Batteries not included

Do you remember how disappointing it was as a child on Christmas day when you unwrapped a toy only to discover that it needed batteries. Your parents had obviously not read those all important words on the back of the box “batteries not included”. Doh! Your present looks good, it was very kindly given, but it just isn’t going to be much fun until it can do all the things it was deigned to do. (Recently I’ve had that experience as a parent and had to frantically search the house in the hope of finding half a dozen AA batteries for various newly unwrapped presents.)

Well the gospel is a present that comes with “batteries included” and that was the title of my talk to the UEA CU. I spoke on Acts 2:38,39

repent and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off - all who call on the name of the Lord"  Acts 2:38,39

My point was that that sometimes we truncate the gospel. We give people the present without the power. Jesus told his disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit. It wasn’t enough that they knew him, that they believed in him, that they had seen him rise from the dead. If they were to take the gospel out to the ends of the earth they would need to be filled with/baptised with/receive (the terms are used interchangeably) the Holy Sprit.

It’s the same with us but now we don’t have to wait. The disciples told the crowd that what had just been given to them could be theirs as well. The Holy Spirit is available to all God’s people. We repent, we get forgiven, we put our trust in Jesus (initially in the way he told us to by being baptised) and then we get the power we need to live our lives for him.