Don’t deny the power

“So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.” (Acts 15:8-9 [NKJV])

Family disputes are the hardest to handle for sure. No doubt there are numerous contributing factors that make that true, but none greater than the simple truth that we are family and, like it or not, we are connected … for life. If we don’t get it right, it will be forever wrong. It will hang over us like a dark cloud that prevents the sun from illuminating our path. We can’t escape it because we are … connected … by blood.

The same is true for those who are related through Jesus. Our faith led us to a new birth which opened the door to a new family.

In this passage we see multiple vantage points from family members with different backgrounds. The first was held by traditionalists comprised of Orthodox Jews. They now professed Christ Jesus as the savior, but they had hand-me-down rituals and disciplines that had always been equated with righteousness. They were conditioned to believe that, somehow, God favored those who added all this work to their newfound faith in Christ.

Then there were the gentiles who had discovered redemption solely by grace. They were not previously programmed to think they could find favor with God, so when they believed the gospel message of Jesus’ saving grace, and when the Holy Spirit indwelled them with the same manifestation received by those in Jerusalem at Pentecost, they quickly and effortlessly embraced free grace.

Then there were those, both Jew and some gentile, who lacked confidence. They were torn between the two messages. Do I keep the Old Testament rituals in order to complete my salvation or was Jesus’ payment at Calvary enough to buy my salvation?

Each side had their own perceived reality based on their history. Each side was … connected … by blood. Jesus’ blood.

I’ve heard people say that our perceived reality IS our reality. It may sound good … but it’s false.

When Jesus said of himself, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life,” he gave a new definition to truth.

So this new, huge family of siblings in Jesus; how did they resolve their predicament? They relied on the wisest from each vantage point to come together to consider the facts presented by each side, and identify truth.

They gathered with strong but differing personal convictions. Resolving this issue required more than just seeking unity and peace. Winning the fight or being “right” in our own eyes was not the goal and to pursue either as an end would leave the family divided.

So what did they do? Let’s break it down and see.

Knowing that God’s Word is the final authority, they understood that anything considered as truth learned from our experience must always agree with God’s Word in order to pass the test. During his earthly ministry, Jesus had said that the Comforter would come. He told them that they would be endued with power from on high. He taught the disciples that once He returned to the Father, the power of God would dwell in them and that they would then serve God at a new level. It happened first for the Jews at Pentecost. Then it was learned that the gentiles had experienced this same indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

This indwelling of the Spirit of God has continued to be a factor for debate in modern times for some. This experience has been misunderstood often. It’s given many titles down through the years, but let me remind you that no denomination or group has a unique patent on the Holy Spirit. No one owns or governs any member of the triune Godhead that we serve.

If I understand the spiritual history of the USA, there have been several sweeping revivals across our land. Revival requires a powerful presence that is greater than our own. Listen close, that power was demonstrated more than a century ago as revival swept across America and it was through the Presbyterian churches that it began. They called it the “second blessing.” The Nazarenes have called it “sanctification.” The Pentecostals in my lifetime refer to it as “being filled,” while many Baptists in the South call it “getting happy!”

Let me give you a solid piece of godly wisdom. Ready? Call it whatever you want to … just don’t deny the power of it!