After The Spirit Comes
Jerry N Watts
Acts 3:1-7
Days like today, after a service or a week of services, where we sense the movement of God, always remind me of a story in my past. You've heard it. My recollection is that we were at Roosevelt State Park, in Morton and on Friday night had that bonfire which I spoke of a few weeks ago and the Holy Spirit of God was present. Teenagers sang, wept, confessed, repented, and as much as we knew how, got clean before God. When the campfire ended, we went our ways to the camp. I returned to the game room with some of our male counselors. Honestly, I didn't feel right starting to play games again, but didn't know what to do or how to act. So I poised a question to one of the men, "What should we do now?" His words still ring in my ears, "Don't take this too seriously." As an impressionable teenager, I was stunned. In fairness and on balance, I don't know whether this man was unmoved by what had moved us or conversely, whether he was like me and didn't know what to do or say, but what he DID SAY impacted me and impacts me until today.
As I reflect on that night, I believe that God was knocking on my heart's door to FOLLOW HIM in salvation and in service, not simply to make a decision or pray a prayer and be done with it, I believe God was calling me. I had already been baptized, but I hadn't followed Him. In my teenage group, I was known as 'good little Christian', but they were comparing me to my other friends not to Christ and they knew so little about my 'private life.' On this night, when God spoke, I needed someone to help, the words of an older friend, and a right hand. But I got one, who was good and likely well-meaning, but one who allowed me to forget the depth of that encounter with God.
Let me offer a word to both the counselors and counselees. Counselors - in these moments, it matters what you say. It not about having a theological education from seminary but rather inspiration from the Spirit. I ...
Jerry N Watts
Acts 3:1-7
Days like today, after a service or a week of services, where we sense the movement of God, always remind me of a story in my past. You've heard it. My recollection is that we were at Roosevelt State Park, in Morton and on Friday night had that bonfire which I spoke of a few weeks ago and the Holy Spirit of God was present. Teenagers sang, wept, confessed, repented, and as much as we knew how, got clean before God. When the campfire ended, we went our ways to the camp. I returned to the game room with some of our male counselors. Honestly, I didn't feel right starting to play games again, but didn't know what to do or how to act. So I poised a question to one of the men, "What should we do now?" His words still ring in my ears, "Don't take this too seriously." As an impressionable teenager, I was stunned. In fairness and on balance, I don't know whether this man was unmoved by what had moved us or conversely, whether he was like me and didn't know what to do or say, but what he DID SAY impacted me and impacts me until today.
As I reflect on that night, I believe that God was knocking on my heart's door to FOLLOW HIM in salvation and in service, not simply to make a decision or pray a prayer and be done with it, I believe God was calling me. I had already been baptized, but I hadn't followed Him. In my teenage group, I was known as 'good little Christian', but they were comparing me to my other friends not to Christ and they knew so little about my 'private life.' On this night, when God spoke, I needed someone to help, the words of an older friend, and a right hand. But I got one, who was good and likely well-meaning, but one who allowed me to forget the depth of that encounter with God.
Let me offer a word to both the counselors and counselees. Counselors - in these moments, it matters what you say. It not about having a theological education from seminary but rather inspiration from the Spirit. I ...
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