Acts 4:31
We know the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples at Pentecost and church history began. I believe that is a reference to the promised baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaks to the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and not to the seal of salvation. All believers are filled with the Spirit at the moment of conversion, but the disciples evidenced an outpouring of the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. I have argued in our Sunday series in Acts that that same empowerment is available to us today. Yesterday, I argued that if we are not pursuing this outpouring but are rather living and acting outside of the work of the Spirit, then we are merely "gazing into heaven" (Acts 1:10-11)--staring into space, if you will, regardless of how religiously busy we may be.
Prayer, apparently, is the place where the power is appropriated. That is the model seen in Acts. Believers would meet together in one mind and singular purpose of continued, consistent prayer and the Spirit would come.
In Acts 4:31, they are filled yet again with the Spirit in a prayer meeting. What about this and other prayer meetings in Acts brought the filling and the empowerment? I think it is because of what was contained in their hearts, evidenced by what was contained in their prayers. And it wasn't just their prayers; their actions lined up with their prayer.
They prayed for boldness that they could be obedient witnesses. They prayerfully longed for the power of the Holy Spirit, understanding that that power was for the purpose of fulfilling Acts 1:8. They longed for boldness that they might be witnesses by proclaiming the word of God. They were obedient and lived it out, having just returned from their first arrest for the faith.
"And when they prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness."
We all want to live spirit-filled lives. But the spirit's filling and empowerment is for the sake of being obedient witnesses. So, it seems, that if you long for the filling of the Spirit, you must honestly desire to be an obedient, powerful witness.
What do you think?
