Pour on the power

 Pour On the Power

I will pour out my Spirit upon the people of Israel. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!

EZEKIEL 39.29

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere —in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

ACTS 1.8

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvellous glory and excellence.

2 PETER 1.3

Picture a child walking along holding his father’s hand. He is happy and secure in his father’s love, but there is no powerful urge to talk about it. But then suddenly the father reaches down and sweeps the child into his arms, hugging and kissing him and telling him how much he loves him. Then he puts the child down, and they continue on their walk. The child believed his father loved him before, but now he can hardly contain himself — he wants to shout with joy over being so loved by his father.

This is a picture of what it’s like when the Holy Spirit “comes upon” a person with power, as Jesus promised would happen to the disciples after he ascended and went to heaven. Before, they had a real but quiet knowledge of Jesus, but soon it would burst into an energetic outpouring of affection toward God — an overflowing joy coming from a complete confidence in him. Because the Holy Spirit filled their hearts and minds with a fresh passion for God, they couldn’t resist praising him out loud and talking about him to anyone who would listen. This is what Jesus meant when he said they would receive power and be his witnesses.