Empowered By The Spirit

On this final day of Pentecost Week, taking full example from our Master, Jesus, we embark upon the second bit of Pentecostal hearing, or fulfilled hearing, in our enabled ears and excited hearts. We have seen and believe that the very Holy Spirit who came upon Jesus’ disciples on that first Pentecost Day and who wrought mighty works in them, is the same Holy Spirit who wrought the mighty work in Jesus, to give commandments to His apostles.

Be it known that Luke is referring to this specific time in Jesus’ working, after He rose from the grave of death. Indeed, it was within those forty days when He appeared and kept appearing to His disciples, ensuring that they knew beyond any kind of lurking doubt that He was indeed alive in Resurrected Body.

Undoubtedly, in some of our minds, we might be quietly thinking that if one is in charge of people, if one is in command of soldiers, if one manages a work team, what need is there for the involvement of any supernatural powers? You are the manager, owner and commander, thus you give instructions and commands to suit your interests. This is precisely the problem. Jesus knows that He is about His Father’s business and He never ever presumes, to place Himself, His thoughts, His ideas or His will above His Father’s. He diligently, consciously and obediently seeks the Holy Spirit’s assistance to guide Him aright, in giving any kind of instructions to the apostles. He sees them as belonging to His Father and treats them with the greatest of care, love, respect and correctness, because under His leadership, not one will be lost, except the son of perdition. We remember these words of His prayer to Father God, speaking about those very apostles. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your Name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. John 17:  12

Without a doubt, Jesus, only through the Holy Spirit, had given commandments or instructions to His apostles. Later in the chapter, Luke tells of some of those commandments, which came through the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit who wrought mighty works on that first Pentecost Outpouring. By faith, through the grace of our Risen Lord, Master and King, may we also receive Spirit engendered commandments, as Jesus’ servants. We conclude, as we believe that our Almighty Risen Lord and Unchallenged Victorious King, through the Holy Spirit, has given this instruction to us, even in this hour. May the mighty, miracle works of the Holy Spirit be wrought in us as we are given fulfilled speaking and hearing of Pentecostal - Instruction, Commitment, Empowerment – all Holy Spirit Wrought. Here’s the instruction.

And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, which, He said, you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. Acts 1: 4 – 5.

Instruction – Do not depart from Jerusalem. Do not depart from the place of crucifixion and resurrection. Do not leave the place of betrayal and forgiveness, fear and faith. Each of us has his or her own Jerusalem place, physically and spiritually. Heed our Lord’s instruction.

Commitment – Wait for the Promise of the Father. Here it is, an unbreakable, unalterable commitment of Father God to us, His Church, individually and collectively. Wait for God’s promise, wait in unbroken and unexpired faith. Our heavenly Father has committed Himself to us. He is not a man, to back down or become depleted in His commitments to us. 

Empowerment – Baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. To be baptized with the Holy Spirit is to be baptized with His inimitable power. To be baptized with Holy Ghost fire is to know empowerment beyond human hopes and aspirations.

The Instruction is not to depart from your Jerusalem, but to wait there for our Heavenly Father’s Commitment of Empowerment.

I leave you with this heart-renewing prayer, which comes from a hymn by Charles H. Spurgeon.

While flowers are wet with dews,

Dew of our souls, descend;

Ere yet the sun the day renews, 

O Lord, Thy Spirit send. 

Amen!

Holy Father, thank You for sending Your Pentecostal Spirit in fulfilled hearing, ere the sun has renewed the day. Amen!