There is a funny parody video on Right Now Media about "ACTS Body Spray". The idea is that there is a spray that doesn't necessarily make living the Christian life any easier, it just masks any area of sin in our lives so that others don't notice and we can "go on living that double life". When I first saw the video, I thought of two separate things: 1) We should never look for a quick fix or "easy button" when it comes to correcting our areas of immorality, and 2) I vividly remember the smell of the boys' dorm at Camp Yolijwa all those years that I was a counselor, when the boys who refused to shower thought they could mask their stench with Axe body spray! Oh yes, there is nothing quite like the smell of Axe mixed with body odor. It was the perfect representation of what we all try to do when we are struggling with walking with Jesus in certain areas of life. We try to find something fragrant to cover up the stench of sin. But my friends, Jesus didn't just come to earth to redeem us through His life, death, and resurrection and then leave us on our own; He also promised to give us what we need to live in Him going forward. This week at Friendship, we discover WHO that gift is - the precious Holy Spirit! We'll look briefly at the Book of Acts, where Jesus is "The Fire From Heaven", and see how it connects to the Old Testament as well. We may not have an easy button or a masking spray, but we do have the power of God to lead and guide us in the Spirit.
