“Power with a Purpose”
Pastor Jesus promises his congregation he’ll leave them some dynamite: the power of the Holy Spirit.
Now, there are a lot of people who'd get a good laugh out of that – saying churches are powered by dynamite. I can hear some smart aleck say, Pardon me, Preacher, but if you asked me to come up with one word to describe my experience of church, dynamite wouldn’t make the top ten. Words that mean the opposite of dynamite would be there instead. Words that connote more fizzle than sizzle. Know what I mean?
Tongue-Tied
… I think the miracle of Pentecost was that there was effective communication. A roomful of people from different backgrounds, ethnicities, nations and languages spoke to, listened to, and understood each other. They communicated!
Power with a Purpose
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses…” (Acts 1:8) That word translated power appears 88 times in the New Testament. In Greek, the original language of the New Testament, the word is δυναμιν (dunameen) from which we get our word dynamite. As he is departing his congregation, Pastor Jesus promises he will leave them with some dynamite: the power of the Holy Spirit.