Lawrenceville Daily Record

A power for ordinary people




Our church had red banners up in the sanctuary last Sunday and we sang special songs about the gift of the Holy Spirit and heard a sermon from Acts chapter 2, all in celebration of Pentecost.

Did your church celebrate Pentecost last Sunday?

For Christians, Pentecost Sunday celebrates the fulfillment of a promise of Jesus: to send the Holy Spirit upon his disciples then and upon all who would believe. And he did. After his ascension to heaven, the great festival of Pentecost was celebrated in Jerusalem.

It was a time of celebration of the harvest and of the giving of God’s Law to the people of Israel. At that time, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the followers of Jesus gathered there. And just as Jesus promised (Acts 1:8), they were given power to give witness or testimony about Jesus to people who did not know him.

What did this look like? Look to the Apostle Peter.

This Apostle had been impulsive at times during Jesus’ ministry and then after Jesus’ arrest Peter publicly denied knowing him three times, just as Jesus predicted. But after the Holy Spirit came as recorded in Acts 2, Peter stands up before a large crowd and delivers a bold and eloquent sermon that “cut to the heart” of all who heard it (2:37).

Peter had been changed from a man of scattered impulses and cowardice to a valiant spokesman for his Lord. Read on through the Book of Acts and you will see multiple examples of people speaking up for Jesus in challenging situations all because the Holy Spirit empowers them to do so.

Sometimes we believers get it in our heads that boldness in sharing Jesus is just a personality trait that some folks naturally have. Such people seem to have no fear, sharing their opinions about a vast array of topics including their faith. Other times the assumption runs in the back of our minds that this power to witness from the Holy Spirit is just for evangelists, pastors, and other “special” people. But this is not true.

The power of the Holy Spirit is available to help us lean across our desk at work and invite a friend to church, or to chat across the fence with our next-door neighbor, mentioning to them how grateful we are for the forgiveness and new life we have in Christ.

The power is there as we write that letter to an old friend, catching up on recent news, and then making a point to testify that Jesus has the power to forgive and transform anyone who will trust in him. It is the power to not only stand and speak to a crowd, but to chat with people, weaving Him into our conversations with grace, looking for that openness in others that God creates when he desires.

The power of the Holy Spirit is there to help us answer when suddenly and unexpectedly someone asks us about our faith.

The Lord understands that most of us are not high-profile preachers. Yet, he uses the ordinary believer who prays for the power to live faithfully and speak faithfully in love on his behalf.

Believer, trust that your contribution to the Lord’s cause is not small or insignificant because of the power of the Holy Spirit. You are not expected to be faithful under your own power. Through prayer, depend upon the Holy Spirit for power to witness and marvel at what can be done through ordinary folks like us. Talk to your pastor about it this week.

Russ Veldman is the pastor at Lawrenceville Free Methodist Church.

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