HOW SHOULD YOU CHOOSE?
(7-minute read)
Christians attending churches that are endowed with well-designed facilities and cutting-edge technology can be forgiven for thinking they are on entertainment-laden cruise ships rather than ammunition-loaded warships. Indeed, some churches today appear to operate like entertainment venues with a constant stream of on-site programmes and an obsession with filling up capacity. However, the church is not a ship with weekly entertainment for believers, and how we choose to apply our faith and make it relevant for God’s purpose is our own responsibility.
This week, our guest speaker, Pastor Keet Keong, touched on the imperative of Christians embracing the power of the Holy Spirit to keep their faith and persevere during opposition (like a warship on a mission!). Jesus promised His followers the baptism of the Holy Spirit to empower them to save souls and transform communities anytime, anywhere (Acts 1:5, 1:8). Without the Holy Spirit’s empowerment, we risk becoming more and more like passengers on cruise ships than warriors on warships.
It is noteworthy that soon after the disciples received the Holy Spirit, their first miracle healing took place, not within the temple grounds - where people expected miracles to happen - but right outside (Acts 2:4, Acts 3:1-7). From the get go, the Holy Spirit was a disruptive force, to say the least! People spoke in tongues and the disciples – with Peter taking the lead – began teaching about Jesus and His healing (Acts 2:1-4). It was something that the existing teachers did not teach and were not taught either. Three thousand more joined them (which would be considered exponential even for any onsite event today) and the number of those who were saved (not just those who showed up as spectators) grew every day (Acts 2:41, 47).
All this did not go unnoticed nor did it go down well with the high priests, the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law (Acts 4:5-7). Unconventional ministries that did not conform to their practices and prescriptions of propriety were considered unacceptable to their coalition of control. Instead of engaging with the disciples of Jesus Christ who carried out ‘an act of kindness’ within the community, the coalition formed a power bloc to intimidate the disciples and block their expansion (Acts 4:9).
Peter and John were thus arrested and put on public trial: “By what power or what name did you do this?”
There are three notable ways that the Power of the Holy Spirit make a difference in us:
The Power Of The Holy Spirit Gives Us Extraordinary Courage
Remember that earlier, before Peter was baptized with the Holy Spirit, he had denied knowing Jesus three times while warming himself at an outdoor fire (Mark 14:66-68). Now, ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’ and with the Spirit’s fire inside him, he delivered a powerful statement about Jesus and His salvation to the powers that be (Acts 4:8-12). Why else is the power of God given to us except to be God’s witnesses!
It took tremendous courage for Paul to talk about Jesus when he had publicly denied the Lord not so long ago. It took unusual courage for him to address well-known leaders and present a new way of thinking. It took extraordinary courage for him to be the voice of change within a religious group that prioritized compliance over common sense, groupthink over good thinking, and tradition over Truth.
Ordinarily, when we think of God’s promises, we only think of His provisions, favour, blessings and breakthroughs. It is easy for us to think of God’s promises as fairy tales where we consider any unpleasant experience or unfavourable outcomes as ‘opposition’. The truth is that Jesus had often warned His disciples about a future where they would face opposition, persecution and even flogging (Matthew 10:17-18). But He also assured them not to ‘worry beforehand about what to say’ for the Holy Spirit would instruct them when the time came (Matthew 10:19-20, Mark 13:11).
With extraordinary courage, we free ourselves from being trapped in behaviour patterns, personality traits and personal preferences that keep us from advocating change for ourselves and our community. While others might think that Peter had overstepped his place in society and acted out of line, he was fearlessly obeying God and defending the Truth that set people free.
To be sure, extraordinary courage rarely stands out in safe habours. Peter and John stood out in a hostile crowd and it struck the people that they were ordinary men with extraordinary courage (Acts 4:13a). This tells us that when we step up to embrace God’s call to be His witness or His change agent, we don’t need to feel confident or even courageous because the Holy Spirit will empower us to persevere when we face any headwinds. We only need to take the first step, and the Holy Spirit will grant us extraordinary courage for the steps to follow.
The Power Of The Holy Spirit Gives Us Profound Humility
Humility is not a personality trait: there are humble people who are gregarious extroverts and there are proud people who are soft-spoken and reticent. Humility is also not synonymous with being laid back and nonchalant. The thing that makes humility stand out in people is that they live for something bigger than themselves and they don’t let their personality or preferences stand in the way of advancing human good.
The people around Peter and John made a mental note that they had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13b). We can also say that what they saw was Jesus in these men. As John himself had confessed, “He must become greater, I must become less.” (other versions say, “He must increase and I must decrease) (John 3:30).
It has been said that a humble man has no problem with relationships. On the other hand, pride and disunity happens (sadly, even within the body of Christ) when people (including leadership and laity) stop engaging whenever disagreements arise and when they allow an ‘us versus them’ thinking to separate people.
Peter engaged a hostile panel and spoke at length about God’s salvation plan because he had a unifying message for all mankind (Acts 4:10-12). It takes profound humility to engage people who hold different points of view instead of dismissing them as ‘dissenters’, ‘critics’, or ‘adversaries’.
We can guess that the cripple who had sat at the temple gate for 40 years had likely seen Jesus walk past several times; yet he remained a handicap. Why did he have to wait till after Christ’s resurrection and for Peter and John to heal him in such a spectacular manner? We might never know. But one thing is for sure: when Peter offered, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk” – he was simply imparting his faith to the cripple.
Don’t ask God for miracles if you won’t allow Him to have a bigger role in your life.
The Power Of The Holy Spirit Gives Us Incredible Faith
Peter and John silenced their critics when they took a leap of unbeatable faith in Jesus’ Name to heal a man who had been handicapped from birth. (Acts 3:2, Acts 3:14).
What Peter said to the cripple was not a formulaic abracadabra but an impartation of his faith for a specific miracle. To be sure, faith does not operate by silently wishing for something. It is activated only when we declare our faith in Jesus who Himself said, “Everything is possible for one who believes.” (Mark 9:23).
More than ever, Christians today need the power of the Holy Spirit who imbues us with extraordinary courage, profound humility and incredible faith so that we can be effective witnesses and authentic agents of hope to the people in our sphere of influence wherever we are.
This is a summary and reflection based on a virtual BeInReach Session held on 2 March 2024.
