The Holy Ghost Hook-Up
by Pastor Rod A. Whiteside,
New Vision Baptist Church
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria; and to the ends of the earth. –Acts 1:8
Every one of you has seen a man or woman, boy or girl who caught your eye. You didn’t want to approach the person yourself so you called your friend to take care of that for you. It seemed like a blessing in disguise because the person who caught your eye turned out to be your friend’s uncle’s cousin’s babysitter. Since your friend had those connections you asked your friend to give you the hook up.
New Vision Baptist Church
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria; and to the ends of the earth. –Acts 1:8
Every one of you has seen a man or woman, boy or girl who caught your eye. You didn’t want to approach the person yourself so you called your friend to take care of that for you. It seemed like a blessing in disguise because the person who caught your eye turned out to be your friend’s uncle’s cousin’s babysitter. Since your friend had those connections you asked your friend to give you the hook up.
Or
maybe you went through a period of desperation because of financial
trouble. You needed quick cash. When you asked Mama, she told you “No.”
Pay Day Advance was closed. So you went to the shady character who
stands on the corner and asked him for a loan hook-up until your next
paycheck. Unfortunately, the hook-up came with some strings.
The problem
today is that folk are looking for a hook-up around every corner: an
alcohol hook-up, a drug hook-up, a physical relationship hook-up. This
world has a lot of hook-ups to offer. There are hook-ups that look
good, smell good, taste good, sound good, and feel good. But the kind
of hook-up the world offers is a hook-up that won’t last long. If you
want a hook-up that feels good forever, you better grab the Holy Ghost
hook-up.
The high from
drugs wears off in the morning. The Holy Ghost is the Energizer Bunny.
The Holy Ghost high keeps going and going. Drugs kill your brain cells.
The Holy Ghost can strengthen your mind. That alcohol will leave a bad
taste in your mouth, but the Holy Ghost is like a high-priced coffee.
The Holy Ghost is good to the last drop.
What kind of
hook-up is important to you? Think about this: God won’t ask what kind
of car you drove. He will ask how many people did you drive who
couldn’t make it on their own? He won’t ask how much square footage
your house had. He will ask how many people did you welcome into your
home? God won’t ask how big your salary was. He will ask if you sold
your soul to get it? If you have the Holy Ghost hook-up, the things
that are important to God will be the things that are important to you.
Only the things of God will last.
In the 8th verse
of the first chapter of Acts Jesus said, “But you will receive power
when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses.” What
kind of power does the Holy Spirit have? Jesus said after you receive
the power you will be His witness. If the power of the Holy Spirit
transforms us into witnesses, what kind of power do we gain?
Let’s put this
into perspective. Pretend that you are back at your high school dance.
You see that fine 12th grader across the room. You are nervous about
approaching her. Your hands are sweating and your heart is beating like
a cheap drum. You just don’t have enough courage to walk across that
gym floor to make your move.
You turn to your
friends with the hope that they can help you through this situation.
Your friends end up talking you into approaching the young lady on the
other side of the gym. Your friends gave you the power to make your
move. You got power from your friends.
If you can get
power from a friend who flunked the 8th grade twice, if you can get
power from a friend who thinks detention is an after-school program, if
you can get power from a friend who thinks a cell phone is what you use
in jail, then how much more power can you get from the Holy Ghost?
The disciples
received power. They received confidence. They received authority. They
received courage. All that power was necessary because telling folk
about Jesus isn’t an easy job. Walking in the footsteps of Jesus is not
easy. You are supposed to be a disciple too. The power you need to be
able to live a life pleasing to God comes from the Holy Ghost. You need
that kind of power to make it through.
You will find
the power to do right when all your friends are acting crazy. You will
have the power to live right when times get tough and the way gets
rough. You will have the power to talk right when your parents tell you
something you don’t want to hear. You will find the power to walk right
when your hanging partners slide that illegal package your way.
