And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

--Acts 4:31

 In John 14, the Lord Jesus promised the the Holy Spirit would come after He ascended to back to heaven. He commanded his disciples and others to assemble in the Upper Room and pray until that event took place. He taught them when the Holy Spirit came at that moment they would be ind-welled and empowered by the the Holy Spirit. That promise was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost. Since that event every person who has repented of sin and received the Lord Jesus as their Sovereign Savior has immediately at conversion been ind-welled with the Holy Spirit of God.  Sometimes people say we need another Pentecost. No, the original Pentecost was more than sufficient. However, can what happened to them still happen to us today? The answer is yes and no. Nowhere else in the Bible do we read of a mighty rushing wind, and the Spirit coming upon people like flames. But in Acts we do frequently read of the Holy Spirit empowering, speaking to, and using the believers.

The power given by the Holy Spirit to the first-century church at Pentecost is available to the twenty-first century church today. The power that was given to them then is available to us now. We have living in us the almighty Holy Spirit of God who can give us the power to live and witness for Him. We have the possibility of living powerful lives if we were to appropriate that power by faith.

The Holy Spirit filled the first-century believers again and again and again.  We read in Acts 2 where Peter and the disciples once ind-welled and endued  with power spoke with much authority and many heard their gospel presentation and were saved. We read of Peter at the Beautiful Gate being led by the Spirit to pull a crippled man to his feet. Then we read of how the Lord filled him with the Spirit, and he stated that Jesus was the Messiah.

This same power came upon the apostle Paul when he was trying to preach the gospel to the governor, and a sorcerer was opposing him. And the Bible tells us in Acts 13 that Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, turned to this man and rebuked him. It took a boldness from God.

When the believers were preaching the gospel and were told to stop, they prayed for even more boldness to do so. And in Acts 4:31, after this prayer, the building where they were meeting shook, and they all were filled with the Holy Spirit and preached God’s message with boldness.

If you have ever been opposed or ridiculed for sharing your faith you have also been tempted to stop sharing your faith. The early church found the answer was to pray and be filled with more power of the Holy Spirit gaining boldness to continue sharing the gospel of Christ.  Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:14, "And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet".

May each believer be encouraged with the biblical fact that we have the Holy Spirit in us and when we allow His control He will release His power in us for Holy Living and  Holy Boldness!

THEY SHOOK THE WORLD BECAUSE THEY SHOOK THE DUST AND SO CAN WE!