Such As We Have

 Many times, we feel inadequate to the task that God has set before us. How often do we find ourselves at a loss for words in times of tragedy? How many times do we feel helpless in the face of overwhelming grief at the loss of a loved one? I am often at a loss for words. In such times, I don't have anything to give that seems relevant to the situation, not from within my own ability to deliver.

However, as a Christian, you always have something relevant to give to hurting people. You may not have anything of value that you can provide based on your ability, education, or reasoning. Still, you have the greatest gift of all. You have the gift of the Love of God.

Acts 3:1 - 9, "Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God:"

This was just an ordinary day in Peter and John's lives. They were living their lives with a new-found faith now. No longer were they hiding in shadows, fearful of the mob that had crucified Jesus. Oh, the dangers were real, the threats had not subsided, and every day, the persecution of those who called themselves Christians was just as widespread as it had been a short time before when Jesus had been crucified.

But something was different now. Fear had been replaced by faith! Frustration had been replaced by faith! Doubt of the future was replaced by a commitment to follow Jesus and preach the gospel to the world around them. Peter and John, and the other disciples, had embarked upon a course of service that would ultimately end in great suffering for the cause of Christ and an eternal reward in glory once this life had passed.

They had experienced the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Ghost fell in the Upper Room, and now they had a fresh anointing. The power of the Holy Ghost was upon them everywhere they went. But that anointing power and indwelling Spirit of Almighty God wasn't there to occupy space or to have a place to live in the heart of men. No, the power of the Holy Ghost is there for a reason. It's there to be given out, extended in faith to anyone who needs the touch of God in their lives.

If you have repented of your sin and been baptized in the name of Jesus, you should actively seek Baptism in the Holy Ghost.

I have the same question for you this morning that Paul had for the new converts and disciples at Ephesus in Acts 19:2, "Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?"

If you have been baptized in the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues, I hope that you pray every day for a fresh infilling and a fresh anointing. We need to pray for that newness of the power of the Holy Ghost in us to be renewed every day. We can't live on past experiences or the power we had last year or years ago; we need the fresh and abiding power of the Holy Ghost if we are going to be the disciples that God expects us to be.

Jesus had given the disciples a command before He left to go back to Heaven in Mark 16:15-16, "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."

Some of you may feel like it's not your forte to minister to those who are hurting or sick. Still, I want to tell you that, upon the Word of God, there is no reason why every man or woman of God shouldn't be going about ministering and witnessing to everyone we meet.

Jesus didn't say for us to go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature only if our personality is outgoing and upbeat. He didn't say to go and preach or minister to other people only if you feel up to it, you have had some specialized training, you feel a definite call to the ministry, or if the time and circumstances are right and you feel good about it. Jesus said, "Go ye," and I believe that "Ye" means everybody, not just a few.

So why don't most act like we are a part of that "Ye"? I can tell you why. It's the same reason that Peter and John were in hiding before the Day of Pentecost. It's the same reason that all the disciples and everyone who had believed in Jesus were hiding in fear, doubt, and frustration before that day came.

The reason is that they aren't filled with the power of God through Baptism in the Holy Ghost. ! If you really get filled with God's power and anointing, you won't be able to go about your daily life without some great times of ministry happening to you any more than Peter and John could.

On this ordinary day, Peter and John were doing what they did every day as men of God. They were entering the temple to attend their daily ritual of prayer. They were going to church out of habit and routine. Since the day they realized just who Jesus was and what He had done for them, their lives were changed.

They had repented of their sins and had been forgiven. They were washed clean in the Blood of Jesus, accepting His sacrifice upon the cross to pay the debt of sin. They were saved at that moment and began to follow Jesus as closely as they knew how.

Jesus had given them a second command that must be considered before we obey the commandment to go into the world and preach the gospel.

Acts 1:4, "And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me."

Acts 1:8, "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."

This commandment to wait for the Baptism in the Holy Ghost was given after the commandment to go into every part of the world. Those disciples weren't told not to witness at home in Jerusalem. Everyone at home witnessed their changed lives and their new attitudes. But before their ministry could impact those outside of their home that God wanted them to have, they had to be endued with power from on High. They had to have the anointing power of the Holy Ghost upon their lives.

In that short time between the Ascension of Jesus back into Heaven and the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the disciples continued their faith. They did their best to serve the Lord. They certainly continued in prayer. They gathered in the Upper Room in a constant prayer vigil for days. During that time, they continued to love Jesus and serve him to the best of their ability, they had been commanded to wait for the coming of the Comforter and that extraordinary anointing power that Jesus had promised.

Then it came. Somewhere between 6 AM and 9 AM, everything changed for those disciples in the Upper Room!

