"Be Filled with the Spirit!"

Acts 2:17 

"In the last days, says God, 'I will pour out my Spirit on ALL people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, and your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.  Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days and they will prophesy.  I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below....and everyone who calls upon the the name of the Lord will be saved!"

In the weeks leading up to this powerful sermon from Peter, he had witnessed the crucifixion, the death and burial, the resurrection and ascension of Jesus!  Peter found himself along with the other disciples in an upper room and something amazing happened...the Power of the Holy Spirit fell! When Peter preached these words charged with electricity, he had just been filled with the Holy Spirit!  When the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost in the second chapter of Acts, there was an outpouring over the disciples as they prayed.  This outpouring was what Jesus had promised them would happen when he left the earth!  Jesus said in John 16:7, "But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away.  Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you but if I go, I will send Him to you. "  Jesus was saying, it would be BETTER when He left the earth because the Holy Spirit would come!

The bible refers to the Holy Spirit as The advocate, The Helper, The Comforter, The Revealer and the Spirit of Truth.  What a mighty gift we have in the Holy Spirit!  When Peter was prophesying this very important sermon, it is essential to understand what had just happened to Him.  He had just denied Jesus and been a man who was cowardly and subject to rage filled outbursts.  But when the Holy Spirit came upon him and FILLED Him, He was filled with power and spoke with authority!  These words were inspired by the Holy Spirit and they left no one out.  He was declaring that the POWER of God had come and it all pointed back to Jesus Christ, "And everyone who calls upon the Lord Jesus Christ WILL be saved!"

We live in a world that only functions in the realm of what is "natural".  This means, what we can see, touch, hear, say and understand. 1 Cor. 2:14, "The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit."   The world doesn't function at all in the realm of the supernatural or in the power of God! In fact it actively shuts down and attempts to silence the power of God any chance it gets, spreading fear and mistrust of anything cannot be naturally discerned. This is an evil plan spread by Satan himself, to keep people from experiencing the full life of God.

Sadly, this shutting down has crept into Christian circles as well.  I have met people that I know love Jesus, but want nothing to do with the Holy Spirit because it is something they cannot understand.  I have even met many Christians who are embarrassed of the Holy Spirit and treat this great gift to us from the Father as something we don't talk about, definitely don't pursue and push it all under the rug.  
When Jesus said, "It is better that I go..." He was saying this because He knew that it would only be through the power of the Holy Spirit that we would be able to stand up and boldly declare that He is Lord!  God wants to fill every person who calls on the name of the Lord with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit that is evidenced through speaking in tongues, so that we can live a life of boldness and power! We need all we can have of God to carry out His mission of salvation on the earth.  A life of no power is something that was never meant to describe the people of God.  In fact, the reverse is true!  We are the people Peter was prophesying about!

As I write this, my mind goes back to Indonesia where I spent part of last summer.  I had the privilege of reading this very passage out of the second chapter of Acts to the orphan children after we spent some time in worship. Many of the children could already preach full messages with power and authority!  I watched as children went up and laid hands on other children and prophesied over them!  I told them this passage says ALL people and told them to pray for each other and as they did, the power of the Holy Spirit was undeniable in that place!

God is pouring out His Spirit over ALL people! No matter who you are, no matter what you have done, no matter where you live or where you come from. God is pouring out His Spirit over the young and the old and God wants to pour out His Holy Spirit over YOU!

I want to encourage you to step out and believe God for MORE.  Have you ever wanted more of Jesus in your life?  Have you ever been in a time of worship and run out of words to say how much you love Him?  Have you ever wished you could have more boldness and not so much fear?  Have you ever wished you could have the strength to overcome temptation?  That Power is here right now for you. All you have to do, if you want the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, is do as Acts 2:38 says, "Repent and be baptized EVERY ONE of you, in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you WILL receive the gift of the Holy Spirit!" 

After making Jesus the Lord of your life, this gift of the Holy Spirit is there for the asking.  If you want it, you can have it!  Pray and say, "Jesus, I pray that you would baptize ME in the Holy Spirit!" And after you pray this, begin to PRAISE.  When you praise God, it shows that you believe His Word. You praise Him because you know He has done what you have asked of Him! Many people experience fear when they begin to ask for the Holy Spirit and it is easy to understand why they would feel this way.  The fear comes because of not knowing what to expect.  But you don't need to be worried!  2 Timothy 1:7 " For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind!"  If you are afraid, it isn't from God so you can tell it to GO in Jesus' Name.  

Just rest on the promise of God that if you are asking for the Holy Spirit, you WILL receive the Holy Spirit!  If you have not yet been filled with the Spirit, I am praying for you today! I am believing with you for an outpouring over your lives and homes and families.  These are exciting days to know Jesus and to have everything we can of the power of God!