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Holy Dynamite

Igniting the Same Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the greatest empowering force in the universe!
The most powerful people on planet earth are those filled with the Holy Spirit!
What comes to mind when you think of dynamite?
Depending on your age and generation, you might immediately see a cartoon image pop into your thoughts, a red cylinder with a fuse trailing one end, ignited and sparkling. You know, the kind Wile E. Coyote used unsuccessfully in his quest to stop the Road Runner. Often ordered from the fictionally generic Acme Company, the Coyote’s cartoon dynamite never worked the way he wanted. His explosive traps always backfired so that the dynamite detonated on the conniving canine and not the sly speedster.
Along the same pop-culture train of thought, you might think of Napoleon Dynamite, the 2004 independent comedy film about an awkward young man’s coming-of-age experiences over the course of his junior year in high school. The film is known for its wry, deadpan delivery of Napoleon’s commentary about life’s absurdities based on the ludicrous situations and quirky characters he encounters. Non sequiturs abound, but some critics, along with many millennial fans, revere it as one of the funniest movies of all time.
If cartoons and comedies aren’t where your mind goes when you think about dynamite, you might have had a more academic response. As someone intrigued by history and science, you might have thought of Alfred Nobel, the brainy namesake of the prestigious Nobel Prizes and inventor of dynamite.
Born in 1833 in Stockholm, Nobel grew up mentored by his father, a construction engineer and inventor continually searching for more efficient ways to demolish rocks and other obstacles at building sites. As a young man, Alfred Nobel also served as a protege of Ascanio Sobrero, an Italian chemist who invented nitroglycerine. It was considered of little practical value, however, because of its liquid volatility.
With his father’s construction business in mind, Nobel set about finding a way to make nitroglycerine controllable and commercially viable. He spent years trying different combinations and survived several accidental explosions, including one that killed Alfred’s brother, Emil. Consequently, local officials banned further experiments within their jurisdiction.
Determined that Emil’s death would not be in vain, Nobel persevered in more remote locales, eventually mixing nitroglycerine with powdery sand to form a solid paste that could be rolled into rods. He then created blasting caps with fuses that could be attached to the rods for detonation. After years of costly trial and error, in 1887 Nobel finally filed for a patent for his new invention that he named “dynamite,” based on the Greek word for great power, dunamis.¹
Since then, dynamite has become a mainstay in construction, mining, and demolition—as well as Looney Tunes cartoons and nerdy comedies.
The Promise of Power
There’s one more critical association with dynamite that I would be remiss if I didn’t share with you. This association has an even greater impact than Nobel’s invention because its application pertains directly to you. My hope is that anytime you hear or see the word dynamite from now on, you will immediately think of God’s power in you.
You see, not only does the Holy Spirit reveal Himself through the anointing of fresh oil, the presence of holy fire, and the blessing of new wine, but the gift of the Holy Spirit is spiritual dynamite! After Christ rose from the dead—empowered by the same Spirit that’s within you—He spent some time with His followers and friends making sure they knew He was, indeed, alive again.
During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God. Acts 1:3 NLT
Jesus also promised them a gift and commanded them not to leave Jerusalem until they received it. “John baptized with water,” Christ told them, “but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (verse 5 NLT). Now the disciples had a context for recalling the way John the Baptist would immerse people in the Jordan River after they came looking for him, confessed their sins, and acknowledged repentance (see Matthew 3:1-17).
Jesus had gone to John and been baptized. The gift that Jesus referenced was revealed as soon as He came up out of the water. “At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased’” (Matthew 3:16-17). Other than this scene, we might wonder if the disciples grasped what Jesus was describing. Perhaps they thought they would soon be enveloped by doves descending from heaven!
Regardless of what they expected, they were eager to receive this intriguing gift Jesus promised. A bit like kids who persist in wanting to know when they can open their presents, the disciples kept asking Jesus about the timing of His departure—and presumably the arrival of their gift—and He made it clear that the Father alone knew that schedule.
Nonetheless, Jesus tried to prepare them for life after He left their midst in person, explaining, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8 NLT). After they heard these words from their Master, the disciples watched Christ ascend into a cloud (see verse 9),
What did Jesus say would be coming?
What’s this unique gift that you will receive?
You will receive a dove?
You will receive hot-and-cold tingles?
You will receive a shake?
You will receive a quake?
You will receive an emotion?
You will receive an opinion?
You will receive a feeling?
You will receive a religion?
No—none of the above!
Jesus said, “You will receive power!”
Divine Dynamite
This promise of power following His resurrection was not the first time Jesus had foretold the gift of the Spirit to come. Before He was arrested and crucified., Jesus had taught in the Temple courts in Jerusalem during the Festival of Tabernacles (see John 7:2, 14). There, He proclaimed, “Believe in me so that rivers of living water will burst to from within you, flowing from your innermost being, just like the Scripture says!” (John 7:38 TPT). Just to be sure Christ’s reference was clear, John, when later writing his gospel, explained, “Jesus was prophesying about the Holy Spirit that believers were being prepared to receive” (John 7:39 TPT).
You’ll recall that Jesus had offered this living water to the Samaritan woman at the well (see John 4). And since they were at the place where drinking water was drawn, we might have assumed that this living water was like a cool, refreshing gulp on a hot, dusty day. And most likely there’s nothing wrong or inaccurate about making this assumption.
But the way Jesus described living water at the Festival of Tabernacles was not drawn from a well, poured from a bucket, or sipped from a cup. No, He said, “Believe in Me.” Notice the consequence of placing your faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God: “So that rivers of living water will burst out from within you, flowing from your innermost being.”
This wellspring within you flows in rivers that will burst out. We’re not talking about a drinking fountain, garden hose, or fire hydrant.
We’re talking about the mighty Mississippi flooding its banks.
We’re talking about the Colorado River bursting through the Hoover Dam.
We’re talking about rivers—notice the plural—bursting out from within you.
Not trickling or dripping.
Not sprinkling or pouring.
Not squirting or misting.
Rivers of living water bursting out!
My friend, this kind of power cannot be comprehensively described by comparing it to water as we know it. Even as Jesus compares the Holy Spirit to this limitless geyser of living water within you, the focus is on the power. The kind of power that descended upon Jesus in the Jordan on the day He was baptized (see Matthew 3:16).
This is the kind of power to move mountains (see Matthew 17:20) and to speak into the storm, declaring, “Quiet! Be still!” (Mark 4:39).
This is the kind of power to cast out devils and demons, knowing full well that you are protected from harm. “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you” (Luke 10:19).
This is the kind of power to confront every work of the enemy in front of you attempting to stop the fulfillment of your God-ordained purpose. The kind of power to say, “Get behind me, Satan! you are a stumbling block to me” (Matthew 16:23).
This is the kind of power that is divine dynamite!
…
Samuel Rodriguez, Fresh Oil, Holy Fire, New Wine: Living the Vibrant Holy Spirit-Filled Life. Chosen Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group. ©2024. Used by permission.
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Samuel Rodriguez
Samuel Rodriguez is a pastor, speaker, bestselling author, movie producer, and civil rights activist whose career in the public square and international ministry has made him one of the most influential Christian leaders in the world. CNN and Fox News have named him "the leader of the Hispanic Evangelical movement," and Time magazine nominated him as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. Pastor Sam resides with his family in Sacramento, California, where he leads New Season Church. Learn more at pastorsam.com
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