Power with Purpose

I read an interesting stat recently. Ninety-five percent of the SUV’s produced never leave the road. They are designed for a purpose for which they are rarely, if ever used. Sadly to say many believers who have experienced the infilling of the Spirit’s power never use Him productively. They treat Him like a 4-wheel drive vehicle that is never taken off the road. They have power for a purpose they are not utilizing. In Acts 1:8 we read “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will……..” Luke continues and gives us His purpose; “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Notice I chose to leave the verse incomplete so that you can fill it in yourself.  The Spirit provides the power for us to do multiple things in our lives.  However, we choose how we will allow Him to work through us. Given the opportunity the Holy Spirit will give us the power to emulate Christ with our lives. Power to do the things He did - and greater. “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father (Jn. 14:12). It has been stated, "You can make it to heaven without the baptism in the Spirit. But we need that baptism to live here on earth until we get to heaven." We need Him to help us live like Jesus. But we also need Him to help us be proper witnesses. We should witness every day and on some days use words. It is only by the Spirit’s help that we find ourselves having the boldness to share quietly as well as audibly without reservation. Most importantly we need Him to help us pray. It was Paul who stated, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express (Romans 8:26). Most Christians struggle in their prayer-life. They find it really difficult spending any quality time praying. Beyond that they are at a loss knowing what to pray for and how to pray about things. Even greater is the aspect of our performing in the Spirit to the point that miraculous signs follow. Mark gives record of this privilege when he wrote, “these signs will accompany those who believe.”  You might be inclined to say, “Oh this is super-Christianity.” No, it’s just normal New Testament living. Like the four-wheel drive SUV, the Spirit has purpose.  We can keep both on the road living lives of caution, or we can venture off the path of boredom in reckless faith allowing a mighty demonstration of power. If we do we will find ourselves conquering muddy diversions, challenging hills, and aggravating obstacles. Utilizing the Holy Spirit in this way allows Him to release His power with purpose.