Available Power

           Farming has advanced quite a lot these past years from what it was back in the late 40's. When it came time to bale the hay and straw, a stationary baler would be brought in and a large steam engine with a flywheel on it and a long belt to run the machine. The hay or straw was already in rows in the field and tractors with large forks on the front would bring in a mountain of straw that was then placed in the baler. Men would use pitch forks to get the hay into the baler. We didn't have ear plugs and so the noise was almost deafening. Soon, the powerful equipment would begin coughing out large bales to be kept in the barn for use in the days to come. We are often amazed by how much power we can generate with machines and seek all kinds of ways to increase the horsepower of any given engine. Acts 1:7-8 says, “And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” 

          The church is good at many things. We are able to utilize technology and transmit our services around the world. We are good at organizing programs to teach and to inform people on any number of subjects. We are also able to entertain each other with a large array of sound equipment and with all kinds of visual effects. Yes, the church is able to do a lot of things with the knowledge that it has in the world today. There is one thing, however, that we seem to have a lot of difficulty doing and that is the sharing of our faith to others. In one of His last statements before His ascension, the Lord Jesus Christ said, “But ye shall receive power....” It was going to be Holy Spirit power that was about to come upon the church as we see it taking place in Acts two. This was going to be a different power. It wasn't going to be measured by the pulling force on a draw bar or the size of pistons or the type of fuel but was going to be the power of the Holy Spirit. Every believer has one unique story to tell and that is the story of how God worked in their lives to bring them to the point of salvation. It is what we refer to as our “testimony.” There may be some similarities, but all of them are different. No one can argue with what God has done in your life and this is the story that we should be sharing with others around us. It is sad to say that many of us fail to utilize the power that we have through the Holy Spirit in order to be His witnesses. We also have the opportunity to tell others about what God is doing in our lives on a daily basis. Just because you were saved doesn't make it the end of the story, but the beginning. Most people are attracted to things of great power such as Old Faithful or a man made machine but don't realize the power that they have in the Holy Spirit. Praise God today that He has given us the power to speak of Him to kings and paupers.