“As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:21–22)
My car once got stuck in a snowy mixture at the edge of my driveway. A predictable series of events unfolded. First, I tried to maneuver the car on my own. I rocked it. I turned the wheel. I got cardboard.
Then I got my wife. She has long reminded me that, while I grew up in Florida, she spent almost all of her life in Indiana. I concede to her superior snow-situation skills. Nevertheless, after a good deal more time, neither of us could free the car.
When I arrived at the neighbor’s house, he was ready. At some point his children had noticed our plight, and he had readied his snow clothes. To my relief, two other neighbors also appeared in our driveway. With all present and accounted for, the car was freed in a matter of seconds.
God calls us to do all sorts of tasks in our lives. In John 20, God called his disciples to go. They were to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19). Thankfully, God never calls us to a task without giving us the power and opportunity to carry it out. The Holy Spirit is that power. Jesus gave them the power of the Spirit so that they could carry out the mission on which he sent them, and the same power is with us today.
Seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit and follow God’s call.
Ken Schenck is vice president for planning and innovation at Houghton College (NY) and a professor in New Testament. He previously served as dean of Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University.
© 2021 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
