(originally posted November 12, 2008)
We see in John 20 and Acts 1 that most of the disciples experienced two impartations of the Holy Spirit: the first being "receiving the Spirit" through the resurrected Christ's breathing on them in John 20, and the second being "baptism with the Spirit" promised by Christ (Acts 1) and made manifest during the feast of Pentecost (Acts 2).
Which disciples missed out on the initial event of "receiving the Spirit" (John 20:22)? Judas Iscariot, who had already committed suicide; Thomas, who was not in the room; and presumably Matthias, who was not selected to replace Judas until after the event. Thomas and Matthias were present for the subsequent "baptism of the Spirit" recorded in Acts 2. (I don't mean to imply that they were 'less-filled' than their peers for having missed the first event, just making the observation that some of them 'didn't get the first memo'.)
What happens when the Spirit is present?
The Holy Spirit imparts to us the authority to forgive. "If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven" (John 20:22). We should keep in mind a parallel passage regarding forgiveness: it appears after the end of the Lord's Prayer. "But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins" (Matthew 6:15). It seems that John 20:22 gives much credence to the act of absolution, and the Matthew 6 reference suggests that it would be in our best interests to offer absolution so that we in turn will receive that same grace of forgiveness!
The Holy Spirit imparts to us power to work miracles. The word "power" (Acts 1:8) in the Greek is dunamis, the root word from which we get our word "dynamite". Certainly incidents like Philip the evangelist being transported to another town (Acts 8:36-40) suggest activity that has no alternative explanation- it can only be called a miracle. If you want to read more about Philip the evangelist, you can also check out Acts 8:4-13.
The Holy Spirit imparts to us the ability to embrace martyrdom. "And you will be my witnesses..." (Acts 1:8). The Greek word that our Bibles translate as "witnesses" is the word marturios, which is the source of the word martyr. Marturios also gives the connotation of testimony, as if a person were on trial. Do you really want to walk where Jesus walked? It's not about taking a flight to Jerusalem. It's about demonstrating the miracle-working power of God and joyfully suffering the consequences, just as the Jesus and the early apostles were questioned and maligned for speaking the truth and healing people.
Well, I hope I have not been too radical by blogging about absolution and martyrdom and speaking the truth and healing people, but I encourage all of us to reflect on this. If we are (as Pastor Sam said during last July's Nazarene conference) "preoccupied with the ministry of the Spirit", then we would do well to meditate on the scriptures that clue us in to the way the Spirit operates. And, just as the apostolic community of the first-century church experienced this amazing outpouring, we too have the privilege of experiencing God in this twenty-first century... with power to forgive from the heart, power to to be used in the miraculous, and power to witness for Jesus even if it costs us our lives.
So... are you one of those Apostle guys? Don't you wish everyone was?
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