It’s Pentecost Sunday and I’ve Got the Power!

With two of my grandchildren, we recently watched the movie “Bruce Almighty”, a spoof about a guy (Jim Carrey) who was complaining that God was treating him poorly. Soon after, God (Morgan Freeman) actually contacts Bruce and offers him all of His powers if he thinks he can do a better job. Bruce accepts and goes on a spree, using his new-found abilities for selfish use and sings “I’ve got the POW-ER!” Hilarious movie but when I say "I’ve got the power” it’s because of Pentecost Sunday and the power that was given to us by the Holy Spirit.

Pentecost Sunday commemorates the day when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles and those in the Upper Room. It occurs 50 days after Easter (10 days after Jesus’ ascension to heaven), recorded in Acts 1:12-2-13. Pentecost fulfills Jesus' promise to send the Holy Spirit (John 16:5-15) and it launches the large-scale spreading of the Gospel. It was after Pentecost and the infilling of the Holy Spirit that Peter (the same one who denied Jesus, the coward, fearful, the impulsive activist) could speak with boldness and courage. Acts 2:41 records that he spoke to the crowd and some 3,000 people were baptized. Now that's what I call POWER!

Just before Jesus ascended to heaven, He said these words to His disciples ”When the Holy Spirit comes to you, you shall receive POWER." (Acts 1:8) How awesome is that? A couple of days ago I met with a young woman to encourage her as she was going through some pretty tough times. I told her how I weathered many storms of life because of the Holy Spirit's power that helps us successfully make it through this thing called LIFE. And, Holy Spirit gives us the POWER to share the Good News boldly and unafraid. That same power, the power of the Holy Spirit, is for believing and obedient Christians in our generation to turn our world around.

I believe the Holy Spirit, the one Who Jesus said, “I must go away so that the Holy Spirit can come”, is the answer to our actions AND reactions of faith and trust and love and power. How was it possible to be a strong and bold witness of Jesus Christ back in those days of such tyranny and oppression? How is it possible for us to overcome the challenges in our lives? How is it possible to experience John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

It is all possible by acknowledging and living in the Spirit! The moment we received Christ, the Holy Spirit not only came to indwell us, He imparted to us the power to overcome the enemy’s tactics. "Be filled" means to allow the Holy Spirit to produce his attitudes and actions in the life of the believer. We received an amazing gift of the Holy Spirit when we received Christ. In fact – a big bushel of fruit. Galatians 5:22 -- "The Fruit of the Holy Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control." Just look at what being “filled with the Spirit” provides to us as we acknowledge Holy Spirit in our life.

People ask me: “What’s your secret?” “How can you always be so happy?” It is no secret. It is the natural product of embracing the Holy Spirit’s presence and fellowship that’s called “Living in the Spirit”. Through life's ups and downs, I can tell you I know peace. I know faith. I know comfort because of the Holy Spirit. Walking in dependence upon the power that is there.

Come Holy Spirit! Consume me! Won’t you pray this prayer with me today in celebration of Pentecost Sunday and Holy Spirit that lives in you? It's simply acknowledging His presence and His power that is available today.

“Dear Jesus, thank you for sending the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, welcome into my life. I know you are living in me, and today I acknowledge that you are my helper, my counselor, my confidant, my comforter and my peace. I ask you to take complete control of my life. I ask for your fruit of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control to be evident in my life. Lord, I ask that you fill me to overflowing with your precious Holy Spirit – baptize me from the top of my head to the bottom of our feet – the same way you filled those in the Upper Room. I ask you for a radical transformation like the disciples had when they went from fear, anxiety, timidity, and concern to empowered people of love, faith, boldness, and courage. May I receive you fully and completely. I ask this in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!!!

