Hello my ‘Walking with Jesus” friends,
When you hear the word POWER what immediately comes to your mind? A muscle bound man? A military engaged in what they call ‘war games’? A monarch or president or dictator standing before the microphone, surrounded by his or her powerful people? The CEO of a large corporation making sweeping changes affecting the lives of thousands of employees? A world champion athletic team, an atomic bomb, a rocket launch? Or what about the power required for one courageous person to stand boldly for what is right and God honoring, when surrounded by people determined to remove God from society?
Let’s rejoin the disciples and the resurrected Jesus almost 40 days after that famous Passover/Easter weekend which changed the world. Dr. Luke records for us, in Acts 1, that “They gathered around Jesus and asked Him, ‘Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6) It was an important question and a reflection of the yearning of almost every Jewish person the world over, but especially those living in Jerusalem. Oh, how they longed for a return to the days of King David and King Solomon when a united Israel was a powerful nation, respected by every king or monarch in the world.
Then Israel was a nation at peace with the world, and prosperous, and Jews felt confident their God was pouring out His great blessing upon them and their children. But with few momentary exceptions those wonderful times had not been experienced in Israel for almost 900 years! After seeing Jesus do remarkable miracles and speak of the kingdom of God, oh how the people longed for Jesus to unleash His mighty power and lead Israel to greatness again.
But Jesus had made it very clear that He had not come to lead a military revolt but rather a spiritual revolution and His Passover/Easter weekend accomplishments through His death and resurrection, had defeated Satan, sin and death, the greatest powerful enemies of humanity, and the resurrected Jesus was making it possible for ANY person to be set free from their sin bondage and sin condemnation and live in a vibrant, Holy Spirit empowered relationship with God for the rest of their lives here, and for all eternity in God’s presence!
I wonder if you need to pause and reread that statement. It’s very powerful and it’s true, but is it YOUR experience? So Jesus responded to their important question with this powerful statement: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority. But you will receive POWER when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:7,8)
Now my friends, you’ve probably heard those words quoted or read many times, but I wonder has there ever been a more powerful statement made? First, do you see Jesus challenging His disciples, and you and me, to leave to God those things that are under God’s control and are God’s to decide and enact? Can you easily distinguish between what God expects you and me to be doing as God honoring, responsible adults, and what God expects us to leave in God’s hands for God to do?
Do you see the problems that occur when we humans try to do God’s work rather than focusing on living our lives by God’s design? What do I mean by that? Well, what happens when people reject God’s truth and define their own truth? What happens when people reject God’s design for human life and try to redesign it through surgeries or medications or psychology? What happens when people reject God’s design for our planet earth and selfishly choose to pollute or destroy our delicate ecosystem?
Look around, you and I are surrounded by the debris, the wreckage caused by the human disaster when people try to push God out of our human race! It’s dysfunction that leads to disaster, and every nation, every city in the world is imploding because of it!
Also, in that powerful statement Jesus made, can you see His promise that when the Holy Spirit of God comes upon a person that is a power-encounter! Some of the power of Almighty, Creator, Holy, Sovereign God is infused into a normal, finite human being when the Holy Spirit of God comes to live in that person. Jesus was very clear about that. But just as Jesus was very careful to use God’s power in Him to speak God honoring words and bring God honoring help to people in need, so God’s power unleashed in you and me is to enable us to speak God honoring words which will be wisdom in the dysfunction of our world; and HOPE for discouraged, defeated, even depressed people living in the bondage of the darkness of evil in our world.
Do you see that happening where you live in our world? God’s Holy Spirit power in God’s people emboldens them with great courage to bring the light of God’s truth into the evil darkness of our societies. God’s Holy Spirit power in God’s people enables them to courageously serve the great needs of decaying societies.
The prophet Isaiah, 600 years before Jesus was born, was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write words which provide the clear picture of what God’s Holy Spirit empowered people are and how they should be impacting the world where they live. Isaiah wrote: “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. [in spirit] He [Sovereign LORD] has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn… to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” (Is. 61:1-3) Yes, Jesus quoted these words when He read them from the scroll of Isaiah the prophet, which was handed to Him as Jesus was in the Synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth. (Luke 4:14-21)
Then, as Jesus proclaimed these words were being fulfilled in Him, the people in that Synagogue ran Jesus out of town declaring Him to be a blasphemer. But repeatedly in His messages Jesus made it clear these words are God’s intention for every authentic, born again, follower of Jesus in whom God the Father has placed the Holy Spirit of God! These words describe God’s plan and purpose for His people in our dark, desperately needy world.
I urge you to read them again, slowly, compassionately and look to see IF and HOW authentic Jesus followers in your part of the world are living these words for the help and hope of your city?
In fact, Isaiah continued writing these words from God which describe how essential Holy Spirit filled and empowered people will be in our world: “They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of His splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations…” (Isaiah 61:3,4) The disciples sitting with Jesus that day, as recorded in Acts 1 by Dr. Luke, knew these words of the old prophet Isaiah very well.
Oh, how they and all Jews longed for a great movement of God in which God’s power would anoint and raise up some of these types of people! For these Holy Spirit empowered people would be courageous people, people of influence and impact, people who would bring the greatly needed change to every city and town decaying under the failed leadership of selfish, deceitful, corrupt, sinful people. So, I ask you my friends, all over the world, do you see Isaiah 61 style Christians in your city and town, your neighborhoods, your schools, your businesses, your health care, your local politics and government officials, your police and law enforcement people? What difference are these people making and how different would your city be if suddenly all those Christians disappeared? What would your city be like if EVERY person who is an authentic Christian in your city lived fully empowered by the Holy Spirit who is in them, and they lived Isaiah 61:1-4 every day, in every area of your society? What do you suppose God wants to accomplish through His Holy Spirit empowered people in your city in this year 2023?
Let’s pause and ponder that right now, and we’ll return one last time to meet with Jesus and His disciples tomorrow… and here’s a powerful song to help us ponder these challenging words that I’ve been led by the Holy Spirit to write today:
Today’s Scriptures are Acts 1:6-8; Isaiah 61:1-4.
Choose below to read or listen.
Acts 1:6-8
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Isaiah 61:1-4
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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