believes that brokenness will come to judgment and that holiness is the call of God. No one believes it because the church doesn’t believe it anymore. We are no longer the church that is shaking the world with the message of God. We are no longer the church that is adding to its numbers daily those who were being saved. We are no longer the church that is living in the power of the Spirit of God to transform our lives, our culture, and our world. In fact we are not even talking about it. I believe we desperately need to grapple with this idea of the Holy Spirits work in us because we are not winning we are losing the battle we have been called to fight. If we don’t change, Christianity will become nothing but an empty shell where as Paul puts it “we hold to a form of godliness but deny its power.”
Friends it’s time for us to rethink the Spirits role in our lives.