Comfort Blanket Helps Lead Loyola University to the Sweet Sixteen

Since I posted a few days ago about THE COMFORTER, I've had two more occasions to reinforce what I was saying. This was USA Today's headline on March 15th: “NCAA tournament 2018: Loyola-Chicago gets inspiration from 98-year-old nun”. Loyola was able to pull off the first upset of March Madness in dramatic fashion. The 98-year-old longtime nun and chaplain of Loyola University’s men’s basketball team sat at the corner of the basketball court as the jubilant players for Loyola-Chicago celebrated their 64-62 victory, upsetting Miami to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. If she wasn’t restricted to a wheelchair, Sister Jean Dolores-Schmidt surely would have joined the fun. Sister Jean, the longtime team chaplain, could barely contain her own glee inside the American Airlines Center. “Thank God, thank God we did it,’’ she said at the end of the televised broadcast. “We just knew we would do this. Our team is so great and they don’t care who makes the points as long as we win the game."

The team's coach was quick to credit her: "Sister Jean is our team chaplain and she's our COMFORT BLANKET. She just has so much spirit. She's got an unbelievable energy level to her that I connect with." The coach added: "You know how much she's praying for you. You know how much she's doing for you and she means the world to this university and our team." I love that "Comfort Blanket" analogy. I'm quite certain Holy Spirit inside that beautiful woman is her "power source".

Since I posted a few days ago about THE COMFORTER, I've had two more occasions to reinforce what I was saying. This was USA Today's headline on March 15th: “NCAA tournament 2018: Loyola-Chicago gets inspiration from 98-year-old nun”. Loyola was able to pull off the first upset of March Madness in dramatic fashion. The 98-year-old longtime nun and chaplain of Loyola University’s men’s basketball team sat at the corner of the basketball court as the jubilant players for Loyola-Chicago celebrated their 64-62 victory, upsetting Miami to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. If she wasn’t restricted to a wheelchair, Sister Jean Dolores-Schmidt surely would have joined the fun. Sister Jean, the longtime team chaplain, could barely contain her own glee inside the American Airlines Center. “Thank God, thank God we did it,’’ she said at the end of the televised broadcast. “We just knew we would do this. Our team is so great and they don’t care who makes the points as long as we win the game."

The team's coach was quick to credit her: "Sister Jean is our team chaplain and she's our COMFORT BLANKET. She just has so much spirit. She's got an unbelievable energy level to her that I connect with." The coach added: "You know how much she's praying for you. You know how much she's doing for you and she means the world to this university and our team." I love that "Comfort Blanket" analogy. I'm quite certain Holy Spirit inside that beautiful woman is her "power source".

When I read that headline and article, I remembered the question someone asked me, “I’m confused about the Holy Spirit. I hear people talking about it and it scares me.” I explained “Actually Holy Spirit isn’t an “it”. Holy Spirit is a person -- the 3rd person of the Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit was given to live inside of the life of a believer in Jesus Christ in order to produce God's character in the life of a believer in a way that we cannot do on our own. The Holy Spirit will build into our lives love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Rather than TRYING to be loving, patient, kind, God asks us to rely on Him to produce those qualities in our lives. We are told as Christians to walk in the Spirit and be filled with the Spirit. I loved hearing about Loyola's COMFORT BLANKET. That precious nun is no doubt filled to overflowing with God’s Spirit which enables her to be that comfort blanket to others.

I saw another beautiful analogy of the Holy Spirit when I heard a young mom and a professional in the business world, give a beautiful but very emotional talk. As tears rolled down her face, I saw a lovely older woman go behind her and wrap her arms around her waist. The speaker calmed down, relaxed and carried on eloquently. That sweet older woman became her COMFORT BLANKET. That analogy spoke to me of how Holy Spirit is our COMFORT BLANKET. John 14:16-18 (Amplified Bible) says it so beautifully: "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor, Counselor, Strengthener), to be with you forever -- the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive [and take to its heart] because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He (the Holy Spirit) remains with you continually and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans [comfortless, bereaved, and helpless]; I will come to you."

Maybe you need a COMFORT BLANKET sitting in your corner, cheering you on in the games of life that you're playing in. As a believer in Jesus Christ, professing Him as your Lord and Savior, He is in your corner in the person of the Holy Spirit Who lives in you and is there to be your Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor, Counselor and Strengthener. Acknowledge His presence and experience His warm and cozy Blanket of Comfort.