THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS COME (3)

“⁸Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: ⁹If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, ¹⁰let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. ¹¹This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ ¹²Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:8-12 NKJV)

When the Holy Spirit fell on the 120 disciples on the Pentecost day, the disciples responded with action –they spoke in other tongues as the spirit gave them utterance and preached the gospel with remarkable unction that brought in three thousand souls into the kingdom. Action is always necessary for releasing the faith for the supernatural. A believer may be loaded with the power of God within but that power will remain a mere potential until it is released by relevant action by the believer. God fills you with the Holy Spirit to do something supernatural! For the church universal, the Holy Spirit did come on the Pentecost Day and has remained with her ever since.  For individual believers, the infilling of the Holy Spirit occurred when each person was baptised in the Holy Spirit. On that day, at that moment, the Holy Spirit moved in without measure. He resides in every believer with the fullness of the power of God waiting for the relevant action that will provoke His manifestation. Until we act, He remains dormant!

When the Apostles were threatened to stop preaching in the name of Jesus, they lifted up their voice with one accord and prayed to God. “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31 NKJV). Notice again that all who were filled with the Holy Spirit spoke the word of God with boldness. It was not only the apostles that preached with boldness, but as many as were part of that prayer meeting who became filled with the Holy Spirit.  Anytime the Holy Spirit comes upon a person, or group of persons, He always provokes some corresponding actions through which He manifests His power to honour Jesus and advance His kingdom. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter bore a powerful witness for Christ before the rulers of the Jews and declared that only the name of Jesus can bring salvation to humankind on earth. Such bold stand for what we believe excites God and provokes His interventions in the affairs of people. Will you begin to take a bold stand in His name?

Elymas the sorcerer held sway in the Island of Paphos, but soon ran out of luck when Paul and Barnabas who were full of the Holy Spirit arrived the island. Sergius Paulus, the proconsul of the Island had sought to hear the word of God from Paul and Barnabas but Elymas would not let him. “Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.” And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord” (Acts 13:9-12 NKJV). Signs and wonders reinforce the preaching of the Gospel.

Such power encounter as this, is part of the reason God fills His children with the Holy Spirit. The devil is doing so much that calls for our rebuke in order to checkmate him for the gospel to move forward in our time. God is waiting on you to unleash the power you are loaded with by doing something that will provoke the Holy Spirit in you to manifest His presence through you. Many a time all that is required of you is to make a faith declaration based on what you know is the will of God. Yes, God is depending on you to act on His behalf and He will back you up. Start today to release the power of God by speaking into the different situations you feel that demand His interventions. May the Lord depend on you to reveal His power in your sphere of influence in Jesus name.