Holy Spirit, You Are Welcome Here

I was sitting on my back porch this morning, smearing the occasional sprinkler mist off the pages of my Bible as I read out of Acts chapter 2...

The Holy Spirit had come upon the earth with the sound of a "mighty, rushing wind." Devout Jewish men from "every nation under heaven" had heard the followers of Christ speaking "the wonderful works of God" in their own individual languages!  Upon hearing this, some of them were AMAZED... "How is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? What could this mean?"... but others were skeptical, hearing with embittered hearts, saying these testifying men were drunk!  

Peter stood up before the crowd... and raised his voice so all could hear... saying, "these men are not drunk!  It's only the 3rd hour of the day!"  Peter went on to quote the Prophet Joel about the coming of the Holy Spirit... the outpouring of God's spirit upon all the earth... the last days... and the Salvation that only comes from calling on the Name of the Lord.

Peter--the brash but timid man who cut off a soldier's ear in protective loyalty to Christ, and then three times denied even knowing Him--this man boldly testified before the masses that Jesus is the Christ... the Son of the Living God.  Peter spoke the Truth in love when he opened men's eyes to the Savior... giving the history and facts proving that Jesus was their long-awaited Messiah.  He pulled no punches when he brought their sins to light. These devout Jewish men had not only rejected the Coming King, but they had brutalized and murdered God's Son... just like the Israelites of old, murdering God's prophets to keep their ears from hearing the Truth.    

Peter said, quoting David, "The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool," showing God's full proof that Christ may have seemed defeated, but He entirely was not.  

"This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear," Acts 2:32-22. 

I am always amazed at the change in Peter shown by this text.  It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that this once fool-spouting man... overly eager and partially devoted... stepped up to the plate and swung a Home Run, bringing 3,000 men to Christ in a single afternoon. 

Acts 2:41-42 goes on to say: 

"Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.  And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers."  

It says that "fear came upon all souls..."  The fear of the Lord that leads to breaking free from sin and living righteously before God.  All because of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  And watch this from verses 44-47:

"...all who believed were together, and had all things in common... continuing daily in one accord... they at their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved."  

Jesus went from 120 disciples (Acts 1:15) to thousands of devoted followers in one day, all by the power of the Holy Spirit... and the difference in the people is amazing!  That sounds like Holy Communion right there working within the Body of Christ.  And you know what I wonder?  How have our churches changed so much from this example?  I mean, people were working to provide for each other, selling their own possessions to provide for their brothers and sisters in Christ.  They were together in prayer, in fellowship, and in praise to God... and people were coming to the Lord EVERY DAY!

I'm just thinking out loud here, but is that what your church looks like?  Is that what my church looks like?  Maybe not, but there is nothing in the Word that tells me the modern day Body of Christ should look any different.

Our world would be so different if we functioned in this type of unity, even if we started just within our four walls... because the Holy Spirit spreads.  Remember that old camp song, "it only takes a spark to get a fire going..."?  Maybe you're too young to know it, or maybe I'm to old to be sharing it (lol), but it's true! The arrival of God's Holy Spirit only looked like one small flame touching each person (Acts 2:3), but it exploded into a wildfire!!

In this modern day world, these last days of the end times, what the Church needs is an uprising of the Holy Spirit.  We need an increase in the Gifts of the Spirit... an overflowing of the Fruit of the Spirit... a renewing of the Compassion of Christ that only comes by the Spirit and leads all men to Himself.  It is by prayer that these things will come... and it is by Worship, the Word and Prayer in our daily lives that the Holy Spirit will begin to arise within our own hearts.

If we desire this, it is because the Father has placed that desire in our hearts. That is when we can ask the Father, believing, and it WILL be given to us... God's ways are so much higher than ours.  Holy Spirit, You are welcome here!