I have been studying the book of Acts for a class I am taking. It has been a great "reawakening" to the way the Holy Spirit should impact our lives and churches. These are all things I knew already, but it's like God is reminding me of them once again. Just reading through Acts 1 and 2 gets me so excited!
One thing in particular God has been dealing with me about is being more sensitive to the Holy Spirit working around me. I also need to be more aware of the strategy the Holy Spirit is trying to accomplish. Take the first outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost. It was no accident that this took place when and where it did. Pentecost was a huge Jewish festival where people from all around the world would come together in Jerusalem to celebrate. With thousands of guests in town, God had a strategy. Jesus followers were gathered together, praying and waiting on the promise of their Lord. Then, when the Spirit shows up and fills these men and women, take notice of what happens. They go out speaking the languages of all these people that are gathered in Jerusalem. Peter becomes emboldened to share the gospel with this crowd. When he does 3000 people get saved! God had a plan. He had a strategy. This was no accident. God used men that were full of his Spirit and sensitive to what God wanted to accomplish. Because they were sensitive to the Spirit's leading God was able to accomplish what man in his own power could not. God's message of salvation being spread across the world! I'm sure Peter and the other followers never dreamed that something like this could happen or would happen in this way.
This has been a challenge to me in my personal life as well as my ministry. I believe we can accomplish more for God than we ever thought imaginable when we are sensitive to the Spirit and are praying for God to reveal and accomplish his strategy through us.
How much more effective could we be if we were more sensitive to the Spirit and allowed God's strategy to be accomplished instead of our own?
No comments:
Post a Comment