“But you will receive ‘power’ when the Holy Spirit has come upon you...” - Jesus (Acts 1:8)

Friends...would you take some time with this today and ask the Lord to ‘open your eyes and hearts’ in order to grasp what Jesus was promising those early followers, just before He ascended back into heaven.

Jesus did not want them to be in a hurry or to rush out and to try and ‘help God out’ by getting ahead of Him, wanting to ‘be about the Father’s business’ before it was time. Jesus of all people knew how prone we can be to doing that in our ‘zealous youth’. (Luke 2:49) That’s why He told them to “wait in the city...until you are endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49)

And did you read yesterday where we explained just what kind of ‘power’ Jesus was referring to there? He was not talking about some limited form of human power or strength, or the ‘power of being positive and saying or thinking positive things’.

The Greek word used there and in other passages is the word [dynamin] ...which speaks to a ‘miraculous working force’ that would be ‘supernatural’. And Jesus told them, (and us) that we would receive it ‘...after the Holy Spirit came upon us’. He also wanted us to understand from where this ‘power’ was coming from- “from on high” (heaven).

Many people today have been taught that followers of Jesus no longer are candidates for this supernatural power, as if we no longer need it...for some odd reason. Many have been led to believe that we no longer need it because now we have the written word of God. Is there a good logical reason as to why we can’t have both? I mean...think this through with me for a moment. Those same people who teach this fallacy won’t deny that believers can have or receive the Holy Spirit, and how it is the Holy Spirit that ‘works’ in our lives; but they seem to be convinced we got the ‘watered down version’ of the Holy Spirit, i.e. – ‘no supernatural power included’.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but wouldn’t that be like giving a new soldier a gun with ‘blanks’ and then telling him to go into battle and fight victoriously? In what world does that even make sense? And what are we to do with the promise Peter offered up in Acts 2:38-39, when after he had received this power from on high ...then told the crowds that they too would also receive this Spirit of power after they repented of their sins; and not only them, but this promise was also for their children...”and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” So there is that to take into consideration.

Now I don’t claim to be an ‘authority’ on anything, but I have been around for a few years and have seen and experienced a lot of things in the ‘church world’; and not all of it was good...or based on truth. Many sincere people today will tell you they have received this ‘power of the Holy Spirit’ based on some external ‘manifestations’, like ‘speaking in other tongues’, or ‘feeling chills and goosebumps’ along with shaking and tremors’ and such. And trust me...there are lots of viral video clips out there these days that highlight a wide variety of those ‘external happenings’ that take place in many ‘so called church settings’.

Now let me be clear here: I’m not saying that many of those ‘signs’ can’t be present when God’s Spirit is moving (Acts 2:2-4,12-15; 4:31); but IF...it is the genuine Spirit of God coming on people...it will produce the genuine fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23; 1 Cor. 13:1-3; John 13:34-35) God did not give us His Spirit to make us ‘feel good’; He fills us with supernatural power from on high in order that we can do the will of God. That...is ‘grace’, my friends (Eph. 2:8-10).

So why am I taking my time with all this today? Well, we were warned in multiple places how there would be widespread ‘deception’ in the last days with so much going on out there ‘in the name of God’. Do I really need to elaborate here? Just look around...

In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, he expressed concerns that if we were not careful, we too...could be easily ‘deceived by the serpent in the same way in which Eve was deceived’ (2 Cor. 11:3; Gen. 3:1-5). He even made it sound as if it can happen quite easily, where our ‘minds are corrupted by the simplicity that is found in Christ’, suggesting that we could easily fall for a ‘different gospel’ after hearing ‘another Jesus preached’ (4). And would you please underline that part where he warns we might even ....”receive a different spirit”. Have you ever stopped to consider the implications here? I’ll give you a moment with that one. Maybe this is why he finished up that second letter with this admonition, found in 13:5...about ‘examining ourselves...’.

Oh, but you are grounded in ‘truth’ and that could never happen to you, right? You do realize that deceived people are usually unaware...that they are...deceived. Now I realize some might not appreciate me wanting to give people pause where they may start ‘doubting their salvation’ (whatever that means), but I will continue to share God’s word here as I am compelled to do...and you can study for yourself to see if what I am sharing is based on truth (Acts 17:11). What you do with this is between you and God.

But getting back to this idea of being endued with supernatural ‘power’...stop and ask yourself – Why would God feel a need to equip us with such a power?’ We know that Jesus Himself was “anointed with the Holy Spirit...and with power...and then went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil” (Acts 10:38). And if we were commissioned to continue on carrying out the ministry of Jesus (John 20:21; 14:12), just how are supposed to do that if we are not equipped with the same Spirit and ‘power’?

Did you catch that part about how Jesus went about healing “all who were oppressed by the devil”? Tell me this: at what point in history...did the ‘devil’ stop oppressing people?

I’ll meet you back here tomorrow, Lord willing.