Waiting for power

I work in Sandton, Johannesburg. This morning it is freezing outside and we do not have any electricity in the building. We are not sure when power will be restored.

This is also the week of Pentecost. The time the disciples spent in Jerusalem, waiting for the power Jesus promised when He ascended to heaven. They prayed in the upper room, not knowing when they might receive this power or what it would be like.

They had Jesus' instruction: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Coming from a Pentecostal background, I came to believe that this power referred to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, or charismata. We used to have prayerweeks during Pentecost, praying for people to be baptised in the Holy Spirit with the sign of speaking in tongues.

But then... all the charismata Paul described in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 with the exception of tongues and interpretation of tongues already occurred in the ministries of Elijah and Elisa.

What if... this power is not about the charismata? What if it really is about the people we become when we are guided by the Holy Spirit? The fruit of the Spirit? One of our lecturers used to tell us that the charismata is like scaffolding on the church. It will be there will the church is under construction and then it will be removed.

However, the essence of the church is love. The fruit of the Spirit is love. Jesus said "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. "(John 13:34-35 ESV)

My friend, Tom, preached on Pentecost last year. He said that Pentecost was God's change of address. God no longer lives in a temple or church buildings, but in us - His temple.

We need to show Jesus to the world. He asked us to be His witnesses to the end of the earth. How? I think through love... love that God pours into our hearts (Romans 5:5), love that surpasses all human understanding. The love we saw when Jesus laid down His life for us. The power of the Spirit? I think it is the guts to love unconditionally.

Your thoughts?