PENTECOST WEEK (PART 2)
"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." - Acts 1:8 (KJV).
The Christian faith is an "high calling" (Phil 3:14) that requires "power from on high" (Lk 24:49) to live it through. In Christianity, God has called us to live a life that is not only far higher than the ordinary, but also, He has called us to do things that are far beyond our ability. It's very well settled that without the help of the Spirit of God, we will never be able to accomplish what the Lord has before us. The Scriptures concluded it thus:
"Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the LORD of hosts." - Zechariah 4:6 (KJV).
I have said it times without number that God's gift to the world is His Son Jesus Christ (Jn 3:16); while the Holy Spirit is His gift to His children (Lk 11:13). The Holy Spirit has been given to us to help us to carry out our calling by the Lord. Though the disciples of the Lord had been called to preach the gospel, the Lord Jesus instructed them to tarry in the City of Jerusalem until they "be endued with power from on high" (Lk 24:49). The Greek word for “endued” is "endyo". It means “to sink into (clothing), to put on.” It carries the idea of wearing something until it becomes part of you, until you are inseparably one with Him. This is what becomes of us as we are endued with the anointing of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:17). Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit comes, He will abide with us forever (Jn 14:16).
As we soon will enter the week of Pentecost and during the celebration thereof, our focus should be on how to receive Him into our lives. We must come to the understanding that we cannot be Christians in the true sense of the word without the active ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We receive the Holy Spirit and His power into us the same way we receive the forgiveness of our sins, which is “according to the riches of his grace,”. We did nothing to merit it, but solely on the ground of what He has done. It's so with how we receive the Holy Spirit, not by works but by the hearing of faith (Gal 3:2-3)
God’s basis for the outpouring of the Spirit is the exaltation of the Lord Jesus (Acts 2:33). It is because Jesus died on the Cross that my sins are forgiven; and because He is exalted to the throne I am endued with power from on high.
Enough therefore of tarrying, fasting and other hair splitting approaches put in place by some as formula for receiving the gift of the Spirit. It's simply on the basis of faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ for us. It's ours to ask in faith and God does His part by confirming His Word, doing the baptism. Hallelujah!
PRAYER:
Dearest Heavenly Father, thank You for sending the Holy Spirit through Your Son to endue me with power from on high. I receive Him by faith into my life, in Jesus name.