10-18-2026 Don't Forget the Power!

Oct 18, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Breath That Awakens Dead Bones

Jesus’ resurrection breath in John 20 mirrors God’s life-giving breath in Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones. This isn’t metaphor—it’s the same Spirit that animated Adam, revived Israel, and now dwells in believers. Just as lifeless bodies gasped awake at Ezekiel’s prophecy, Christ’s breath in the locked room ignites our new identity. The indwelling Spirit isn’t a theological concept but the pulse of resurrection life reshaping us from within. What once felt impossible—forgiveness, purpose, hope—becomes natural as breath. [50:22]

“He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” (John 20:22, NIV)

Reflection: Where have you resigned yourself to “dry bones” situations—in relationships, dreams, or spiritual growth? How might the Spirit’s breath revive what feels beyond repair?

Day 2: When Do We Get to Do the Stuff?

John Wimber’s restless question exposes our tendency to settle for routines that lack the Spirit’s raw power. Like first-century disciples, we risk locking doors of expectation, reducing faith to safety over surrender. The early church’s miracles weren’t anomalies but blueprints. Pentecost’s wind still blows where people hunger for more than comfort. Quenching the Spirit isn’t always rejection—it’s complacency with a manageable gospel. [34:30]

“Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.” (Acts 2:2, NIV)

Reflection: What “stuff” of the Kingdom—healing, bold witness, spiritual gifts—have you quietly stopped expecting? What practical step could rekindle that hunger?

Day 3: Candles, Flames, and the Twofold Gift

The indwelling Spirit is the candle’s steady glow—Christ’s presence warming our daily walk. The Pentecostal flame is the wildfire that falls afresh for specific battles. One assures we’re never orphaned; the other equips us to storm hell’s gates. Both are gifts, not rewards. To neglect either is to limp: all intimacy without power breeds passivity, all power without intimacy breeds pride. [01:01:15]

“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18, NIV)

Reflection: Are you leaning on past fillings of the Spirit like a dwindling battery? What situation today requires fresh oil for your lamp?

Day 4: The Rhythm of Fillings

Peter’s repeated fillings in Acts reveal a pattern—the Spirit’s power isn’t a one-time deposit but a daily reliance. Like manna, it’s given anew for each challenge. Anxiety, conflict, and weariness drain our reserves, but the well never runs dry. Asking for fresh infillings isn’t weakness; it’s the humility of a child reaching for a parent’s hand in unfamiliar terrain. [01:09:11]

“Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: ‘Rulers and elders of the people!’” (Acts 4:8, NIV)

Reflection: What current challenge feels beyond your capacity? How might praying “Come, Holy Spirit” before stepping into it shift your posture?

Day 5: Anointing Oil for the Unqualified

The oil poured on David—a shepherd boy—symbolizes God’s habit of empowering the unlikely. Our qualifications matter less than our availability to carry the Spirit’s flame. Anointing isn’t for clergy but for cooks, accountants, and tired parents. Every whispered “Yes” to the Spirit’s nudge is a drop of oil preparing us for moments we’ll need to speak, heal, or stand firm. [01:16:35]

“Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.” (James 5:14, NIV)

Reflection: Where do you feel unqualified to minister? How might the Spirit’s anointing transform your ordinary moments into holy ground?

Sermon Summary

John Wimber’s question, “When do we get to do the stuff?” names a hunger for the abundant life Jesus offers. The contrast between reading about healings, freedom, and the early church, then settling for a dry and boring faith, still confronts many churches. The Holy Spirit can be quenched through fear, sin, anxiety, preconceived conclusions, or painful experiences that cause people to throw the baby out with the bath water.

The Spirit’s indwelling ministry gives new life and identity. Romans 8 says the Spirit testifies that God’s people are beloved children, crying, “Abba, Father.” Jesus’ prayer invites believers into the fellowship of Father, Son, and Spirit. The Spirit also slowly forms Christlike character through suffering, struggle, kindness, goodness, humility, and perseverance.

John 20 and Acts 2 belong together, but they do not do the same thing. Jesus breathes on the disciples on resurrection evening and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” That intimate breath reaches back to Genesis 2, where God breathes life into Adam, and to Ezekiel 37, where the breath of God brings dry bones to life. John 20 reveals the divine kiss of new creation: the Spirit within gives life, renewal, forgiveness, and the presence of Christ.

Pentecost reveals another gift. Acts 2 is not merely the beginning of Christian life, but the clothing of believers with power from on high. The wind becomes violent, fire rests on each person, and the Spirit enables public witness. Presence and power are intimately connected, yet distinct. The flame within belongs to every Christian; the Spirit’s filling comes upon God’s people for particular moments, needs, and callings.

