"Peter: Waiting for Inspiration and Power"
Then He (Jesus) opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 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 24:45… NIV)
WAIT! That is exactly the order Jesus gave to His apostles after His Resurrection. The verse above is part of Luke’s Easter Resurrection history. WAIT???
Surely there must have been a misunderstanding. Surely after seeing Jesus so fully alive He couldn’t have told them to stick around Jerusalem and WAIT. Surely He perhaps meant they should WAIT until tomorrow morning, after a good night’s rest. Or surely Jesus meant WAIT until they could meet together and plan a logical, orderly plan of evangelization. Surely there was no need to WAIT.
But Jesus meant exactly what He said. His followers were to WAIT until they would be fully ready, fully sure of their purpose, fully prepared for all that would be in their future. But WAIT for what? WAIT for the power, strength, wisdom and knowledge that Jesus promised: the very special free gift of the Person of the Holy Spirit of God Himself.
Without the Spirit, the apostles would be slowly twisting in the wind, rudderless in a rough sea, simply unable to cope with the upcoming and overflowing amount of challenges. With the Holy Spirit, they could do all things, including if needed to die for their message. With this very same Holy Spirit, your life also can be turned around!
Why didn’t Jesus send the Holy Spirit the next day, or in a couple of days, or within a week? We don’t know. Neither did the apostles. They were told to WAIT, to WAIT for God’s timing in a perfect plan that they simply couldn’t grasp. But they did WAIT, and forty days later their lives were so dramatically changed that they could never return to their old lives and old beliefs! This day of inspiration and empowerment was the day Christians call “Pentecost”.
Yet even filled with the Holy Spirit, it would seem that His followers had to WAIT at times. Paul, for instance, when he was in jail, surely had to wonder in his own mind why his ministry was put on hold. Little did he know that the letters he wrote in jail would one day be read by millions of people. And a handful of other prisoners and jail employees would come to know Jesus as well. Although in his mind he was “WAITING”, in actuality the Gospel was being preached then and there, as well as for the future.
Take heart! You can ask for the fullness of the Spirit to dwell in you, and He will come! And you can ask today, now, just as you are, in your home, in your own words, in the unsettled situation you may be in, and He will come! He will come because He wants to come! To you! Now!
Whether you are in a "wait" time, or the Holy Spirit is prompting you to act now, it is only the Holy Spirit who will give you the right information, and the strength, to embrace what God has in mind for you And the Holy Spirit will be your new guide as He was meant to.
PAUSE … Calm yourself to be able to really hear this message.
REFLECT… God’s plan always accomplishes many things all at the same time! But sometimes His plan just isn’t clear to us, nor is His timing, nor are His methods. Choose to “agree” and be in step with His Plan. And later on, as you see His complete plan unfold, you will marvel at how smart, efficient, effective, personal and loving His plan turned out! He knows you may feel "lost", but He will indeed "find" you!
The Holy Spirit is the Person who helps us see and understand God's plans for us. Without the Holy Spirit we simply cannot be in tune with God's plan for us. He is the one who will help us recognize the different voices we might hear, and separate out God's voice from every other distraction!
RECEIVE … Let this knowledge of a very wise Father who plans the best for us sink deeply into your soul, heart and mind. And for the rest of this day and night and future, whether we are “WAITING” or not, be filled with hope and confidence! Know that the Holy Spirit will show up in your life after you invite Him to come.
Click HERE to return to "Week 6 Outline".
Click HERE to go to the next page "The Holy Spirit"
WAIT! That is exactly the order Jesus gave to His apostles after His Resurrection. The verse above is part of Luke’s Easter Resurrection history. WAIT???
Surely there must have been a misunderstanding. Surely after seeing Jesus so fully alive He couldn’t have told them to stick around Jerusalem and WAIT. Surely He perhaps meant they should WAIT until tomorrow morning, after a good night’s rest. Or surely Jesus meant WAIT until they could meet together and plan a logical, orderly plan of evangelization. Surely there was no need to WAIT.
But Jesus meant exactly what He said. His followers were to WAIT until they would be fully ready, fully sure of their purpose, fully prepared for all that would be in their future. But WAIT for what? WAIT for the power, strength, wisdom and knowledge that Jesus promised: the very special free gift of the Person of the Holy Spirit of God Himself.
Without the Spirit, the apostles would be slowly twisting in the wind, rudderless in a rough sea, simply unable to cope with the upcoming and overflowing amount of challenges. With the Holy Spirit, they could do all things, including if needed to die for their message. With this very same Holy Spirit, your life also can be turned around!
Why didn’t Jesus send the Holy Spirit the next day, or in a couple of days, or within a week? We don’t know. Neither did the apostles. They were told to WAIT, to WAIT for God’s timing in a perfect plan that they simply couldn’t grasp. But they did WAIT, and forty days later their lives were so dramatically changed that they could never return to their old lives and old beliefs! This day of inspiration and empowerment was the day Christians call “Pentecost”.
Yet even filled with the Holy Spirit, it would seem that His followers had to WAIT at times. Paul, for instance, when he was in jail, surely had to wonder in his own mind why his ministry was put on hold. Little did he know that the letters he wrote in jail would one day be read by millions of people. And a handful of other prisoners and jail employees would come to know Jesus as well. Although in his mind he was “WAITING”, in actuality the Gospel was being preached then and there, as well as for the future.
Take heart! You can ask for the fullness of the Spirit to dwell in you, and He will come! And you can ask today, now, just as you are, in your home, in your own words, in the unsettled situation you may be in, and He will come! He will come because He wants to come! To you! Now!
Whether you are in a "wait" time, or the Holy Spirit is prompting you to act now, it is only the Holy Spirit who will give you the right information, and the strength, to embrace what God has in mind for you And the Holy Spirit will be your new guide as He was meant to.
PAUSE … Calm yourself to be able to really hear this message.
REFLECT… God’s plan always accomplishes many things all at the same time! But sometimes His plan just isn’t clear to us, nor is His timing, nor are His methods. Choose to “agree” and be in step with His Plan. And later on, as you see His complete plan unfold, you will marvel at how smart, efficient, effective, personal and loving His plan turned out! He knows you may feel "lost", but He will indeed "find" you!
The Holy Spirit is the Person who helps us see and understand God's plans for us. Without the Holy Spirit we simply cannot be in tune with God's plan for us. He is the one who will help us recognize the different voices we might hear, and separate out God's voice from every other distraction!
RECEIVE … Let this knowledge of a very wise Father who plans the best for us sink deeply into your soul, heart and mind. And for the rest of this day and night and future, whether we are “WAITING” or not, be filled with hope and confidence! Know that the Holy Spirit will show up in your life after you invite Him to come.
Click HERE to return to "Week 6 Outline".
Click HERE to go to the next page "The Holy Spirit"