The Power: “A family of nations loving God together.” Prior to His exit from earth back to heaven, Jesus told his followers of the One who would give them the power necessary to impact this world. “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city (Jerusalem) until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven”. Luke 24:49. “…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere – in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8. So, on the day of the Feast of Pentecost fifty days after Passover, when Jesus was crucified, the Holy Spirit arrived and filled all those present in the Upper Room. God is a triune God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit had arrived in such a way that He now lived within the believers and so filled (controlled) them that they had strength, courage and wisdom to share Christ with others.
The church is a family of nations. To be spiritually healthy and to grow numerically, we need a Presence and Power greater than our meagre human resources. Why? As the church advances, there will be opposition. The three biggies are: the world, the flesh and the devil. The world’s system will periodically push back as the Gospel of Christ gains momentum in the transformation of persons whose allegiance is to Christ. Our flesh (self) will continue at times to become attracted to less worthy pursuits. The devil still despises God and will resist the plans of God. Yet, we have the Spirit of power to resist opposition and to move increasingly into the lives of those who need Christ both at home and abroad.
The church is a family of nations. To be spiritually healthy and to grow numerically, we need a Presence and Power greater than our meagre human resources. Why? As the church advances, there will be opposition.
All genuine Christians have the Holy Spirit living within them (Romans 8:9) but not all Christians are filled with the Spirit. “Be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18) challenges us to examine ourselves to see if something, someone or some attitude, other than God, is controlling us at this time. “Lord, control me with your Spirit” is a prayer that ought to be often on our lips. Therein lies our power to be a witness.