EXPERIENCE THE PERSONAL PRESENCE OF CHRSIT

Day #177 PERSONAL PRESENCE TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:2–4). DAILY FIRE! Lord, help me to show to others the cross of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit in my life. One thing has always amazed me: the disciples did not weep when Christ left them. They never showed any nostalgia for “the good old days.” Luke tells us that after He ascended out of sight, they “returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God” (Luke 24:52–53).  Why did they display such a remarkable reaction to the departure of Jesus?  The answer is the coming of the Spirit! When Christ was present, they were only eyewitnesses of His power. But when the day of Pentecost came, they were more than eyewitnesses—they possessed power themselves, and experienced the divine presence personally. It was different from when Christ was with them.  That personal sense of the presence of God is nowhere said to be just for the disciples alone, as if they were some kind of elite band. Peter said: “The promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:39). He quoted the promise from the prophet Joel, where God said: “I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh” (verse 17).  Wesley observed that this promise is not only for the day of Pentecost—it described the normal Christian experience, as does the whole book of Acts. Taken from Daily Fire Devotional: 365 Days in God’s Word by Reinhard Bonnke. Copyright © 2016 by Reinhard Bonnke. Use by permission of Whitaker House. www.whitakerhouse.com

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