Peter shows this episodic filling. The Spirit empowers him at Pentecost to preach, then fills him again before religious opposition, and fills the gathered church again to speak the word boldly. The Spirit’s power is not a spiritual upgrade for impressive people. The Spirit meets weakness, difficult conversations, resistance, witness, ministry, calling, and the places where human words and strength simply are not enough.

Paul’s command to “be filled with the Holy Spirit” calls for ongoing dependence. The world reaches for wine, drugs, and other escapes when anxiety, trauma, pain, and strain press in. The new covenant offers something better: repeated, humble, expectant asking for the Spirit’s power. Everybody gets to play. Christ calls His people to long for, desire, pray for, and go after the fullness of presence and power.

Key Takeaways

1. Do not quench the Holy Spirit The warning assumes that hearts can resist the Spirit’s work without openly rejecting Christ. Fear, disappointment, habitual sin, and settled assumptions can quietly diminish expectancy. The honest question is not merely whether someone believes in the Spirit, but whether that person has made room for the Spirit to move. [37:09]
2. The Spirit gives new creation life Jesus’ breath in John 20 recalls God’s breath into Adam and the breath entering Ezekiel’s dry bones. The indwelling Spirit is not an accessory to Christian faith, but the source of life itself. Christ does not leave His people orphaned; He brings His own presence within them. [52:49]
3. Presence and power are distinct gifts John 20 shows the Spirit given for new life and renewal, while Acts 2 shows the Spirit coming in power for witness and public ministry. The difference protects against reducing Pentecost to conversion alone. The same Spirit who forms character also equips believers for moments that demand more than natural strength. [1:05:33]
4. Filling comes again and again Peter’s repeated filling shows that yesterday’s grace does not remove today’s need. The Spirit meets believers situationally, especially amid opposition, ministry, fear, and hard conversations. Dependence becomes practical when a person asks, “Come, Holy Spirit,” before relying on skill, personality, or preparation. [1:10:51]
5. Everybody gets to play The new covenant does not reserve the Spirit’s empowering work for leaders, experts, or unusually gifted Christians. God anoints ordinary people for calling, witness, service, and courage. Humility receives this gift because it admits that human effort cannot accomplish what the Spirit alone can do. [1:17:19]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[33:20] - John Wimber and “Doing the Stuff”
[36:24] - Do Not Quench the Holy Spirit
[38:58] - The Spirit’s Indwelling Ministries
[43:11] - John 20 and Acts 2 Side by Side
[50:01] - Jesus Breathes New Life
[53:23] - Ezekiel’s Valley of Dry Bones
[58:54] - Pentecost and Power From on High
[1:03:51] - Presence Versus Power
[1:06:09] - Episodic Filling for Real Needs
[1:12:23] - Be Filled With the Holy Spirit
[1:15:52] - Prayer and Anointing for Empowerment
[1:31:20] - Benediction: Long for the Spirit

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

John 20:21-22
“Again Jesus said, 'Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.' And with that he breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.” [45:28]

Acts 2:1-4
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” [46:44]

Ephesians 5:18
“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” [01:13:33]

Observation questions

In John 20:21–22, what does Jesus do immediately after sending the disciples, and what does He tell them to receive? [45:28]
What details in Acts 2:1–4 show that Pentecost was a public and powerful event, not only a quiet, personal moment? [46:44]
What differences are visible between Jesus breathing on the disciples in John 20 and the wind, fire, and speech at Pentecost in Acts 2? [47:11]
According to Ephesians 5:18, what contrast does Paul make between being controlled by wine and being filled with the Holy Spirit? [01:13:23]

Interpretation questions

Why might John 20 and Acts 2 describe two distinct but connected works of the same Holy Spirit—new life within believers and power for witness and ministry? [49:10]
Jesus sends the disciples before breathing on them. What does this connection suggest about the relationship between receiving the Spirit and participating in Jesus’ mission?
The disciples at Pentecost had already followed Jesus, yet they still waited for power from on high. What kinds of situations reveal that a believer needs more than natural ability, preparation, or confidence? [01:07:21]
Paul’s command to “be filled” suggests an ongoing need rather than a one-time experience. Why might repeated dependence on the Spirit be important in the face of anxiety, pain, temptation, or difficult ministry? [01:13:49]

