The Promise of Joel

 Joe 2:28 ¶ "And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.
 Joe 2:29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

 Joe 2:32 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.

 Ac 2:38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

 Ac 2:39 "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."

I have been discussing the Holy Spirit, specifically, how He works in our lives--convicting us of sin, giving us a deep, intimate walk with God, comforting us, guiding us, and giving us power to live righteously and be bold witnesses. 

What remains, then, is a decision for you my reader--This promise that if you turn from your inclination and control and turn to God, He will remove the power of hate, selfishness and darkness in your life and put His very nature in you, giving you His Spirit--His essence.  You will have the power to know God, to learn to obey Him.    

This promise is for you.  Take it personally.  Take this promise to heart.  The one God is calling is you.  Call out to Him.  Ask for His Spirit.  See what He does.  You will not regret it. 

A week of waiting -Acts 1

I'm going to go through the book of Acts with my church this month, so join me if you wish.  I don't pretend to be an expert, but I do believe that the solution to our nation's problems (and the world) is a revival of the kind of Christianity that is found in this book.

The first thing I noticed in Chapter 1 is that Jesus was with his disciples for 40 days after His Resurrection, explaining the kingdom.  40 days!  I wonder what He said?

photo: fiveruk

The second thing I noticed is that the disciples were told to wait for the Promise of the Holy Spirit.
Some things about Him 1.  Jesus had to leave first (Jn 16:7)
                                       2. The Spirit would be a Comforter when Jesus left.(Jn 14:14:16)
                                       3.The Spirit would give them power--(Lk24:48)
                                       4.The Spirit would testify of Jesus ((Jn 15:26)
                                       5.The Spirit is the Spirit of Truth (Jn 15:26)
                                       6. The Spirit would teach all things (Jn. 14:26)
                                       7. The Spirit would bring all things back to our remembrance (Jn 14:26)

So the Spirit that Jesus sent from the Father brought everything that Jesus was to them:
Comfort, the Power that did miracles and gave Jesus the stamina to endure the cross, A constant stream of Jesus' words, revelation of Truth, (Jesus said I am the Way, Truth and Life) Jesus the teacher, and a reminder of everything Jesus said or did.

The Spirit brings us Jesus--all He is and deposits Him inside our souls

So what did they do in the seven days?  What did they wonder?  They had asked if Jesus was setting up his earthly Kingdom and Jesus.  His answer was:  Never mind that, wait for my power and then get to work. They had seen Him leave-- which must have wrenched their heart enough to have angels come and tell them --Jesus is gone from earth--wait for the Spirit.

What did they do?  They prayed.  They prayed about what was to come.  They prayed to prepare another witness to do the job Jesus had told them to do.  They did not run out and start witnessing, they did not go their separate ways. It might have looked like it was all over, Jesus had left. But, they waited--and prayed.

I like to fix stuff, I like to make a list--put forth some effort, look up ideas on the Internet--fill up my time getting things done.  Waiting is frustrating.  But waiting plus prayer--that is what filled this week for the nucleus  of the church. Preparing for 300% growth.  Preparing for a life of power.

Waiting and prayer.  Power doesn't come without fellowship with the Lord.  His Spirit breathes on us when we pray.  Waiting seems like doing nothing, not trying.  It is foreign to our flesh.
Praying can seem vain.  But with prayer and waiting--we are prepared to see God work in new ways.

Questions to ask:
1. What am I waiting for?
2. What do I pray about?
3. Is there a gap between these things?
4. Do I have frustration because of something I am trying to make happen rather than wait and pray about it?
5. Is there any time in my life where I saw God use waiting and praying in my life?

Wait:  The word for "wait" in Acts 1:4 means "to stay around for".  For the disciples, it could seem like everything is over.  Their 3 year exciting ride with Jesus ended when He ascended.  Peter had already tried to take up fishing again before Jesus left!  It begs the question --why should we hang around?

Sometimes there are things in our lives where it feels like Jesus has left us.  We are just looking around but the old thrill is gone.  Or maybe it has gotten tough and making a quick exit seems like the best option.  Jesus said, "hang on, hang around--the best is coming." "Stay together, stay in prayer, don't give up."  God is about transforming us IN situations that seem empty.  God is also about transforming SITUATIONS if we wait and let him change us.   Get ready, pray and wait.