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Power Point:
We often think about
Pentecost and the 120 people in the Upper Room who changed the world. Actually
it started with one of those 120-Peter. Peter took the lead. Peter had been
through a tough time if you think about it. Let's think about Peter for a moment. He had
been with The Master for three years. He had participated in miracles, with crowds
of people pressing around their group day after day after day; dirty people,
poor people, rich people, immoral people and desperate people. Peter had felt
the call to be in charge most of that time. He had conquered his fear and
released his faith by jumping out of the boat and walking on the water with
Jesus. That had to be a very high moment.
And then came the victory of the
Palm Sunday parade into Jerusalem. What a triumph! What power! On the heels of that great victory, he sleeps through his prayer time in the Garden of Gethsemane and suddenly finds himself watching
as this man he had believed to be God, is savagely beaten. Not only does he not
try to help, he denies that he ever knew him. Not once. Not twice, but three times. Of course we all
know what happened next. He is
summoned back to Jesus’ side after the resurrection. Peter, still the old Peter, begins to question Jesus about their assignments. He's still focused on what is on earth. Then comes that stunning moment when
Jesus leaves and tells him to wait for the REAL Power. And he did. Along with
the others, he had 40 days to think about everything didn’t he? He was with people who had been with
Jesus and seen everything. They knew his weaknesses. Day after day they waited
until finally a fresh breeze and a new ability to speak the language of God
exploded in them and around them. Typically, Peter is the first one out the
door, and in front of the huge crowd that gathers. What a resurrection!
Those 120 people,
including Peter, burst from that house with an explosion of God. They were all
speaking God’s language. But Peter, who was called to preach, was now anointed
with the power of the Holy Spirit to tell God's secrets.
He was as connected to the power source as Jesus was. He was not only connected, he was fully charged. And 3000 people were blessed and saved, and filled with the same Spirit.
A note in my bible says
this was the formal beginning of Peter’s leadership. It seemed that everyone was comfortable with that. He’d had a lot of practice. He’d been
born to the role hadn’t he? He stood up and spoke out and the Spirit of Resurrection raised all those souls from the deadness of their
old lives and propelled them into an anointed, empowered, equipped army of
witnesses for Jesus. The world-changing effects of the gospel began that
day and Peter started it all. Talk about a resurrection!
The thing
about the Holy Spirit is that when he moves in, He doesn’t do anything by half
measure. He’s a great helper, an extraordinary Teacher, a superb
comforter-there’s nothing average about Him is there? Everything that He does
is super-natural. It’s above and beyond
anything you could dream up on your own.
Why not
give Him a chance, Beloved. Peter did.
Even after a disastrous betrayal which would have flattened any other
man, He was resurrected.
He came
out of the tomb of self-centeredness and self-righteousness and was baptized
with grace. I find it very
interesting that when you read his letters, they are all about grace. What a
testimony to the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit.
How about you? Are you in the place where you’ve been
a little lax about your devotion to Jesus? Have you been a little hard-headed and hard-hearted? Would you really just like to do it
your own way? Do you need a little resurrection? Don’t we all? Don’t we all need to be filled with the
same Spirit of resurrection power that filled 3120 people that day? Does your world need a little changing?
Why not
take some time and ask the Holy Spirit to refresh that resurrection power in
you? Set your face to seek Him and then don’t stop until you have his answer.
In case you’ve forgotten, His answer is always “yes.” And "Amen!"
Power Thought:
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