[Around the Table] Everyone Is InvitedSample

Victory

Because of God’s promise released at Pentecost, every believer would have the Holy Spirit residing within them, the very same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead.

When I got saved I was 9 years old, scared to death, walking down the aisle for the first time. They sent me off to a creepy room with a little old lady going, “here, fill this card out.” It was a little too much. But I knew that God was moving. God used that moment to invite me into an adventurous relationship to begin to discover who He was. I remember thinking, “Okay, well, what now? What’s next? What do I do now?” There I was, for about six years. The truth of the matter is that even though this happened at 9 years of age, it wasn’t until I was 15 years old that I felt like God was resting on me personally.

Where does victory come from? This abundant life that Jesus spoke of? Is it because you can now be good and moral that you become a Christian? To that I say, “no. Good luck with that.” Your checklist will fail you. If you don’t believe me, just look at the law of sin and death, look at the mirror, at the old covenant, and the Ten Commandments. We still needed Jesus. Rules and regulations and dogma will not do it. You are going to need the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to have a chance to walk in victory, because the devil put a target on you the minute He saw God’s love after you, which is before you were ever born. This Holy Spirit’s empowerment is so important. Other than community, the by-product of Jesus’ ministry is empowerment.

The Holy Spirit empowered the disciples to speak in different languages, and the people in Jerusalem, visitors from all over, came running when they heard the loud noise. They were amazed to hear the disciples speaking in their native tongue, telling all about the wonderful things that God had done. “What can this mean?” they asked each other. When God moves on the scene, it still amazes and perplexes people today.

Focus on what God’s doing in the moment. God is putting His nature and power inside of His people. He’s reuniting that which has been divided. He’s putting the Holy Spirit in view of everyone present, which is both incredibly life-giving and deeply attractive. That’s where victory comes from—from the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead.