The Acts of the Apostles has been
called the Fifth Gospel, the Gospel of the Holy Spirit, because of the strong presence of
the Spirit on every page.
The Spirit of God is shown guiding and fortifying the
Christian community and the lives of individual disciples in dramatic ways. We see the Spirit of Jesus direct the mission of the
apostles in a very definite manner – through miracles, signs and wonders.
The Risen Lord offered power from on high, and that divine indwelling is very
manifest in what we read in Acts.
The Spirit of the Lord is still with us, and we can still experience His presence and power in remarkable ways. Normally, however, in our lives we look for this gift of the Spirit in the
less miraculous, in the less extraordinary.
The power given from on high is revealed
in our lives
in the strength to follow daily in the footsteps of the
Lord,
in the miracle of grace at work in courageous Christ-like
choices,
in a life that shows forth the beauty of holiness.
Miracles and the
extraordinary still are part of the life of the Church of God.
But we do not look only there for the signs of the Spirit’s presence. The vision and courage, the fidelity and love that are required in daily discipleship are the truest signs of the might of the Spirit at work in a human heart.
As an old Christian verse
puts it:
Moment by moment I am kept by His
love.
Moment by moment I have light for my
feet,
Moment by moment I have power from
on high.
