“…But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Act 1: 8, HCSB
Holy Father, we pray that as we meet around Your word to study, You will be present to bless us; in the name of Jesus, Amen
We will look at yet another aspect of the power that is ours to receive, when the Holy Spirit of God comes upon us, “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14: 25, 26). Have you noticed how thorough the work of the Holy Spirit is? He will lead us into “all truth.” He will tell us of “things to come.” He will “teach us all things.” He will bring to our remembrance “all things that I said to you.” And the greatest blessing of all, is that God is more willing to give us the Holy Spirit than we are willing to ask for it, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him” (Luke 11: 13)!
My questions to you are the following: Who alone has all truth? Who alone knows what tomorrow holds? Who alone has knowledge of all things? Who alone can remind us of everything Jesus said while here on earth? To give you a clear understanding of the answer to these questions let us go to Acts 5. When Ananias and Saphira sold their property and lied about the amount they received for it, listen to what Peter said to them: “Ananias, Peter asked, Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land?…You did not lie to us but to God” (3, 4d, NRSV)! Now we can attempt to answer these questions, God alone is capable of doing all of these things! The Holy Spirit is God! He is a part of the Godhead (Acts 17: 29; Colossians 2: 9), Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
It is easier to comprehend now, why power will come upon the people of God when the Holy Spirit is poured out. He is God, therefore, He is almighty! He is omniscient! He is also omnipresent! Do you remember Christ’s words to the disciples as the time for His departure drew near? He said it was expedient (to their advantage) that He leave so that the Holy Spirit could come. Why to their advantage? When Jesus was given (not lent) to the human race it was not for a time, but for always, forever!
He still carries the signs of His crucifixion in His body. After the resurrection He said, “Behold my hands and My feet, that it is I Myself” (Luke 24: 39a). “Christ had ascended to heaven in the form of humanity” (The Desire of Ages, pp. 731). He is forever God but He will forever retain His human form. Because of this, He is no longer omnipresent; but the Holy Ghost is. Therefore, He can be everywhere He is needed, simultaneously. That is indeed, to our advantage in the hour of temptation; in the time of peril.
He will also remind us of Christ’s words. When we study the Word of God and store it in our hearts, when it is needed, the Holy Spirit will remind us of it.
Please send Your Holy Spirit Lord; please send Your Holy Spirit!