Power and Responsibility

Read Acts 2:1-11

Jesus said, "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
-Matthew 28:19 (NIV)

ONE of the most memorable lines from the first of the recent Spiderman movies is when Peter (Spiderman) Parker's uncle Ben tells him, "With great power comes great responsibility." Ben didn't know how powerful his nephew had become, but those words were to remain with Peter as he faced many challenges.

At Pentecost, Jesus' disciples experienced an outpouring of the Holy Spirit which equipped them to follow Christ with the almighty power of God. But with this new power came a responsibility to others, for they were commissioned to go into the world and tell everyone of God's love.

God's power, through the Holy Spirit, is available to Christ's followers in every age, yet often we forget it is offered. We may not travel to all the ends of the earth, but most of us meet people who need to hear about Christ as we go to work, the gym, the school, neighborhood spots. How wonderful that with our responsibility to share God's message comes the Spirit's great power!

by Rosemary Gemmell (Renfrewshire, Scotland)