The Holy Ghost
power is real, but you can’t get the Holy Ghost hook-up unless you
believe. In the 11th chapter of Hebrews it says, “Without faith it is
impossible to please God. For whoever comes to God must believe that He
is God and that God will reward those who diligently seek Him.” The
Holy Ghost hook-up means nothing if you don’t believe.
What is
important to you? It should be your relationship with your Heavenly
Father. If God is real to you your power is guaranteed. Power from
anywhere else will fade. Power from anywhere else will be forgotten,
but the Holy Ghost power shall last forever.
Pastor Rod Whiteside can be reached at [email protected].
maybe you went through a period of desperation because of financial
trouble. You needed quick cash. When you asked Mama, she told you “No.”
Pay Day Advance was closed. So you went to the shady character who
stands on the corner and asked him for a loan hook-up until your next
paycheck. Unfortunately, the hook-up came with some strings.
The problem
today is that folk are looking for a hook-up around every corner: an
alcohol hook-up, a drug hook-up, a physical relationship hook-up. This
world has a lot of hook-ups to offer. There are hook-ups that look
good, smell good, taste good, sound good, and feel good. But the kind
of hook-up the world offers is a hook-up that won’t last long. If you
want a hook-up that feels good forever, you better grab the Holy Ghost
hook-up.
The high from
drugs wears off in the morning. The Holy Ghost is the Energizer Bunny.
The Holy Ghost high keeps going and going. Drugs kill your brain cells.
The Holy Ghost can strengthen your mind. That alcohol will leave a bad
taste in your mouth, but the Holy Ghost is like a high-priced coffee.
The Holy Ghost is good to the last drop.
What kind of
hook-up is important to you? Think about this: God won’t ask what kind
of car you drove. He will ask how many people did you drive who
couldn’t make it on their own? He won’t ask how much square footage
your house had. He will ask how many people did you welcome into your
home? God won’t ask how big your salary was. He will ask if you sold
your soul to get it? If you have the Holy Ghost hook-up, the things
that are important to God will be the things that are important to you.
Only the things of God will last.
In the 8th verse
of the first chapter of Acts Jesus said, “But you will receive power
when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses.” What
kind of power does the Holy Spirit have? Jesus said after you receive
the power you will be His witness. If the power of the Holy Spirit
transforms us into witnesses, what kind of power do we gain?
Let’s put this
into perspective. Pretend that you are back at your high school dance.
You see that fine 12th grader across the room. You are nervous about
approaching her. Your hands are sweating and your heart is beating like
a cheap drum. You just don’t have enough courage to walk across that
gym floor to make your move.
You turn to your
friends with the hope that they can help you through this situation.
Your friends end up talking you into approaching the young lady on the
other side of the gym. Your friends gave you the power to make your
move. You got power from your friends.
If you can get
power from a friend who flunked the 8th grade twice, if you can get
power from a friend who thinks detention is an after-school program, if
you can get power from a friend who thinks a cell phone is what you use
in jail, then how much more power can you get from the Holy Ghost?
The disciples
received power. They received confidence. They received authority. They
received courage. All that power was necessary because telling folk
about Jesus isn’t an easy job. Walking in the footsteps of Jesus is not
easy. You are supposed to be a disciple too. The power you need to be
able to live a life pleasing to God comes from the Holy Ghost. You need
that kind of power to make it through.
You will find
the power to do right when all your friends are acting crazy. You will
have the power to live right when times get tough and the way gets
rough. You will have the power to talk right when your parents tell you
something you don’t want to hear. You will find the power to walk right
when your hanging partners slide that illegal package your way.
The Holy Ghost
power is real, but you can’t get the Holy Ghost hook-up unless you
believe. In the 11th chapter of Hebrews it says, “Without faith it is
impossible to please God. For whoever comes to God must believe that He
is God and that God will reward those who diligently seek Him.” The
Holy Ghost hook-up means nothing if you don’t believe.
What is
important to you? It should be your relationship with your Heavenly
Father. If God is real to you your power is guaranteed. Power from
anywhere else will fade. Power from anywhere else will be forgotten,
but the Holy Ghost power shall last forever.
Pastor Rod Whiteside can be reached at [email protected].
