Filled With the Spirit

When the wind subsided and only smoke remained in the room, Simon Peter stepped forward as a leader in this church so new those present hardly knew what to call it.  But, this is a different Simon Peter.  The one who went out and preached that powerful message about the crucified and risen Jesus was emptied of any fear and filled with a boldness that must have amazed even him.  What made the difference?  The Holy Spirit made the difference. 

 

If we use the more traditional language who we hear preaching is a Spirit filled Simon Peter.  It is the only thing which accounts for the difference in the man who often talked a bigger game than he could play.  This power filled moment with the Holy Spirit did not take away the possibility of Peter messing things up in the way he had back when Jesus was walking with him, but it did create a man who began living under the authority and under the influence of the Holy Spirit.  It was a watershed moment that transformed the disciples' life, but it was about more than a moment in his life.  It was about a new and different lifestyle.

 

As we run into this term, "filled with the Spirit," we often want to dismiss it as something which belongs to the realm of outdated language.  There is something about the term which causes us to be hesitant about using it to describe our own living because we are flawed and dependent on the grace and mercy of God.   Too often we have seen it as something which speaks of spiritual extremism instead of life being lived as God intends for us to live.  We all submit to some authority.  In that moment in the room in Jerusalem, Simon Peter was overwhelmed with the Holy Spirit and all the unknown possibilities it held for walking with God.  He said "Yes" to that moment which is a choice for each one of us as well.