Life in the Spirit

"Life in the Spirit"
(Acts 2:1-47)

Today is Pentecost Sunday. It is the day in the church year when Christians remember the Holy Spirit coming on those early Christians in Jerusalem. It was an incredible day that none of the disciples could have anticipated.

That same Spirit who came on Pentecost Sunday dwells in the life of every follower of Jesus; that includes you and me! That's truth from God's Word. The question for us to consider this morning is this: how much influence does His Spirit have in our lives? Let me suggest some ways the Holy Spirit should manifest Himself in us.

With His presence in our lives, we should see His power demonstrated in us. His power offers us the assurance of victory over sin and victory to live a life marked by holiness. Too many of us have believed the lie of the wicked one who convinces us that His power is not sufficient. It is!

His presence also brings boldness to our lives that overcomes our fears.
Remember that these men who preached with such power on Pentecost Sunday were hiding from the religious leaders just days before. Nothing else explains the transformation in their lives but the presence of the Holy Spirit.

The transformation that marked this first group of believers developed in community. Both before and after Pentecost, those who followed Jesus shared their lives with each other and lived in "one accord." They drew strength from each other. God's Spirit at work in them marked them as men and women who loved Jesus and each other.

Finally, notice in Acts 2 that the Holy Spirit in their lives gave them influence beyond anything they could have expected. Three thousand people came to Christ that first Pentecost Sunday. In the days following Pentecost the disciples had great favor with the people around them. Radical transformation by the power of the Holy Spirit gave them incredible influence.

Freedom Fighters like you and me can know the presence, power and work of God's Holy Spirit in our lives. It comes as we yield more and more of our lives to make more and more room for Him. That yielding is the path to freedom and power that each of us so desperately needs.

May God help us to know God's Spirit like our brothers and sisters in the early church knew Him! - Pastor John Strain is Senior Pastor of First Baptist of Toms River -- http://www.fbctomsriver.com/

God's WORD for YOU: 2 Kings 13-14; John 2

Think About This: "If you are reading this because you count yourself a good person and good people read religious books, let me give you a warning; You are dancing on the edge of a cliff. One day, maybe soon, you're going to fall off. Not only that, but when you fall off, its going to hurt really bad. I just wanted you know, and I didn't want you to say that nobody ever told you. I just told you....Feeling ashamed and knowing Christ far surpasses begin good and never thirsting for mercy and forgiveness." Steve Brown, A Scandalous Freedom