A new day. A new encounter. A new power that raises us from the dead. The broken soul now has something new, a redemptive restoration that cures the ache of our longing hearts.
What is the new?
What is the mark of the new?
The new is the new covenant with God. The mark of the new covenant with God is the Holy Spirit.The mark of the first covenant with God was circumcision. The mark of the New Covenant is the Holy Spirit.
The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead now is poured out on all who ask. He raises us from our dead end ways.
Now Jesus spent 3 years raising up his disciples. His disciples are to continue what he started, the advancing of his kingdom. They lived with him and did everything together. He commissions them saying, "Go into all the world and make disciples. Baptize them and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you." Essentially he was saying now go do what I have been doing!
That's it.
There was no ten year plan or for that matter a ten or twenty century plan. There was not five principles you will need to always succeed at advancing my kingdom. No action plan. Just go do what I've been doing and oh yeah you will need one thing and one thing only to succeed.
He said to them go wait for what the Father promised. Guess what that was?
The baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus himself baptizes us in the Holy Spirit and with fire. We receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on us.
So if your looking for an action plan this is it. The Holy Spirit. By the way the Spirit is the mark of the New Covenant. That is why the Apostle Paul would ask believers if they had the Holy Spirit. That's why he would say things like IF the Spirit lives in you then... notice the IF.
This is what it means to be Christian in the 1st century, if you have the Holy Spirit you are part of Messiah.
The mark of the new!
I will write some more on this tomorrow.
Brian