Parents and grandparents, this question is just for you. The question – What can you expect when you combine young children, a sliding glass door, and a lanai (back porch)? The answer – FINGERPRINTS and I mean a LOT of FINGERPRINTS. (And every parent/grandparent will say “amen”, right?) You know that you know that you know that their multiple trips in and out of your house through the sliding glass door will provide an enormous supply of undeniable evidence of their visit to your home.
A couple of weeks ago, I was preparing to minister at a Holy Spirit Rally in Sebring, Florida when I heard the Holy Spirit instruct me to pull out my Bible and look for His fingerprints throughout Acts. So, with my Bible, notebook, and pen (forgive me because I’m old school) in hand, I began to read and list the evidence. Starting with the very first verse of this book, I found that the fingerprints of His activity are EVERYWHERE! For example…
Acts 1:1 “…of all that Jesus began both to do and teach” – 100% of what Jesus did and said was through the Holy Spirit’s enablement. (Luke 4:18-19)
Acts 1:2 “…he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles…” – Jesus directed His apostles through the Holy Spirit.
Acts 1:3 “…shewed himself alive…” – It was through the Holy Spirit that Christ was resurrected from the dead. (Romans 8:11)
Acts 1:3 “…after his passion…” – Jesus’ passion had Holy Spirit fingerprints all over it. (Hebrews 9:14)
Acts 1:3 “…by many infallible proofs…” – These undeniable proofs occurred solely because the Spirit of the Lord was upon Jesus. (Luke 4:18-19; Acts 10:38)
Acts 1:3 “…speaking of things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” – It was Holy Spirit-directed words.
Acts 1:4 “…commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem…” – The need for a Holy Spirit baptism wasn’t open for discussion. It was a command.
Acts 1:4 “…wait for the promise of the Father…” – The sending of the Holy Spirit wasn’t an afterthought in God’s mind. His arrival was foretold centuries earlier. (Isaiah 44:3; Joel 2:28-29)
Acts 1:4 “…which, saith he, ye have heard of me.” – The Father and Jesus were in harmony. Jesus too clearly announced the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 1:5 “…ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” – The Holy Spirit was in the wings ready for the sending of the Father.
Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you…” – The Holy Spirit is heaven’s power supplier and deliverer.
Acts 1:8 “…and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in…” – His fingerprints will be rubbed by and through you onto others in every place.
Acts 1:14 “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication…” – 120 individuals in one room and in one accord for ten days is definitely evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit. Consider the fact that many husbands and wives can’t drive from their house to church on Sundays without some form of disagreement and yet 120 Jesus’ followers waited patiently together in the upper room.
Acts 1:16 “…the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake…” – The Holy Spirit is what I call the Great Mouthfiller.
Acts 1:24 “And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew…” – The Holy Spirit directed the hearts of the apostles.
Read the 28 chapters of Acts and you will find fingerprint after fingerprint after fingerprint. Try as they may, your children and grandchildren are no match for His fingerprinting ability!
Here is the reason for this post. This may silly and trite, but I honestly mean this. I want to be the sliding glass of the Holy Spirit with, to borrow from the closing sentence of the first paragraph, “an enormous supply of undeniable evidence” of His presence and activity in and through my life. Is this your prayer?
