When’s the Stuff Going to Happen?
Many people believe they need to become better people before they can get close to Jesus. However, the truth is, if you draw closer to Jesus, He will make you a better person. The Lord doesn’t want to put you into a mold and make you look like a Christian. The Lord wants to change you from the inside out to make you a Christian. This process is called transformation. Look at Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” The Lord’s perfect will is that you become like Jesus and that in life’s situations, you would do what Jesus would do. Jesus empowered us, through the Holy Spirit, to do the following in Mark 16:15-18, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Show More
There was a pastor in the early 1980s who was a musician-turned-Christian leader who had a deep hunger for experiencing God’s power. After becoming a Christian, he started attending church regularly. But after weeks of services, he asked a question that would shape his ministry: “When do we get to do the stuff?
He had read in the Bible about Jesus healing the sick, casting out demons, and performing miracles. But in church, all he saw was singing, sermons, and people shaking hands. He was looking for the same supernatural power that Jesus and His disciples had.
This question led him on a journey to discover the real, living power of the Holy Spirit—a power available to all believers today. This journey begins with salvation, followed by water baptism and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Salvation: The Beginning of the Christian Journey
Salvation is the starting point of a relationship with Jesus. It begins when we acknowledge that we were wrong and that God was right. It’s not just about following rules but about knowing and trusting Jesus personally.
Imagine you are lost in a huge forest with no way out. You try to find your own path, but every direction leads to more confusion and danger. Then, someone appears with a map and a flashlight, offering to guide you out. That person is Jesus. Accepting salvation is like deciding to trust the guide instead of wandering aimlessly. It’s realizing you need help and choosing to follow the One who knows the way.
What Does the Bible Say?
Acts 2:38-39, “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.’” Salvation is available to everyone who turns to Jesus. It’s an invitation to a new life, filled with the presence and power of God.
My personal testimony of how I came to the Savior began when I went from trying to understand God to simply trusting Him and His Word. I was trained in the sciences and became a high school chemistry and biology teacher. Science, as you know, has to do with being able to see, taste, hear, smell, and touch the physical world. You cannot effectively understand the spiritual realm using scientific methods. However, this is exactly how I approached God! and it did not work. I was leaning on my own understanding instead of admitting I was wrong and that I needed Jesus in my life; that’s repentance. I had what some refer to as an “Ah-ha moment” or “Eureka” I got it: Jesus is who God says He is, He is the way, the truth and the Life!
Isaiah 55:8-9 also was very influential in my life. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” My conclusion was, how can the created fully understand the creator? All we can do is trust and obey the Lord!
Baptism in Water: A Public Declaration of Faith
Water baptism is an outward sign of an inward change. It represents dying from our old way of life and rising into a new life with Jesus. Jesus does not rehabilitate He re-creates. Rehabilitation is about building a new structure on the old foundation. Re-creation is about building a new foundation and a new structure. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Notice that all things have become new!
Imagine a dirty, stained shirt that has been worn for weeks without washing. No matter how much perfume or deodorant you use, the smell remains. But once the shirt is washed, it becomes fresh and clean. Water baptism is like that—it doesn’t save you, but it is a sign that your old life has been washed away, and you are now living a new life in Christ.
Romans 6:1-4, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
Not too long after receiving Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I was told that I needed to be water baptized. My natural self rebelled against the idea of baptism; it didn’t make any sense to me. Here again, I slipped into “leaning on my own understanding” instead of trusting the Lord and His instruction from the Bible. I thought to myself baptism was just a ritual and there was no benefit to being baptized, and in part, I was embarrassed to be baptized.
After a season of time, I did get baptized, and it turned out to be a glorious experience! I remember going down into the water, and after being fully submerged, there was a part of me that did not want to come to the surface. Something spiritual happened in the waters of baptism.
Baptism is a powerful step of obedience. It’s a way of telling the world, “I belong to Jesus.”
Baptism in the Holy Spirit: Power for the Christian Life
Water baptism is important, but Jesus also discussed another kind of baptism: the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Imagine trying to ride a bicycle up a steep hill. You pedal with all your strength, but the climb is exhausting and slow. Then, someone gives you an electric bike. Now, with the push of a button, you have extra power that helps you move forward easily. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is like that—it gives you supernatural strength, boldness, and guidance to live the Christian life effectively.
Acts 1:4, “And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, ‘which,’ He said, ‘you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’”
Before Jesus left the earth, He told His disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit. He didn’t want them to try to live the Christian life in their own strength. Instead, He promised them supernatural power, a spiritual Helper. In the same way, each of us needs the help of the Holy Spirit to live the new life God has given us.
In Acts 1:8 Jesus says, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
This power wasn’t just for the early church—it’s for all believers today. The Holy Spirit gives us boldness, wisdom, and the ability to experience God’s presence in our daily lives. All you have to do is believe what Jesus promised and step out by faith; then, you will see the Lord working through you to perform the miracles only the Lord can do. The Holy Spirit needs a vessel to work through- say yes to Him!
Even after I was baptized, I did not believe that God did miracles for today. I was not taught that healing was for today and I had not seen a miracle until my father-in-law came to live with us. My father-in-law had suffered a stroke and was partially paralyzed on his right side. He walked with a cane and could not use his right arm, his arm just hung by his side.
My father-in-law heard about a healing service and told me he was going with a group of friends. I remember thinking that he was wasting his time. That evening, my father-in-law came into our home walking without his cane and excitedly asked for a pen. He leaned over the table with the pen and signed his name for the first time since his stroke. He was healed! He could walk and use his right side again, hallelujah! He received a miraculous healing, and I received the truth, which I hold to this day: God is still in the healing business! Since then, I have seen God work miracle after miracle in the lives of countless people.
Jesus is the healer, and He can heal you or work through you to bring healing to others. All of this through the Holy Spirit. Remember what Jesus said in the gospel of John 14:12, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.”
Experiencing God’s Power Today
That pastor, I mentioned in the beginning, eventually realized that the “stuff” he was looking for was real. When he and his church started praying for people, they saw miracles happen. The sick were healed, people were set free, and lives were changed.
The same Holy Spirit that worked through Jesus and the early disciples is still at work today. All we have to do is seek God, surrender to His will, and step out in faith.
How Can You Receive the Power of the Holy Spirit?
1. Ask God for It – Jesus said in Luke 11:13, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”
2. Spend Time in God’s Presence, Worship, prayer, and reading the Bible to help us grow in our relationship with the Holy Spirit.
3. Step Out in Faith, Sometimes, we don’t experience God’s power because we’re afraid to take risks. But when we pray for others, share our faith, and obey God, we will see Him move in amazing ways.
Conclusion: Are You Ready to Experience the “Stuff”?
Christianity isn’t just about knowing the right things—it’s about knowing Jesus personally. Salvation is just the beginning. When you choose to follow Jesus, get baptized, and seek the Holy Spirit, you open the door to an amazing life filled with God’s power.
The question I asked in the beginning is still relevant today: “When do we get to do the stuff?” The answer? Right now! If you’re ready to experience more of God, don’t wait. Pray, seek Him, and step out in faith. He’s ready to work in and through you!
