I believe that God has also chosen you and me to be His witnesses today. Just as the early disciples were called to testify of the greatness of God, we too have been chosen to declare what we have seen and experienced of His transforming power.
The Holy Spirit will change your life
What happened on the Day of Pentecost was not a one-time event. Again and again, throughout the later chapters of the Acts of the Apostles, we read of people receiving the Holy Spirit. Each time, there was a remarkable transformation. They were filled with a new dynamic power, and it became unmistakably clear that the Holy Spirit had changed their lives.
God honours obedience
Pentecost was only a beginning
What happened on the Day of Pentecost can and should happen today. It was not a one-time event that ended with the first disciples; rather, it was the beginning of the Spirit-empowered life of the Church throughout this age. The evidence, demonstration, and confirmation of who Jesus is continues through the work of the Holy Spirit in His people.
Transformed and empowered by the Holy Spirit
The last instruction of Jesus
In Acts 1, Jesus spoke to a group of ordinary, imperfect men – including Peter, who had denied Him only weeks before. Yet Jesus made them an extraordinary promise: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." In other words, the Holy Spirit would transform their lives and empower them to fulfil the ministry He was entrusting to them.
Living in the Power of the Holy Spirit
When we receive the Holy Spirit, we receive power from God, and that power is meant to be demonstrated. What I sense today is that much of the Church is not living in that power or demonstrating it to the world. So, I would ask: if you have received the Holy Spirit, what difference has it made in your life?
We need the Power of the Holy Spirit
We need the power of the Holy Spirit to see miracles! There are nine gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12: – three vocal gifts, speaking with tongues, the interpretation of tongues, and prophecy – three intellectual gifts, the word of knowledge, the word of wisdom, and the discerning of spirits – three practical gifts, the gifts of healing, the working of miracles and the gift of faith. The gift of faith is NOT an intellectual gift! If you see faith as only an intellectual gift, you will never see its power. It is a practical gift; it’s the one I ask for – more than any other gift!
The Gift of Faith
We need the power of the Holy Spirit to see miracles! There are nine gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12: – three vocal gifts, speaking with tongues, the interpretation of tongues, and prophecy – three intellectual gifts, the word of knowledge, the word of wisdom, and the discerning of spirits – three practical gifts, the gifts of healing, the working of miracles and the gift of faith. The gift of faith is NOT an intellectual gift! If you see faith as only an intellectual gift, you will never see its power. It is a practical gift; it’s the one I ask for – more than any other gift!