May 9, 2008

True Power

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

I once heard a story about a Christian living in first-century Rome who was about to be fed to a lion.  He quickly whispered something in the lion’s ear, and the lion bolted away in terror.  When a guard was sent to find out what happened, he came back with this report: “The Christian told the lion, ‘After you have your meal, you will be asked to stand up and say a few words.’ ”

The number-one fear on almost everyone’s list is speaking publicly.  Of course, this also carries over to telling others about Jesus.  But the Holy Spirit can bring a dimension of power and boldness into our lives that we haven’t had previously, and a new courage to speak up for Jesus Christ.

The first-century believers certainly needed that power.  Any honest reading of the New Testament quickly reveals that those whom Jesus called were about as ordinary as they came.  But when the Holy Spirit came upon them, they were empowered, and they transformed their world. 

The first-century believers didn’t have TV, radio, or the Internet.  But they had the greatest power of all.  And in a relatively short period of time, a handful of believers turned their world upside-down.

The same power that energized the first-century believers is available to us today.  Have you been empowered by the Holy Spirit?  If not, you can be.  Ask God to fill you with this power to change your world.  It is not about emotion.  It is about fact.  God wants to fill you with His power.

Copyright © 2008 by Harvest Ministries.  All rights reserved.  Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New King James Version, copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. 

For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to  www.harvest.org.