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The Work of the Spirit
What happened to the Christians after their leader, Jesus, died?
Usually when a leader dies, the movement loses its power and slowly dies away.
That’s why they killed Jesus. They wanted to kill the movement by killing its leader.
But it wasn’t so with the Christian movement.
After Jesus died, the movement got stronger and bigger. It spread much more powerfully.
Jesus basically stayed in Palestine during his lifetime. He moved up and down from Galilee to Jerusalem.
But after Jesus died, the movement spread to all over from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
And it changed the Roman Empire. It spread to the whole world.
What was the reason? What was the driving force?
It was the Holy Spirit.
We cannot explain this phenomena without including the work of the Spirit in its formula.
They received the Holy Spirit. And with the power of the Holy Spirit, they were able to do more powerful works than Jesus, their leader did.
A new momentum erupted when they received the Spirit. That was what Jesus wanted.
This was what Jesus said while he was alive.
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate (the Holy Spirit) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. (John 16:7)
Jesus released the Spirit to them.
And Jesus said,
Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. (John 14:12)
The Disciple Who Was Different
During Jesus’ lifetime, the disciples were weak.
They didn’t have much faith. They had no courage. They were quite ignorant and incapable.
So, Jesus often told them: O men of little faith. How long must I stay with you? Why don’t you understand this?
Jesus was quite frustrated with them.
They always doubted. They always sought their own glory. They were always filled with fear. They were full of themselves and yet very weak.
But today, Peter was different. Peter was bold.
Listen.
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said… (Acts 4:8)
With boldness and courage, he said,
…let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. (Acts 4:10)
He didn’t doubt; he believed. He was filled with the Spirit.
He was standing in front of Sanhedrin, the highest court, the court that decided to crucify Jesus.
Death was before his eyes. And yet he was calm and confident.
That was the same Peter who denied Jesus three times. Never mind the Sanhedrin. He was scared of a little girl.
Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant-girl came to him and said, ‘You also were with Jesus the Galilean.’ But he denied it before all of them, saying, ‘I do not know what you are talking about.’ (Matthew 26:69-70)
A very different person you see today.
It is the same Peter. But he was very different.
A person can change.
What changed him?
The Spirit.
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit… (Acts 4:8)
Changed Through The Spirit
A person can change only through the Holy Spirit.
The early Christians received the Spirit and they were filled with the Spirit. The concrete sign of being filled with the Holy Spirit was boldness and courage.
They were able to overcome the fear within them. They weren’t scared of anything. Even death could not intimidate them, never mind the powerful kings and authorities.
When death could not intimidate them, nothing in the world could intimidate them.
THAT IS THE POWER.
Listen to what Peter and John said. A little later in the same chapter.
But Peter and John answered them, ‘Whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge. (Acts 4:19)
They feared God but not people. That was what our Lord Jesus taught us.
Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)
They were bold not because they were able to psych themselves up, but because they were filled with the Spirit.
It’s not what you do but it is what the Spirit does.
A clear sign of the working of the Spirit is to help you overcome fear in your life. You can even embrace the fear of death.
Stephen, the first Christian martyr, died with this boldness.
When they heard these things, they became enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen. But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. (Acts 7:54-55)
It was not just Stephen.
When the early Christians received the Spirit, they all overcame their fear. They boldly proclaimed the power of Jesus.
Stronger Than Fear
This is very important to all of us as Christians living in this world.
Don’t live with fear. Don’t live with doubt.
Suzy Kassem, Egyptian-American writer said.
Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.
Don’t be scared of failures. Try again. Have a fighting spirit.
I came across an article of a baseball coach 염경엽. He is a coach for LG. When you go to 잠실 baseball stadium, there is this sign in front of LG Locker-room.
Fear and Hesitation are our greatest enemies.
He asked for that sign.
LG team was a good team but they could never overcome crisis situation. Once they encounter crises, they collapsed.
He realized that it was to do with fear. He asked his team to play “Running baseball.” Even if you die, you run offensively.
He made his team steal bases and he got 166 stolen bases, the highest in the league. But also, 101 times he failed in stolen bases. So only 62.2% of success.
People criticized the effectiveness of his strategy.
He said. Stealing bases is not my goal. My goal is to cultivate the spirit of challenge, a fighting spirit and make the team dare instead of taking a safe route.
The team won 86 games and they won 42 games by flipping the game in the end.
When they were able to overcome their fear, they were able to deal with crises.
Being safe is not everything.
I read a blog of this woman.
This was what she said.
Though I could have chosen a leisurely path of retirement, I instead made the decision to reinvent myself as a painter, a teacher, and a motivator for others.
Don’t give up because of fear.
Dare to live. Dare to challenge. Dare to live out the full potential.
Live out the calling.
This was what Isaiah said.
Do not fear, for I am with you,
do not be afraid, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)
Psalmist challenged himself.
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)
God called you and God filled you with the Spirit so that you may live boldly, proclaiming the power of Jesus in your life.
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