From Trembling to Confident
“But 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)
The original disciples were a handful of unlikely misfits. But the remarkable fact is that they were the same ones who later “turned the world upside down,” according to the testimony of people in the first century. How can anyone explain the transformation?
There is only one intelligent answer: It was the arrival and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. He alone transformed those frightened, awkward, reluctant men into strong-hearted, unintimidated, invincible prophets of God. Once the Spirit took up residence with them, once He was given complete control of their lives, He put His agenda into full operation, and they were never the same. They no longer held back or looked for excuses not to be engaged in obeying their Lord’s mandate to “go and make disciples of all nations.”
When the Spirit of God bored His way into the lives of those awaiting His arrival in that upstairs room somewhere in Jerusalem, His transforming presence was immediately evident. As I read what transpired in the early part of the Book of Acts, I identify some transforming changes among those who received the Spirit.
First, their human frailties were transformed into supernatural gifts and abilities.
From the moment the Holy Spirit arrived, nothing about the disciples remained the same. When His power fell upon them, they even spoke in another language. This experience completely revolutionized their lives. Those who had been troubled and fearful no longer struggled with those feelings. They were transformed.
Second, their fearful reluctance was transformed into bold confidence.
Remember an earlier scene when these same men, afraid of being found out by the Jews, hid silently behind closed doors? The last thing they wanted was to be pointed out as followers of Jesus. They were frozen in fear.
No longer. According to this narrative, they poured into the public streets of Jerusalem preaching Christ and urging total strangers to repent and to believe in the name of Jesus. Later, when Peter and John had been arrested and were being interrogated, their quiet confidence did not go unnoticed:
The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13)
The followers of Jesus didn’t look any different physically. They didn’t suddenly become learned men. No, they remained rawboned fishermen and a couple of “good ol’ boys.” But deep within their beings, down inside, they were nothing like they had been. They were transformed.
Taken from Flying Closer to the Flame by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 1993 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Deepen your intimacy with the living God by reading Embraced by the Spirit, an updated release of Flying Closer to the Flame.
