One thing that you should know about me is that I have a lot of chargers, I have chargers for my cell phone, my laptop, chargers for my tablets, and chargers for my other devices. There are chargers in my SUV, chargers in my bedroom on the nightstand, I even have a charger for my portable charger. I don't like to be out and about and not close to a power source.
I don't think I am the only one who thinks about chargers, because many of us have devices that run on battery power, its not strange to hear someone ask, can I borrow your charger? I imagine the charger industry brings in a lot of revenue, got to a connivence store, grocery store, or a gas station and you will see chargers for sale at the counter before you leave. You go to a hospital waiting room and other public places they have a charging station that works with different devices. There are so many different electronic devices, all made by different brands, that people use universal chargers, chargers that can work for different kinds of devices. Somehow that charger has to be give power to the device, no matter what type of device it is.
We find a universal charger by way of the Holy Spirit in scripture at the Day of Pentecost. Pentecost is the Greek name for the Festival of Weeks, one week of weeks, 49 days after the Passover celebration. Pentecost is also special because we Christians mark this day as the birth of the Christian Church.
The book of Acts tells us that “there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem” (2:5). Yes, there were “Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs” (vv. 9-11).
The Book of Acts is more than a history of the church, the Book of Acts gives Christians the mission and vision of the Church, a community led and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit was promised
People said that the disciples were drunk, one thing to call them drunk but Peter lets them know the disciples are not Drunk. Peter quotes the Prophet Joel when he says that sons and daughters will prophesy, young men will see visions and old men will dream dreams. Jesus also told the disciples that they will receive power after he ascended. This companion, this comforter known as the Holy Spirit was expected
The Holy Spirit gave them power
Suddenly from heaven “there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability” (vv. 2-4). Have you ever been touched by something hot? When you touch something hot, you might say some things you don't normally say, you might do some things you don't normally do. People use the phrase "light a fire under them" to say someone has been motivated. Other phrases such as fired up and running hot are used the same way. The disciples got power and that power was like fire to them and rested on them so that they could take the gospel to the rest of the world. We could use some fire today to speak truth to power, we could use some fire today to spread the gospel to the world instead of keeping it to ourselves.
The Holy Spirit was poured out
God was determined to fill them with power. The Holy Spirit came with the rush of a violent wind, like the wind from God that “swept over the face of the waters” on the first day of creation (Genesis 1:2). The Spirit danced with divided tongues, as of fire, like the burning bush that revealed God to Moses — a bush that “was blazing, yet it was not consumed” (Exodus 3:2). The Galilean disciples began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability, making it possible for them to communicate with devout Jews from every nation. There is community again, we have to be involved with others in this thing called Christianity.
The Holy Spirit was a Universal Charger.
This same Spirit is available to us today, and it is charging us in the same way that it charged the first followers of Jesus. Our challenge is to receive what the Spirit wants to offer us, and then to share that divine energy with others. We are being given a Holy Spirit Hi-Charger, not a Hyundai Hi-Charger, but in both cases, their power is put into just the right spot.The Holy Spirit came with the rush of a violent wind, like the wind from God that “swept over the face of the waters” on the first day of creation (Genesis 1:2). The Spirit danced with divided tongues, as of fire, like the burning bush that revealed God to Moses — a bush that “was blazing, yet it was not consumed” (Exodus 3:2). The Galilean disciples began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability, making it possible for them to communicate with devout Jews from every nation. The Holy Spirit brought the people together no matter where they were from. The spirit that worked to bring the people together in scripture is the same spirit that can work to bring people together today.
The Holy Spirit preserves
-Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved
This same Spirit is available to us today, and it is charging us in the same way that it charged the first followers of Jesus. Our challenge is to receive what the Spirit wants to offer us, and then to share that divine energy with others. We are being given a Holy Spirit universal charger, and that charger is available to all who want it.
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