Holy Spirit is the Secret Sauce - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) November 28, 2023
Have you ever heard of Stephen? He was a member of the early church in Jerusalem. Stephen was selected to help with food distribution to other believers. It seems like a simple and straightforward job, right? However, the apostles determined that the chief qualification required for this position was that the selected candidates be filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:3). Why was the Holy Spirit important for the mere handing out food to people? We'll understand that a little later.
Now back to Stephen. In Acts 6, he is one of seven men chosen to distribute food because they met the stated requirement. Upon their selection, the apostles prayed and laid hands upon them (Acts 6:6). From there, Stephen is next described in Acts 6:8 - Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. How did he go from serving food to doing signs and wonders? The answer is the Holy Spirit.
Remember that the chief qualification for the position was that the candidates be filled with the Holy Spirit. The presence of the Holy Spirit in Stephen's life enabled him to quickly rise from the food service department to operating in the miraculous powers of the Lord.
In every area of our life, the Holy Spirit is the 'secret sauce' we need to be elevated from a nobody to somebody great. Godly promotion leaves an enduring mark not just on earth but in God's kingdom. This applies to believers no matter what their field of occupation/service is. There is no task, big or small, that does not require the acknowledgment of the Holy Spirit to be successful.
Such promotion can never be compared to the fame and attention the world gives. Therefore, don't look at the people of the world and think their kind of success is the ultimate goal. There are multi-billionaires who despite their fame and wealth could not find healing for diseases God has the instant cure for. They departed from this earth leaving behind all the money they had accrued. None of it helped them when it mattered the most.
Now, that same Stephen who did mighty works in God's name eventually died. He was martyred by men who didn't believe in Jesus and who were jealous and prideful. However, the story of his elevation through the Holy Spirit as well as his impact on Christianity and the world has spanned thousands of years. And to imagine, he started off as a simple food server.
What more you, who might be feeling insignificant? What could having the Holy Spirit as your guide do for you? How would your acknowledgment of the Holy Spirit - sent from Jesus to those who believe in Him - make a difference? There's only one way to find out and that is to do what qualifies an individual to receive the Holy Spirit: genuinely repent for your sins, submit to Christ and His instructions, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
(Please be sure to see the Altar Call in the next post).
To learn more, please read:
ALTAR CALL
Each of us is a sinner who has turned from the Lord. We have thereby fallen short of giving Him His due glory. And yet, God, in His mercy does not hold our iniquity against us. He doesn't treat us as our sins deserve.
The reason for this is Jesus Christ. He was sent to earth to die for you and me so that by His sacrifice on the cross, all can be redeemed and restored to God.
But, we must each repent and turn back to the Lord, so that the stain of our sins is wiped clean and times of refreshing may come our way (Acts 3:19).
Repenting and giving our lives to Christ, also solidifies…