Sometimes it seems as if life is nothing but a struggle, and we have to search hard to find anything positive.  We take one step forward but two steps back.  We try and try, but only fall short of where we know we should be.  Like the "Born Loser" said in yesterday's comics, "What a week this has been.  First I lost my wallet in the mall, then I slipped and broke my ankle, and then I came down with the flu.  But at least I'm on vacation!"

          What a few weeks it had been for the disciples.  First they saw their Lord arrested, and they all deserted Him in terror.  Then they heard He'd died on the cross and Judas had hanged himself.  Then they saw Jesus alive again and they were filled with joy.  But then He left them again and disappeared into the clouds.

          So these disciples, bounced here and there in their emotions, wondering what would happen next, went to the Upper Room, and with some of the faithful women they elected Matthias to replace Judas.  And they prayed and waited.  Jesus had said, "Do not leave Jerusalem but wait for the gift my Father promised....  "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

          So they gathered together and waited for an unknown gift from God.  And that most marvelous gift was given the day of Pentecost.  Pentecost was the Jewish festival of First Fruits, always celebrated 50 days after the Passover, a time to give God a portion of the first fruits and grain of harvest.  Still today every year on Pentecost, Orthodox Jewish children are given a special gift, a token of God's blessing.  And they never know ahead of time what it will be.

          Little did the disciples, God's newly chosen children, realize they would receive the greatest gift imaginable, the gift of the Holy Spirit.  On that most memorable Pentecost Day God plugged them into the power that would create faith in the hearts of all the faithful people.  They would be plugged into the power that would create the Christian church and change the entire course of history.  And we today are still plugging into the power of God as we live our daily lives.

          We know the story well.  They were gathered in the Upper Room praying when the place was filled with the sound of a mighty wind.  Perhaps the people of Oklahoma's tornado alley know the sound.  But this wind didn't tear down houses.  It tore into the hearts of those praying and filled them with courage.  It plugged them into the power of the Eternal Ages, the power to speak the Gospel in other languages, the power of Almighty God.

          Tongues of fire appeared on their heads, not to burn down churches or villages, not to destroy by the fire of guided missiles, but to show the firepower of God's love.  And this fire of God would not be extinguished, not smothered by altars of idolatry, not doused by the waters of apathy, and not blown away by the winds of godless people.  This fire of God would burn forever in the hearts of those who hear the Word of God and keep it, those who hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ and trust with all their hearts that He is King of kings and Lord of lords.

          When you and I plug in a fan and turn on the switch, something happens.  Invisible atoms already combined with others begin to move.  Air molecules are propelled by forces of physics we cannot see.  The breeze blows and sweat begins to dry and we are cooled.  But you and I don't analyze the breeze, we just feel it.  We feel its presence and experience its effect.  So it is with the Holy Spirit of God.

          One evening, Jesus once told Nicodemus this.  It was the original "Nick at Night" conversation about God's power.  Please open your Bibles to John chapter three (p. 751).  Nicodemus was both impressed and confused.  He'd seen Jesus' miracles and wasn't sure who Jesus was.  Instead of responding to Nick's question about His powers, Jesus talks about the Spirit.  "You must be born again," He said, "You must be born from above.  For the wind blows here and there, but you don't analyze it, you just feel its presence.  So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

          When Nicodemus expresses his lack of understanding, Jesus leads into the most beloved verse in the Bible.  "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.  For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

          Jesus was plugging Nicodemus into the power of God.  It was a power, not of might or right, not a power of privilege or intellect, but the power of God.  This is power based on God's purposes.  It is power for earthly life, and it is power for eternal life.  And this power is for us.  You and need this power for living.  We don't need more fun and games.  We don't need more guns and toys.  We need God's forgiveness and joy.  We need less of the temporal and more of the eternal.  We need to be plugged into the power of God so that when we fall, we won't fail to get back up.

          Here's an internet story.  Most of these are forgettable, but this is good, written by an observer:

          I was watching some little kids play soccer.  They were only five or six years old but were playing a real game, complete with coaches, uniforms, and parents.  I didn't know any of them, so I was really able to enjoy the game.  The teams were pretty evenly matched, so I'll call them Team One and Team Two.  Nobody scored in the first period and it was great fun to watch.  They were clumsy inefficient, they stumbled over the ball and often missed it.  But they were having so much fun!

