In reading Eberhard Arnold's essay entitled, "Spirit of Fire" in Bread and Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter, I was inspired to meditate on the concepts of the Holy Spirit enkindling God's Children with life-changing passion.First, the Holy Spirit's power came upon the apostles with a fiery passion that produced an astounding response.
Second, the hearts of many of the listeners were also changed in response to the Holy Spirit's baptism of flames.
Third, the counter-cultural response included a new type of community living as a result of their experience with God.
In the days ahead we will discuss the second and third effects of the Spirit's movement. Today I'd like to address the first point:
- What occurred that was so earth-shattering that God chose this mighty display of the Holy Spirit's power as a response?
Jesus Christ was what was so earth-shattering. He was the Messiah, the Deliverer from Death, who died as a sacrifice for our sins and was resurrected to break the power over death and Satan. - Why the passion?
A new kingdom had been established. Now life had renewed hope! God was alive and active! - What does the Holy Spirit reveal to us now?
The Spirit reveals our sin and inability to save ourselves when we look in a spiritual mirror, but the Spirit also extends to us the supreme grace of God in sending the One closed to His heart to be the sacrifice in our place...Love...Compassion...Mercy...Forgiveness... - Are you overwhelmed by this awesome grace? Are you flooded with gratitude?
I am reminded of the lyrics to Steven Curtis Chapman's song "Speechless":
SPEECHLESS
{Ephesians 2:4-7; I John 3:1; Psalm 66:1-5; Habakkuk 2:20}
Words fall like drops of rain
My lips are like clouds
I say so many things
Trying to figure You out
But as mercy opens my eyes
My words are stolen away
With this breathtaking view of Your grace.
And I am speechless, I’m astonished and amazed
I am silenced by Your wondrous grace
You have saved me
You have raised me from the grave
And I am speechless in Your presence now
I’m astounded as I consider how
You have shown us
A love that leaves us speechless.
So what kind of love could this be
That would trade heaven’s throne for a cross
And to think You still celebrate
Over finding just one who was lost
And to know You rejoice over us
The God of this whole universe
It’s a story that’s too great for words.
Oh, how great is the love
The Father has lavished upon us
That we should be called
The sons and the daughters of God
We are speechless, so amazed
[We stand in awe of Your grace]
[We stand in awe of Your mercy]
You have saved us
[We stand in awe of Your love]
From the grave
[We are speechless]
We are speechless in Your present now
[We stand in awe of Your cross]
We’re astounded as we consider how
[We stand in awe of Your power]
You have shown us
A love that leaves us speechless
[We are speechless]
I am speechless. - The Holy Spirit reveals God's truth in our hearts and minds. Different people respond in different ways, but respond we will.
- How has the Holy Spirit touched you in revealing this truth of Christ's love and grace?
- How do you experienced His grace in your life now?
- How have you responded to these revelations from the Holy Spirit?
- Are you embracing the passion of renewed hope and engagement with the Living God?
- Do these concepts seem unrealistic to you?
Please share your thoughts and comments as we continue to consider the Acts 2 passage together.
2 comments:
Boy, I wish I was a part of this group ... I loved this -- good for me to read this morning (although a bit heavy for my cloudy brain at 7:30 a.m!). I connected in a big way b/c this is something I have always longed for -- this PASSION -- but rarely "feel." But is it a feeling, really? Maybe it's b/c I've never known anything other than being a Christian, from day one being raised in a staunch Christian family. Maybe it's because my family is Dutch Reformed -- hard-core Protestants where theology and doctrine and "head knowledge" are at the forefront, and "feelings" take a back seat. I don't know ... Grace, mercy, and the whole she-bang has always been in my life, something I have always known, been aware of, and appreciated. So how do I cross that line from "head knowledge" to a searing passion in my heart? That's one piece of the puzzle I want to grasp but it keeps slipping out of my fingers like a bar of soap. Oh, I'm not saying I don't feel anything, or I'm ungrateful, or I just take my faith for granted. (Or do I?) I think the closest I might have come was the time we saw the movie "The Passion" in the theater. I cried (no, sobbed) for the entire last half, I think, and kept thinking "Oh my gosh, is THAT what he did for me?" Is that the kind of "passion" you're talking about? That kind of speechlessness? Well, I can't go about sobbing all day, every day, but I wonder if that's what it was ... Please pray that the light switch will go on one day and all of that intense head knowledge will be connected to something!
(Sorry that was so lengthy ... Lots going on in my head today).
Thanks so much for sharing your heart, Sue, and thanks for being so honest about not experiencing "the Passion." I think that most of us experience the familiarity of the Gospel to such an extent that, unless we keenly seek for ways to keep the spark alive, or experience the truth afresh, we fall into a state of complacency about the kingdom of God. Like you, I was basically raised in the Christian Church and absorbed the Bible and the Gospel as "head knowledge." Experiencing passion for Christ has always been a struggle for me as well. And yet, as an adult, I've found that I have had a handful of experiences that have touched the emotional aspect of my being with the reality of grace and acceptance that have opened "little windows" of God's pure light into my soul. One of these experiences was when I took a course entitled, "Living for the King," in which we looked at God's abundant grace through Christ from multiple aspects and experiental avenues. From this, I embraced the concept of being adopted as a (son) daughter of the King of Kings in a way that had never been a part of my life before. This was a transforming time.
May I encourage you to look for fresh ways to experience God, such as through nature's beauty: ocean, mountains, flowers, streams, woods, animals. God has astounded me with His power and His beauty through interacting with these created works. He has given me a sense of His omnipotence and omnisceince that has left me at peace about what concerns me. He is big enough to take care of anything. Perhaps for you art or music in some form or another may help to touch your heartstrings. Experiment, dabble, free yourself to try something new or different. God will be right there with you; His Spirit comes to us fresh every day. All we need to do is trust enough to open up and let go in the midst of our pain. He knows we may only be able to take baby steps and that is okay. He's right there holding our hand through everything. May you experience looking deep into the eyes of the King who came and "did this as if it were for only you." He's that personal and precious; yet He's also so awesome and all-encompassing that He was Master of the Universe at the same time....
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