Next to the death and resurrection of Jesus the second chapter of Acts is probably the most significant historical event of the Church.
It’s here the promised Holy Spirit arrives and empowers the believers in a mighty way. God’s power to live out his plan for our lives becomes part of us. No longer is it a list of rules written on parchment, but God has written his law on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33) and empowered us to fulfill it.
Have you received the Holy Spirit? Such awesome power is available to us as believers in Christ. Jesus said he would send “power when the Holy Spirit comes” (Acts 1:8). It’s not about personal will power, but God’s power in us that helps us live the life we are called to. No more trying to be a good person, trying to make the right choices, trying, trying, trying… With Holy Spirit power we can succeed! We can live a life that is “holy and pleasing to God.” God does all the work as, by faith, we allow ourselves to be his vessel here on earth. It doesn’t mean there won’t be times of temptation, but the power to overcome those temptations is within us in the same way Jesus overcame in the desert, you too can overcome. This is what the Bible teaches and has been lived out daily by Christians since the first century. Yes, we have had some bad press throughout the years, but when we rely on the Holy Spirit then our lives become a reflection of Christ and people will see the difference and be drawn to Christ.
It’s my prayer all of us believers, by faith, be filled with the Holy Spirit and sanctified through and through.
Lt. Mark Cyr is pastor of The Salvation Army, 661 Colorado St. For information go to carsoncitysalarmy.org