Wait for the Holy Spirit

If you need the power of God in your life, Jesus has a special word for you. Just before returning to Heaven, Christ knew that His disciples needed power to accomplish the works of His kingdom on Earth. Then He said to them : "Behold, I will send on you what my Father has promised ; But ye remain in the city until you are clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24: 49-50).

The instruction was simple : "Stay in the city." But notice that He used : "Until." Jesus said : "Your lives will remain the same until the Holy Spirit comes on You with power."

This is true for many Christians I know. They feel that their life is not in accord with the design of God. They are dissatisfied, desiring more in their marriage, in their work, in their work for Christ, in their testimony for Him. Jesus promises them : "God wants these changes for you, but such things happen only through the power of the Spirit. Until He comes, things will remain the same.

Luke wrote this scene in his gospel, and repeats it in the book of Acts : "As he was with them, he commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, What I have told you, "he said ; For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit"(Acts 1: 4-5).

The message of Jesus in these two passages is clear: "Wait for the Holy Spirit ! Do not rush, do not shout and panic. You can not do the works of the kingdom by your own will. Wait in faith and you will be clothed with power from on high." And indeed, it happened as He promised. On the day of Pentecost, the disciples were filled with a powerful anointing from God, such as the world had never seen before. Two thousand years later, the world has never been the same again.

Gary Wilkerson