12v, 18v, 24v or 40v? What is the best battery capacity for the job? How much power do you really need? Well, it all depends on the job. You might be a contractor looking for a larger capacity battery so you can work faster and longer. Or you might be a DIY kind of person who only needs a smaller capacity battery. No matter the job, batteries have the capacity to supply the power needed to get the job done.
In my last post I talked about the idea of wonder as a powerful response to something bigger than you and me. I recently listened to a sermon presented by my friend and fellow pastor and was inspired to think more about the power of the Holy Spirit in my own life. He commented that “power to live has to come from an external source.” His point was this, as followers of Jesus Christ we have been given the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives “to do what we were created and then redeemed to do.”
Do you ever wonder what this means for us as believers? What is it that we are created and redeemed to do? Acts chapter 1:8 has helped me understand better the wonder of the work of the Holy Spirit in my own life. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” In life, the power and work of the Holy Spirit is so much bigger than who I am, but at the same time, is the “external source” that leads and guides my life and actions. In general terms, the power that you and I receive from the Holy Spirit is the ability or capacity (the gifts of the spirit) to carry out our purpose as participants in the Missio Die, the mission of God. What capacity do we have to affect change by the power of the Holy Spirit?
In Acts chapter 1:8 we are reminded of our mission; these words echo the commands of the great commission given in Matthew 28:19-20. In slightly different terms, Jesus calls his disciples to be a witness for him to Jerusalem and to the ends of the earth. This role as witness is to testify about the life, death and resurrection of Christ; to speak about the kingdom of God and to know Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. God’s gift of the Holy Spirit gives us the capacity and drive to actively be on mission, to teach, to preach, and lead others to Christ.
The mission we are called to like any good mission, is well planned with purpose and intent. The Holy Spirit is the one who renews us each and every day (when we pray and ask) with the knowledge and understanding of all that Jesus has taught us through the words of scripture. The Holy Spirit guides us into the truth of the Gospel, convicting us of our sins, bringing us before Jesus to seek forgiveness so that we can continue to grow in our understanding of the incredible love and compassion that is poured out for us into our lives.
Knowing and trusting in the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives comes when we put our faith, hope and trust in Jesus Christ. You and I were created by God for a purpose and gifted by the power of the Holy Spirit to be a witness to all the world so that they may see and know of him through us.
The power we have through the Holy Spirit is not our own, it is a gift from God that is so much bigger than you and me. Yet, God in his infinite wisdom gives it to us so that we can partner with him and others of like mind to continue the work of Jesus and his disciples. Have you experienced the wonder of the power of the Holy Spirit in your life? Are you a witness to the wonder and truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, doing what you were created and then redeemed to do?
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