Application questions

Are there fears, past disappointments, habitual sins, or settled assumptions that may be quenching expectancy for the Holy Spirit’s work? What would it look like to honestly bring one of those areas to God? [37:09]
The Spirit gives believers the identity of beloved children of God. Where is there a need to remember that identity this week—in shame, insecurity, conflict, or loneliness? [39:43]
Where is Christ patiently forming character right now through struggle or suffering? What fruit of the Spirit—such as kindness, humility, patience, or perseverance—would be especially meaningful to ask Him to grow? [41:23]
Is there a difficult conversation, relationship, work situation, prayer need, or opportunity to share Jesus where personal strength feels inadequate? How could a simple prayer, “Come, Holy Spirit,” shape the way that situation is approached? [01:10:24]
When anxiety, strain, or emotional pain presses in, what habits or escapes are most tempting? What could choosing to seek the Spirit’s filling look like in a specific moment this week? [01:14:55]
“Everybody gets to play” means the Spirit’s empowering work is not reserved for leaders or unusually gifted people. Where might God be inviting someone in the group to take a humble step of faith in serving, praying, encouraging, or witnessing? [01:17:15]

Sermon Clips

56s

#ComeHolySpirit

“See, there's a real humility in the power of the spirit. So when you recognize, man, this difficult conversation, I don't... don't have the right words. Help me. Lord, when I'm when I'm trying to minister and and share the love of Jesus, and yet there's so much... So many barriers and obstacles and struggles with my dear friend, and and they just... They're mad at God, and they're bitter, and I know no words I say is gonna make a difference. It's not gonna break through. Jesus. Come Holy Spirit, and then he rests on us. And he ministers.”

57s

#PowerOfTheHolySpirit

“Friends, as amazing and incredible of... As the indwelling life of the spirit in us is, there's more. There's more. According to scripture, not just according to me, but according to scripture. And friends, I think many Christians still today stop at the ministries of presence in our lives, and we've forgotten about the power. We've not understood it. We've missed it. And these incredible gifts to be unwrapped by the lord remain wrapped and under the christmas tree.”

57s

#DoNotQuenchTheSpirit

“And yet, oftentimes, the church quenched the Holy Spirit. And I use that phrase because that's a a a phrase from the apostle Paul. He was encouraging the the church in Thessalonica. He says, do not quench the Holy Spirit. Why do you think he said that? Because we can. We can have a heart posture that diminishes the the person of the holy spirit. We can we can have fears or we can have sin. Sin in our life can quench the holy spirit. We can have anxiety. We can have past negative experiences in the name of the holy spirit and throw the baby out with the bath water.”

53s

#EveryoneGetsToPlay

“Everybody gets the holy spirit. It's another John Wimberism. He went from, we don't do that anymore, everybody gets to play today. Alright? And so we wanna give the opportunity for folks to come forward. And, the prayer and elder... Prayer leaders and elders are simply gonna pray. They're gonna listen, but they're gonna say, come, Holy Spirit. I would encourage you, if you feel led to come forward, you simply pray, come Holy Spirit. Come Holy Spirit.”

33s

#SpiritEmpowerment

“That word filled that happened at Acts two. Even though the spirit of God rests upon them, it says they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Peter had that experience. Acts four, Peter again, he's facing opposition from the religious leaders. He's filled, empowered. It's a situation that he needs. He needs to do better than simply a fisherman. And so the spirit empowers him to speak to the religious leaders.”

44s

#FruitAndPower

“the thing that I wanna talk to you about is there's an important difference of the dynamic of the two ministries. And we've talked about this with the indwelling work of the spirit, that it's the slow growth, Fruit of the spirit like love and kindness and perseverance. Virtues of the kingdom like humility and patience. Those are character things that the spirit within is slow growing in you. But the power of the spirit works in a different way.”

64s

#NewLifeInTheSpirit

“Now scholars will wrestle with when this prophecy was fulfilled. When was this prophecy fulfilled? Could be five thirty eight BC when the remnant of Israel started to return to the land. It could be recent 1948 when Israel became a nation again. I wanna suggest to you the heart of the fulfillment of this prophecy is John the night of the resurrection. It seems so clear. This idea of god filling us and giving us new life, that we would be a people filled with his spirit, that we would be a people that are are living with the indwelling presence of God.”

62s

#Anointed

“And I wanna talk about this oil for just a second. Alright? So the oil, is a is a symbol of the work of the Holy Spirit from the Old Testament. It's a symbol of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, especially commissioning. So for king David, when he was to be commissioned to be king, Right? He anointed. They pour oil over that. They did that with priests. Right? They did that with kings. It was them. Remember we learned from Moses that Moses was anointed with the spirit, empowered by the spirit to do the things he did. The elders were empowered by the spirit. The judges were empowered by the spirit. The kings were empowered by the spirit. And the new covenant process is everybody gets to play.”

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