Shammah Temple Fellowship: Sermon of May 19, 2024
By Gad Ndayihimbaze
Theme: Why should Believers be filled with the Holy Spirit?
Reference scriptures: Acts 2:1-47
Before technology development, cars and telephones, it wasn’t easy to communicate with others from other parts of the world. Spiritually speaking, a parallel situation is about the coming of the Holy Spirit. When People were filled with the Holy Spirit, things radically changed, discipleship and ministry took a new dimension.
But, why should Believers be filled with the Holy Spirit?
- Believers should be filled with the Holy Spirit to boldly witness for Jesus
As Believers, we celebrate the Pentecost to thank God for His fulfilling of the promise to send us Jesus, and for Jesus to fulfill His promise to send us the Holy Spirit when He left.
When it was tense after Jesus was taken, all the disciples fled. Even Peter who tried to follow Him reached a point where he had to deny knowing Him. With the Holy Spirit, the same Peter who was so afraid to witness for Jesus before got up and asked them all to listen to Him. Peter was so eloquent witnessing for Jesus and His work saving the mankind. The Spirit that Peter, and everyone who received the Holy Spirit got, is not a spirit of fear, but the one that gives power to proclaim the kingdom ways.
What would happen if we witnessed for Jesus fearlessly?
- Truth would be told no matter how (un)popular it is.
- Sinners get convicted of their sins and how they need to repent.
- Believers should be filled with the Holy Spirit to be used by God in supernatural ways
Being filled with the Holy Spirit change normal things and capabilities into abnormal things and communities. What happened to the crowd has nothing like what had been seen already.
Why then the miracles?
- So that sinners can come to God
- So that God reveals His own power, even to those who have been in denial
- So that God use the situation to prove those against Him wrong.
- Believers should be filled with the Holy Spirit to be able to change their communities
Peter couldn’t just preach the Gospel and let those he had preached to disappear like that. He asked them to stay longer so that he taught them about daily about Jesus’ teaching. He wanted them to be well equipped to be able to spread the good news. These new comers and those who were originally from there got an opportunity to stay together and share all the aspects of life – including interpersonal relationships to up everyone’s capacity to contribute in the mission.
How are communities transformed when we are filled with the Holy Spirit?
- The community members are amazed by the unique life style of Believers around them.
- Love among fellow Believers
In short, Believers need to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that they boldly witness for the kingdom of God, perform in ways beyond the normal, and transform their communities. May our God help us be filled with the Holy Spirit so we get ready to impact not only those around us, but also the whole kingdom of God that we were sent to transform.
