Experiencing God's Presence #124

Experiencing God's Presence #124

Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:38

The words have been spoken so often that they are almost institutionalized. No freshness, no relevance, no sense of insight. Just a script we’ve memorized already. But think of what you would have heard if you had been in the first audience: a promise that if you align your life with God, you’ll be inhabited by an explosive power from above—a power being manifested right before your eyes. True, some people mistook the power for some other kind of influence, but clearly something remarkable was happening. And it could all be yours for . . . what, exactly?

That’s the problem with words like “repent” or “turn from your sins” or “turn to God.” The same could be said of “be baptized.” They are religious-sounding words and phrases that hardly carry any impact anymore. What was required of this audience in order for them to become inhabited by the Spirit of the only true God? Simply this: they would have to acknowledge that they weren’t like Him, express a desire to become like Him, let go of anything in the way, and identify with Him. It’s as if God were saying, “I want to connect with hearts like Mine and change the world. If you can handle having a heart like Mine, come with Me.” And three thousand people accepted the invitation.

Why don’t we have more of God’s power today? Perhaps it’s because we haven’t aligned our hearts with His in every area. We’re stuck in old ways of thinking and old patterns of living. All it takes is an actual shift—not just the desire, but a real turn toward Him—and the gift of the Spirit is ours in increasing measure.

Spirit, is there any obstacle between us? Any change of heart or mind I need to make? Show me—and let me see more of You.