The Holy Spirit’s gift of unshakeable confidence
Daily Scripture
Acts 1:1-8
Acts 4
24 They listened, then lifted their voices in unison to God, “Master, you are the one who created the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. 25 You are the one who spoke by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant:
Why did the Gentiles rage,
and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth took their stand
and the rulers gathered together as one
against the Lord and against his Christ [or anointed one; Psalm 2:1-2]
27 Indeed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with Gentiles and Israelites, did gather in this city against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and plan had already determined would happen. 29 Now, Lord, take note of their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with complete confidence. 30 Stretch out your hand to bring healing and enable signs and wonders to be performed through the name of Jesus, your holy servant.” 31 After they prayed, the place where they were gathered was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking God’s word with confidence.
Acts 5
27 The apostles were brought before the council where the high priest confronted them: 28 “In no uncertain terms, we demanded that you not teach in this name. And look at you! You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching. And you are determined to hold us responsible for this man’s death.”
29 Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than humans! 30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God has exalted Jesus to his right side as leader and savior so that he could enable Israel to change its heart and life and to find forgiveness for sins. 32 We are witnesses of such things, as is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
Daily Reflection & Prayer
Today’s reading showed how Jesus’ first followers dealt with opposition. The very same people who asked Pilate to kill Jesus arrested them and ordered them to stop preaching. But they didn’t cower in fear. They prayed, not asking for God to stop their opponents, but for strength “to speak your word with complete confidence.” God answered their prayer. The Holy Spirit filled them (not with the outer signs from Acts 2, but with the same results), and they kept on preaching despite the religious leaders’ threats.
- After Jesus’ crucifixion, his disciples understandably feared the Jerusalem authorities (cf. John 20:19). Jesus’ resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit replaced their fear with earth-shaking boldness. When the council and the high priest ordered them NOT to preach, they had no doubt who they needed to obey. Have you ever had to decide whether to obey God or some human authority? If so, what did you decide to do?
- We saw last week that the Hebrew Scriptures hardly ever spoke specifically about the “Holy Spirit.” But in Acts 4:25 (and also in Acts 28:25 and 2 Peter 1:21) the apostles clearly attributed the “Old” Testament writings to the Holy Spirit’s influence in the writers’ lives. Guided by Jesus’ example, it’s clear that the New Testament Christians accepted those Scriptures as their “Bible,” not a discardable relic. What has helped you see the value of the whole Bible, not just parts of it?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I like it when people praise my church or some act of service I do. Make me willing to also face ridicule or scorn, if that’s what it takes for me to live loyally to you. Amen.
GPS Insights
Amy Oden
Dr. Amy Oden is Professor of Early Church History and Spirituality, teaching at several seminaries. Teaching is her calling, and she looks forward to every day with students. Her latest book (Right Here, Right Now: The Practice of Christian Mindfulness, Abingdon Press, 2017) traces ancient mindfulness practice for Christians today.
When I learned that the word for Holy Spirit is written in the New Testament as pneuma, or breath, it changed my experience of God. I began to think about my breath, each inhale and exhale, as connected to the work of the Holy Spirit in me, every day in everything I did. God became closer, more real, more present. Not some vague Being “out there,” but a concrete, living Presence “right here.”
I get a lot of comfort and confidence from connecting my breath to the Spirit of God breathing in me. The New Testament word pneuma can be translated as spirit, breath or wind. For me, breath prayer is the spiritual practice of paying attention, on purpose, to the Holy Spirit in me, not just episodically, not just when I’m in distress or need help, but all the time.
Lately, as I anticipate some major life changes in the next year, I find anxiety entering my body. I feel my breath tighten as it becomes shallower. My thoughts go to worry and my heart speeds up. Recently, my thoughts turned to fear of how it all these life changes might turn out, that I might fail or be unhappy. Then I remembered to pause and practice my breath prayer. With focused breathing–simply breathing!–I turn to the One who made me, who intimately knows every cell of my body and the deepest desires my heart.
I inhale deeply… opening up space in my body for the Spirit to flow through me, making room for more than anxious thoughts. I exhale slowly… turning my heart toward the possibilities of abundant life God offers me and pledging my will to the work of the Holy Spirit in me. My body relaxes and I breathe more deeply.
This is not a magic wand to banish all anxiety. But it is a relief, a reset and a re-framing of my attention, away from my fears and back on God, through the power of the Holy Spirit in me. Here, I receive the “complete confidence” of the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:29).
Today, I invite you to pause and breathe. Let the Holy Spirit, the pneuma in every breath, fill you with complete confidence.
