College students are getting set on fire right now by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God is moving on campuses across our nation. We need to celebrate that and fuel the fire any way we can. Good things are happening, and now we’ve been given a window of mercy. It really is our time to shine. One of the most dangerous things that can happen, where we’re the most vulnerable, is on the heels of a victory.
Whenever we cross a finish line, we have a tendency to drop our guard, but that’s when we need to be the most vigilant. We, as the Church of Jesus Christ, can become quite vulnerable after a perceived victory, and we have to be careful not to rest on the laurels of what feels like a big win in the election. This is not the time to relax. We should celebrate and be excited,
especially as the Christmas season is here, but at the same time, stay vigilant and spiritually aware.
However, it’s during times like this that the enemy loves to come in. For some of us, Christmas can bring up hard things and bad memories. The loss of a loved one during this season can kindle pain and grief, so, in the midst of our joy and celebration, we need to remain vigilant and aware that there are people around us that are hurting. We need to be sensitive to that with our friends, family, and co-workers who might be in distress and hurting.
1 Thessalonians 5:2-4 ESV – A Warning
“For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘There is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.”
“If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.” – President Ronald Reagan, August 23, 1984
“We must recognize that God has given us Time, and now we must go and advance the Kingdom of God” – Tim Barton
This is our time to shine, and we need to stay on point
Acts 7:57-60 ESV – “Stephen: Messenger, Martyr, Missionary”
“But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”
Acts 1:8 ESV – Jesus’ Great Commission to the Church
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 8:1-3 ESV – Saul Persecutes the Church
“And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him.
But Saul was ravaging [treat shamefully, injure, or ruin] the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.”
Not only did the hammer of Rome come down upon them but also the hammer of the religious leaders came down on these followers of “the Way” – Christians – thousands of fledgling believers meeting openly and loudly in the public square. That began to cause a lot of problems in Jerusalem, and persecution started. Then, when even many of the priests began to believe, Saul said it all must be stopped in its tracks. It all started with the death of Stephen who became a martyr.
We, today, can diminish the impression of persecution because we’ve never really experienced it. We hear about it or read about people who are being persecuted and killed for their faith – more now than ever in the history of the world. Yet, we’re also seeing revival and spiritual awakening. In the Muslim nations of Iran and Iraq, God is moving through dreams and visions of “the Man in White”. All over the Middle East, people are getting saved.
God can use pain, suffering, and persecution if that’s what it takes to get His Word out. Even in the last four years in our nation, the Church began to wake up and come alive because things got dark and tough and were heading towards the edge of the cliff. We prayed more for America – for the administration to be born again, saved, and filled with the Holy Spirit, and to bring Truth and righteousness across our land. God answered our prayer and things went well in the election and the danger now is that we’ll start to relax and let our guard down. We have to be vigilant.
Samaria was getting “lit up” with the Gospel
Acts 8:4-8 ESV – Philip Proclaims Christ in Samaria
“Now those who were scattered went about preaching the Word [the Message of Jesus, the Gospel]. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was much joy in that city.”
Acts 8:9-13 ESV – Simon the Magician Believes
“But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, ‘This man is the power of God that is called Great.’ And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.”
Simon was wowed by it all because his magic was fake and he knew it.
Acts 8:14-17 ESV – The Baptism or Filling of the Holy Spirit
“Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.”
They were born again and received the Spirit of Jesus. They received the Message and got saved, but they didn’t have the empowerment – the filling and being whelmed over – the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They had not been immersed by him or clothed in power. “Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.”
“There’s more to this life than living and dying – more than just trying to make it through the day” Steven Curtis Chapman – More to This Life
Jesus isn’t here to make our life a little bit better. Jesus is here to transform our hearts – to completely change us from the inside out, and he does that by the Person, presence, ministry, and power of the Holy Spirit. So, these guys received the Message gladly and they were saved, and they were water-baptized – but they had not been baptized by the Holy Spirit.
Acts 8:14-17 ESV
“Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.”
Don’t let this become just an addendum to the Word. This is what we need, to do what we were called to do, and to become who Christ has called us to be. We need the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. That’s what the Word tells us. When we become the fullness of who we’re called to be, we will shine like a light in this world. Receiving the Holy Spirit is the same thing we did when we were born again – we receive by faith. We walk by faith, not by sight, and we simply receive by faith the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Baptism – Greek: baptizo – to be overwhelmed or whelmed-over by, to immerse in. We are water-baptized, but then also Spirit–baptized. What are we afraid of? …There’s nothing to be afraid of!
Prayer
Father, we honor You right now. We need You. According to Your Word, we realize that we need the Holy Spirit to do this life, to pray, and to engage the culture around us. When we share our faith, we need You so that we may be both strong and gentle at the same time as You lead us. We need fresh power, fresh wind, fresh oil, and fresh water. We need You to whelm us over and immerse us into Your full Presence.
Lord, according to Your Word, we ask that You lay Your hands on us and fill us and clothe us in Your Holy Spirit. Baptize us fresh and anew. Right now we ask for and receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and we believe and trust that You are faithful, that we will experience something fresh on our lives – a fresh anointing and fresh grace and power. We receive the covering and baptism of the Holy Spirit and we welcome You to fill us on the inside and clothe us on the outside. We receive You now by faith and we thank You for empowering us to fulfill all that You have called us to do in our lifetime.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on The Bridge
Featured Image by Denise Henze from Pixabay
