Читать книгу Why God Gave His Spirit - Kenneth Psy.D. Dobbin - Страница 6

I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." Luke 24:49

The promise of divine power from God is one of the most misunderstood promises of the father, which is revealed in the passage above. Every Christian has the power promised by our father in heaven. This promise referred to the upper room experience when God gave the Holy Spirit to his apostles. Acts 1:4 repeats this promise using other words saying “do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised.” Looking at Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:4 makes it clear that a promise of the Holy Spirit power was a promise made by the father.

The promise was inspired by God to Joel and repeated by Peter in his sermon following the upper room infilling that empowered the apostles to be God’s witness throughout the world. In Peter’s opening statement, Peter said we are not drunk as you may think. No, what you have seen and heard is God pouring out his spirit as promised through Joel. Then quoting Joel, Peter reminded those in his hearing of the promise that God gave.

'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.” Acts 2:17-18

God also promised us a new spirit with a heart of flesh.

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Ezekiel 36:26-27

And still another promise

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."Acts 1:8

In the latter years of Peter’s life he gave these words of advice.

If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 4:11

We have several promises of God to lean upon and a mission to accomplish, but how many of us actually rely upon those promises. How many times have we attempted to do God’s will in our own power and ended with everything going the wrong way?

Its not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty. (Zechariah 4:6)

God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us (Ephesians 3:20).

God’s power is not stagnant for it has the potential of changing the entire world. The power, which is at work in us, is the Holy Spirit, which every child of God has.

It is the life changing power that made the apostles into messengers of Christ and enabled them to speak the word of God boldly. That same power lives in us, but do we speak boldly of Christ to our world? The power of God sent these apostles to places we are not willing to go. All of these men suffered at the hands of men who persecuted them for telling them God’s truth. Ten of the eleven apostles were put to death because of their message, yet they went in the power of God.

To amplify going in the power of God the Bible speaks of the saint as the ambassador of Christ. It means that you have been appointed as a personal representative of God to the world he loves. If anyone speaks as the ambassador of God, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God (1Peter 4:11). In other words, You should understand that the gospel message you present to the world carries the weight and power of God.

When Paul wrote to the Romans he said, Do not be ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes (Romans 1:16). Those who are perishing consider the cross of Calvary as foolishness but to those who are save it is the wisdom and power of God unto salvation. Speak as one who knows where he will spend eternity and of your desire to see the person you are witnessing to go there as well.

When witnessing the Holy Spirit will prompt you with words of wisdom and he will work with those who hear the word of God. Speak the words you hear in your Spirit and you will be following a pattern that was used by Jesus and the Spirit of Truth.

I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say. John 12:50

When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, John 16:13

Learn to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, but be able to determine if the voice you heard is from God, for not every voice is from God. The spirit of truth will guide you to speak the appropriate word of God, which provides a convincing argument for the person being witnessed to. The words of the spirit of truth are words of truth, which will quench any argument the opposition has to the gospel message.

Treat the person being witnessed to with respect by bearing the fruit of the Spirit.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

The fruit of the spirit adds to the power of your witness making it a powerful combination for the Spirit’s fire of conviction. Remember this, your main task is to present the message, it is God that builds the house, who molds the clay, whose expertise is revealed in changed lives. Anyone who believes in the Lord does so through the Spirit’s power.