[Peter said,] "These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
'In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.'" - Acts 2:15-17
Most of you underestimate yourself.
God wants to do great things through you. God is working to do great things through you. Since the day that Jesus was raised from the dead, God has been pouring out His Holy Spirit to wash you, to immerse you, to baptize you with His Holy Spirit.
I heard people just yesterday, as I do everyday, talking about their awakening to the things of God, to the Spirit of God.
I heard other people worried about, well, other things.
God wants everyone to awaken more each day to the things of God, to the Spirit of God. Isn't that what God says in today's verses? "I will pour out my Spirit on all people (Acts 2:17)."
If you're a person, you're included in "all people."
Oh sure, I know that some people believe that this stuff that I'm talking about was just in Bible times, that the Spirit was a Bible times thing, that miracles stopped with the Biblical Twelve Apostles.
Like I said earlier, most of you underestimate yourself.
Recently I read the late John Osteen's book, "Becoming a Man of Unwavering Faith". It talks about what every human being experiences on a daily basis, namely, the world is full of people and forces that are trying to talk you out of claiming and living in the blessings and power that God has wanted you to have since His Son, Jesus, died for you and rose from the dead so He could live in you with authority and power by way of God's Holy Spirit. Joyce Meyer talks about the same stuff in "Knowing God Intimately".
I know that there are some out there reading this who think I'm crazy. But, since I'm a Christian in the Lutheran tradition, I'll point to the example of Martin Luther (though not perfect to be sure) who lived outside "Bible times" in the power of the Holy Spirit, standing up to forces of nature, government, ecclesiastical authority, and the Devil himself. He had a marvelous sense of humor, a sharp mind, strong morals, a beautiful family, an amazing record of hospitality and almsgiving, and a keen understanding that the present moment is the most precious moment. And he had all this while constantly attacked by guilt, depression, and political and "churchy" opponents.
Not because he was special. (Read history; Martin Luther merely picked up the banner that had been waved by John Wycliffe, Jan Hus, and Savonarola.)
But because he came by God's grace to learn and believe and then know with deep conviction that God wanted more for him than his own guilt, depression, and political and "churchy" opponents.
God wanted Luther to know the blessings and power of the Almighty Living God through His Son, Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, which filled Luther and unleashed a courage, a marvelous sense of humor, a sharp mind, strong morals, a beautiful family, an amazing record of hospitality and almsgiving, and a keen understanding that the present moment is the most precious moment.
And God wants all that for you too.
Isn't that what God says in today's verses? "I will pour out my Spirit on all people (Acts 2:17)."
Praise God!
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
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