God In You

Over the last 20 years or so, there have been 28 Marvel Cinematic Universe movies that have gone into production starting with the Iron Man in 2008. This marvel universe is filled with characters like the Spider Man, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, and Iron Man who all have an “origin story” of how they became super heroes. Though this isn’t the case with all of them, many of the characters we know best have had some sort of event in their lives that has changed them and made them in to the characters that we know. For Spiderman, he was bitten by a radioactive spider. Captain America was infused with Super-Soldier serum, the Hulk was accidentally exposed to gamma rays, and Iron Man has a piece of shrapnel close to his heart (inside of him) that puts him in need of his famous Iron Man suit.

Each of these characters has something that is put in to them that makes them who they are and gives them power. In each of their origin stories, there is something outside of themselves that enables them to do great things, things that they could never have done on their own!

This past Sunday was Pentecost Sunday, where we celebrate the giving of the Holy Spirit. In Acts1:8, Jesus says to His disciples, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you,” and this power is the indwelling of God himself in man’s heart through the Holy Spirit. In the rest of the book of Acts, we see an incredible change in those who receive the Holy Spirit. Peter, who famously denied knowing Jesus before His crucifixion because he was afraid, is now filled with an incredible source of power, by which he shares the Gospel message with those he once feared! Over and over in Acts, the disciples of Christ are doing what they were once scared to do on their own. In Acts 4:33, it says, “And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.” In Acts 5, there is the account of how the disciples were arrested and put in prison for preaching the Gospel and were told not to proclaim Christ. In Acts 5:28 the religious leaders said to the disciples, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching,” yet instead of cowering in fear and obeying, they stood boldly and said, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” (Acts 5:29-32).

By the power of the Spirit, the disciples’ fear is replaced by power. Through this power they boldly proclaim Christ. Acts 5:42 says, “And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.” This power clearly did not come from the disciples themselves, but it came from outside of themselves. This power is given by God to do incredible things for His glory and for the sake of the Kingdom.

There is so much more that can be said as to how great the power of the Holy Spirit really is. It is the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead. It is the same power that gives sight to the blind, allows the deaf to hear, makes the lame to walk, and so much more. But the greatest part about this incredible power is that through faith in Christ for the forgiveness of sins, we receive this power of the Spirit who dwells inside of us. This power of the Spirit is within us through faith! This power is in you through faith. What a thought that the fullness of God would dwell inside of us!

Through faith, this is your origin story. Though we were dead in our trespasses and sins, Christ forgives us and makes us alive in Christ. His Spirit gives us life and power to minister for His sake and affect the kingdom of Heaven for all eternity. Rejoice in this Spirit of power given at Pentecost and live in that power today and every day!

In Christ,
Pastor Evan