As the curtain goes up in today’s chapter, we find that Jesus’ disciples were “all together in one place,” and that place was in an upper room in a house somewhere in Jerusalem. Jesus had ascended to heaven just a week earlier, and now all of his followers had gathered together to… wait.
Imagine being in that room with them, perhaps standing off in the corner. Scan the crowd and look into their faces. What do you see? You don’t see any rabbi’s or recognized religious leaders. You see the faces of fisherman, tax collectors, a political zealot or two, maybe a few women of questionable reputation. And you wonder – these are the people that Jesus was going to use to change the world?
Beyond that, as you look around the room you are aware that most of these folks would be deemed “spiritual failures.” Just one week ago, they all deserted their leader. When push came to shove, they bailed out on Jesus and ran for the shadows. It would seem that their three-year discipleship experience under Jesus evaporated into the nighttime chill of Gethsemane.
As you look around, you would be struck by the fact that this was a pretty forlorn crew of folks… not a lot of hope or excitement would have been reflected in this upper room. But then – in an instant – EVERYTHING CHANGED! The Holy Spirit is poured out on this rag-tag group and all heaven breaks out in Jerusalem. The church explodes into existence in just one day!
Do not let the individual phenomena here – the wind, the fire, speaking in tongues – obscure the main thing that happens here: something supernatural came from heaven and invaded men and women on earth, changing them forever. The Spirit enabled these ordinary men and women to do and say things that were beyond their natural abilities. The Spirit was greater than all of their shortcomings and failures.
Thank God, that is still true for us today. Wouldn’t you love to experience something supernatural from heaven invade your life today? The Spirit is still in the business of empowering God’s people to do and say things beyond our natural abilities. All we need to do is ask and wait and submit – which is what these first century followers were doing. Our ONLY hope to be the man or woman Christ calls us to be lies in the power of the Holy Spirit. I love what the great preacher Charles Spurgeon says about our dependence on the Spirit – read and ponder his words carefully:
“Without the Spirit of God we can do nothing. We are as ships without wind or chariots without steeds. Like branches without sap, we are withered. Like coals without fire, we are useless.”
Ken Jackson
'You have made known to me the paths of life;
ReplyDeleteyou will fill me with joy in your presence.’
There is this joy, this peace that we experience when in His presence, that can only be explained by the supernatural power of Christ's Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the only explanation for us, in this "rag-tag group", to be able to get beyond our "failures" and be used in His Kingdom. What a comfort it is to know that my own abilities will not do the job!