ODJ: The Spirit’s Work Within

May 9, 2018 

READ: Acts 4:13-37 

We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard (v.20).

One day, I noticed my bird feeder hanging in the distance and remembered it had been some time since I’d refilled it. Walking over and reaching for the refill cap, I stopped as I noticed the interior of the feeder had been taken over by a wasp’s nest. The transformation reminded me that, similar to the way a wasp nest and birdseed couldn’t occupy the same space, our choice to be filled with the Holy Spirit must be full and complete.

In Acts 4 we see the extraordinary way the Spirit-filled life makes God and His purposes known to humanity. Distinctive in their mission and method, believers in the early church eagerly embraced a life that set them apart from the culture—both secular and sectarian—around them. What Jesus had initiated in the hearts of His disciples (v.13) continued. The gospel spread to others through the working of the Spirit in those who’d believed in Jesus (v.31).

How did ordinary people cause “trouble all over the world” and “disturb” complacent communities? (Acts 17:6). Convinced that God’s kingdom and the battle for its dominion were real, followers of Christ boldly proclaimed the truth—that Jesus was alive, and His death had made it possible for people to be saved from their sins (4:12). As a result, it became natural for them to witness the miraculous (vv.14,16), pray with an authoritative understanding of their position before Christ (vv.24-30) and interact with other believers with unity and generosity (vv.32-37).

The God who set it all into motion remains alive and active today (Psalm 102:26-27). May we too yield to the work of the Spirit in such a way that we “cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20).

—Regina Franklin

365-day plan: Job 2:1-13