Meeting 1/21/12
So Jesus was about to leave this earth and go back to heaven. He had been in heaven from eternity past, came to earth as a human, and then was to return. He so loved us that He came to earth. He so loved us that He was to send the Holy Spirit to give us power to love His people and be His disciples. This is the culmination of His three years of teaching. Acts 1:8, says, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to Amarillo, TX". eh? Yes, even to the ends of the earth: the most remote regions of the planet. Right here in River City. Let us not succumb to the plague of complacency that thrives around us. Christianity is so "familiar", isn't it? In the Bible Belt, most people know about God, have heard the stories, know the scriptures, have 'walked the aisle, accepted Jesus, been baptized', etc. When Jesus taught, the people were amazed at how He explained the scriptures with authority, with power. He brought true life to the people as He made the scriptures come alive. It was like breathing the breath of life into dry bones. May we live our lives with the reality of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, Himself. May we invite the power of Christ into the center of our activities, hobbies, work, family, etc. May we allow Him to transform us into new creatures and adopt His vision of His people: that we would love them so much that we would be His witnesses, sometimes even using words, but all the time representing the love of Christ for His people, wherever we go. May we truly practice a complete dependence on the actual factual presence of the Holy Spirit leading, directing, and nudging. May we develop spiritual ears to hear His encouragement or call to move or stay. May we allow the Spirit to develop Godly character into the lives of men. Men of truth, honor, courage, dedication, service, nobility, integrity. May He ignite the passion of Christ to truly live for the short time that we have here on earth.