          In the second period, the Team One coach pulled his first team players and put in the scrubs.  But he left in his goalie, probably his best player.  The game took a dramatic turn.  Team One scrubs were no match for Team Two.  Team Two swarmed all over the little goalie.  He was good but was no match for Team Two and they began to score.

          The little goalie gave it his all.  But leaping and throwing his body in front of balls, he couldn't do it alone.  Team Two scored two quick goals.  The little boy became a raging maniac - shouting, running, and diving.  With all he could muster, he stopped one boy's kick, but another boy kicked it in and they scored a third goal.  I could see the goalie's parents now - nice, decent looking people.  His dad must just have come from the office, in suit and tie.  They yelled encouragement and I really became absorbed in the boy and his parents.

          After the fourth goal, the little boy changed.  He didn't quit playing, but you could see he'd given up.  His father changed too.  He'd been urging his son to try harder, but then he changed.  He became anxious, saying that it was okay, hang in there.  He grieved for the pain of his son.

          After the fifth goal, I knew what was going to happen.  The little guy needed help so badly, and there was none.  He retrieved the ball from the net and handed it to the referee.  Someone in the crowd started to laugh at him.  Huge tears rolled down both cheeks.  And then the little boy went to his knees and he started to cry.

          His father started onto the field, his wife clutching at his coat to restrain him.  He ran onto the field and picked up his son and hugged and kissed him, and he cried with him.  I'd thought this Dad was going to be angry, but I've never been so proud of a man in my life.  Dad picked up his son and carried him off the field, and I heard him say, "Scotty, I'm so proud of you.  You were great out there.  I love you and I want everybody to know that you are my child."

          "Daddy," the boy sobbed, "I couldn't stop them.  I tried and tried, Daddy, but they scored on me."  "Scotty," I heard the Dad say, "it doesn't matter how many times they score on you.  You're my son, and I'm proud of you.  Now I want you to go back out there and finish the game.  I know you want to quit, but you can't.  And son, you're going to get scored on again, but it doesn't matter, because I love you.  Now go on back in there."  And the father sent his son back on the field.

          It made a difference to the boy, I could tell it did.  You see, when you're all alone and you're getting scored on, and you can't stop them, it isn't quite so bad when you know someone there in the stands loves you.  The little guy ran back on to the field, and they scored two more times, but he played his best, and I could see he was going to be all right.

          You and I get scored on every day.  We try so hard.  We recklessly throw ourselves in every direction, and even fume and rage.  We struggle with temptation and sin with every ounce of our being, but so often Satan just laughs and scores again.  And the tears will come.  We may even go down on our knees, sinful, convicted and helpless.

          But then our Heavenly Father rushes onto the field, right in front of the laughing, jeering crowd.  And He picks us up and He hugs us, and says, "I love you and I forgive you, and I want everybody to know that you are my child.  You have another chance.  You'll be okay."  So we get up and try again, this time knowing it's going to be okay because He loves us.

          Plugging into the power of God does not come with 12 Steps or 4 Spiritual Laws.  It comes by faith and repentance.  You can't just follow a few steps and everything will be okay.  We're swamped today with simplistic plans for the good life.  But we need more.  We must get plugged into the power.

          C. S. Lewis in his great work, Mere Christianity, says it so well:  "Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement:  he is a rebel who must lay down his arms.  Laying down your arms, surrendering, saying you are sorry, realizing that you have been on the wrong track - that is the only way out of the "hole."  Surrender ...is what Christians call repentance... It is no fun... It means unlearning all the self-conceit and self-will we have been training ourselves into... It means killing part of yourself."

          He writes:  "It takes a good man to repent.  And here comes the catch:  only a bad person needs to repent - only a good person can repent perfectly.  The worse you are the more you need it, and the less you can do it.  The only person who could [repent] perfectly would be a perfect person... That person is Jesus Christ."

          Plugging into the power means repentance and it means faith.  Like the disciples, we must repent of our sins, and trust that God has done enough in Jesus Christ.  Well, friends, we have that power because of Pentecost.  In Christ, Father came onto the field and picked us up.  Through Christ we have His power.  It's power for peace and for strength.  It's power to work and to laugh.  It's power for love and for life.  Plug into the power, my friends, and see how your life will change.  Amen!

Copyright © 1999 by Pastor Bob Tasler.  All rights reserved.