It was the third hour of the day when Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, began to preach the most powerful message he had ever preached. No doubt he had preached before, but this time, his words carried a power behind them greater than he had ever known. It was as though the power of God was in every word, and his words were piercing the minds and hearts of everyone who heard him. God's power was doing its work through the words of Peter. Have you ever felt that power?

Have you ever been shocked by an electrical current? My friends, that power of electricity lets you know it's there! It has the power to kill! But the indwelling power of the Holy Ghost is greater than that of electricity. It may even give you the same sensation at times. But the power of the Holy Ghost doesn't kill; it gives ultimate life!

The life it gives is beyond description! The power of the Holy Ghost in you will give life a more significant meaning than ever! It will provide you with a greater purpose than ever before! It will give life a more incredible passion for God than ever before! It will give you love for all people that you never knew possible! It will give you a life that is anointed, directed, and guided by God like you have never known before!

That's what we need today in God's people. We need a mighty outpouring of the Holy Ghost! We need to experience that Day of Pentecost in our own hearts. We require the fresh, indwelling power and presence of the Holy Ghost. Folks, we are never going to experience a mighty move of God without a fresh infilling of that power of God through the Baptism of the Holy Ghost!

Peter and John continued in their daily routine to attend the House of God and to pray. As they approached the temple, they weren't aware that this time, their entrance into the temple was going to be very different from all the times before. There sat a beggar asking for help. He represents the world out there to you and me.

I believe that God is going to put people in your path, and in mine, who are searching for answers, begging for a crumb of bread from the Lord's table, and seeking help because they can't find the answers for themselves in the world. Your chance and my opportunity to minister to them will come. Still, that chance will only last for a moment, and then the opportunity will disappear.

What will we do with those opportunities? How will we react to the "beggars" we meet? Will we pass by as Peter and John had done before? Will we look the other way? Or will we allow the indwelling power of the Holy Ghost to work through us to touch those in need?

We are no different from Peter and John. We have to say with them, "Silver and gold have I none." I don't have the financial wealth to give away freely. I don't have the physical abilities or any power of the flesh to help them. But like Peter and John, I have something far more significant to give.

"Such as I have" – What a "Such" that is! It's the anointing, healing, delivering, yoke-breaking, sin-killing, life-giving, and eternal power of almighty God! That's what I have, and its value is far above the riches of this world. The power we have to give and the message we share is what this world needs more than anything.

That beggar received far more than he expected! He received a blessing that money couldn't buy! He jumped up, walked, and went praising God! He was having an old-fashioned "Holy Ghost Fit!" Something about the power of God moving in you makes you want to shout "Hallelujah" sometimes. It makes you feel like dancing a jig occasionally! It puts a spring in your step and a song in your heart, and you just must let it out, or you feel like you will explode!

We need to see a few more "Holy Ghost Fits"! I want to see people who are so full of the Holy Ghost that they must Shout for Joy! I want to see someone dancing before the Lord in the power of the Holy Ghost – not some choreographed, show-off dance that offends the Body of Christ – but a genuine Holy Ghost dance when you can't control where you go or how your feet will move!

We need a fresh outpouring of the Holy Ghost in the Church! And not just in my Church but every Christian Church worldwide, especially in America. I want to see Pentecostal churches being called "Holy Rollers" again. We've become too sophisticated for our own good! We have tried to calm people down to the point that we have grieved the Holy Spirit.

We can't expect a mighty revival in our churches, communities, and families until we see a revival of the Holy Ghost in our lives! When that lame man went into the temple praising God, jumping, leaping, and shouting the victory, everybody took notice. When something happens by the power of the Holy Ghost, everyone will know it. You won't have to advertise it to draw a crowd. You won't have to beg people to come. You won't have to put notices in the newspaper or signs on the billboards. When the power of God is really moving, the whole world will sit up and take notice.

Are you ready for revival? Are you prepared for a mighty move of God? Then get full of the Holy Ghost! Ask for it, seek after it, desire it with all your heart, surrender your will to God's will, and let the Holy Ghost fill you with power! It's a gift from God to his Church to give us the power to perform his will!

It's important to say this, though. If you haven't accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and surrendered your life totally and completely to Him, that's your first move. You must repent of your sin, confess Jesus as the Lord of your life, be washed in the Blood of the Lamb, and be born again into the family of God before you can be filled with the Holy Ghost! The promise of the Holy Ghost is given to all who believe, repent, and are baptized in Jesus' name.

Many are afraid of that power. Many will even doubt its existence. Many more will say it was for another time and not for today. I'm here to say that the Baptism of the Holy Ghost is for today! God has not changed! His indwelling power is the same today as it was on the Day of Pentecost, and it's a power that every Christian should earnestly desire and seek.

Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed? Do you want that power of God in your life that Peter and John had? You can have it right now if you seek it and ask for it. The Holy Ghost will come, and your life will be forever changed!