From A Trickle To A Tidal Wave

From a Trickle to a Tidal Wave

The LORD replied, “Take Joshua son of Nun, who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him.”

Numbers 27:18

I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!

Psalm 139:7

You sent your good Spirit to instruct them. . . . In your love, you were patient with them for many years. You sent your Spirit, who warned them through the prophets.

Nehemiah 9:20, 30

The South Fork Dam was located on Lake Conemaugh, near South Fork, Pennsylvania. On May 31, 1889, the dam broke, sending 20 million tons of water racing fourteen miles downstream, causing the Johnstown Flood. Prior to that time, the people living downstream had enjoyed trickles of runoff from the dam and used water from the dam’s spillways for their crops. But it was nothing like the wall of water that erupted when the dam failed.

This is a picture of how the people of God experienced the presence and power of the Holy Spirit before and after Pentecost. From the beginning of history, the Holy Spirit has worked in the lives of those who trust God. His job has always been to teach and counsel and bring new life to God’s people. But while the Holy Spirit was active in the lives of people in Old Testament times, it was more like a trickle or a small stream.

So what was different after Pentecost? Pentecost was like the day the dam broke—except instead of bringing destruction, it flooded God’s people with power. God’s Spirit poured over his people, filling them, changing them, empowering them to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth.

DISCUSSION STARTERS

What’s the difference in power between a spray bottle and a fire hose? How about between a flashlight and a spotlight?

Can you think of any people in the Old Testament who were empowered by God’s Spirit to do incredible things?

How can we experience the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives?