Pentecostal Power

Luke 24:49 states, “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”

Last Sunday, the preacher preached on the power of prayer. He used the Scripture that says to ask, seek, and knock. He mentioned how the intensity grows from asking, to seriously seeking, to finally knocking. He ended by challenging us to pray for revival for our church.

I am reminded of Luke 11:13, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall our heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”

Christmas will be here soon. I remember my parents asking me, when I was a boy, “What do you want for Christmas?” One year I really wanted a sled. A sled is what I got. My parents were thrilled to see how excited I was to see the sled under the tree. God knows how much we need the Holy Spirit, and how much joy, comfort, and power will be ours when we receive His gift.

Why have not all Christians received the gift of the Holy Spirit? Some say, “We all have, we just need to recognize it.” That does not go along with the account of Acts, where the Holy Ghost was given to believers. In Acts 19:2-6, we see that Paul found disciples in Ephesus who had not even heard about the Holy Ghost. Before he left, the Holy Ghost came upon them. They did not just finally realize they had the Holy Ghost—they finally had the Holy Ghost as He came upon them.

Jesus told the disciples to tarry in Jerusalem until they received the power from on high, the Holy Ghost. It appears that this tarrying lasted about ten days. Maybe we don’t have the Holy Ghost today because we are not willing to tarry ten days. We might tarry an hour a day for ten days. I doubt that even happens very often. What if we were to stay out of the world of technology for ten days? That would ruin some people.

I was invited to go on a survival trip for five days into a wilderness area. The trip would be on horseback. After we arrived in Elgin, Oregon we met our guide, an evangelist. The trip was for spiritual renewal. The first thing we did was to eliminate some of the supplies we had brought. I had a large pack full of food and extra clothing that had to be reduced down to what would fit in two little saddlebags. We were able to tie our sleeping bag onto the saddle. Our guide supplied the food: one summer sausage, one French bread, a couple of apples, and some cheese.

I wonder how 120 disciples survived for ten days in the upper room? As they hungered for the Holy Spirit, I would guess food became of little importance.

There was a day when the church prayed for revival, planned for revival, and participated in the revival services for two weeks in the spring and again for two weeks in the fall. I guess this was the old way. I have been informed that we don’t do it that way anymore. We are in the new millennium. 

My prayer for our church and myself is, “Lord, send the old-time power, the Pentecostal power, Thy floodgates of blessing on us throw open wide” (Chas. H. Gabriel).