Power From On High

“Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”

“Wait here”, Christ essentially tells his disciples while appearing to them after his resurrection.

Why?

Because what was required of them could not be done without the power of the Holy Spirit.

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.”

What would follow over the next two thousand years was and is the most incredible movement in the history of man.

The rise and fall of empires, hearts of stone changed to hearts of flesh, the dead raised to life and the gospel preached across the entire face of the earth; enduring across generations despite opposition and persecution from the most powerful kingdoms and nations of the earth.

“But I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I am leaving; for if I do not leave, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.”

You don’t need to push through the crowds just to touch the hem of his garment.

You don’t need your friends to lower you down through a broken opening in the roof.

You don’t need to sit on the road side and cry out as he passes by, hoping he hears you.

He’s with you right now, every moment of every day, even if it doesn’t always feel that way.

And that, my brothers in Christ, is the only way you are going to be able to deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Him.

By the power of the Holy Spirit, because you can’t kill your own flesh any other way.

That’s the point of this journey, after all.

Where else would you be taking your cross, except to your own death?

Not just putting your values and beliefs before your own life, and I believe some of you will be asked to make that decision one day, but to deny your flesh (all your selfish desires) take up your cross (your duty to the Father’s will) and follow Christ.

That’s where the Via Dolorosa leads.

The death of yourself.

No where else.

But take heart brothers.

You will be resurrected as he was, not just at the final resurrection, but in your spirit now.

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

When Christ, who is your ife, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.

You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.

But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.”

So I pray for you in Jesus name, that he would strengthen you today with his Spirit to give you the strength to overcome your flesh and to follow Jesus the Christ.