Breaking Through by Brett Davisنموونە

Breakthrough One: “New life into an Old Life” aka the Great Outpouring!

Read: Acts 2:1–18

Way back in 2009, I was paddling out at Waimea Bay the morning after the Eddie event. It was dark, but I was pumped! I was on a borrowed board that had written on the stringer, “For Occy, by Pat.”

Yep, I was on former world champion surfer Mark Occhilupo’s big wave gun, shaped by world famous shaper Pat Rawson! What could go wrong?

But when I hit the massive line-up, I quickly realized that whilst I had the surfboard of Occy, I did not have the surfing spirit of Occy inside of me and was totally out of my depth!

In the same way, we need more than just the teaching of Jesus to live the divine life to which He has called us. We need the life of Jesus! We need His Spirit within us.

Fortunately for us, God has poured out His Spirit on believers, first described in the book of Acts 2:1–18.

So today we’re going to look at three massive breakthroughs from that special moment in time – and their meaning for you and me.

A Breakthrough: The Outpouring of the Spirit

Prior to this time, the Spirit filled special people for a special purpose. It was not a permanent thing.

But the moment described in the verses above was different. This was a lasting, ongoing filling of the Spirit. The resurrected Jesus was set loose amongst His followers so that the Holy Spirit would bring His presence to His people and to a broken world.

A breakthrough: The Outpouring is for Everyone

Young and old, men and women… everyone can have this Spirit. There’s no “special” group of people that has an exclusive claim on the fullness of the Spirit.

For anyone who’s open to receive Jesus – and that includes you and me – His Spirit comes.

A Breakthrough: A New Power to Live

Don’t forget that, just prior to this, Jesus’ followers had gone into hiding, fearing for their lives. They’d just seen their master crucified and feared they would be next.

But then came the Spirit – and this same band of brothers and sisters boldly stepped up to proclaim the resurrection of Jesus.

The best part? The power that fueled them…is the same power living in you and me. The power of the Holy Spirit.

Reflection

Do you try to live this Jesus walk on your own by the power of your own intellect, competencies, or will?

In a marriage, you say your vows once but the quality of the marriage is a daily decision. Likewise, we receive God’s Spirit once, but it’s our daily relationship with Jesus that fills us with His Spirit.

How can you cultivate this relationship?