what about the power

as i am trying to write a new sermon for this week (we are studying in the book of Acts), i am constantly amazed at the awesome power of the holy spirit. in chapter 6 we see stephen doing miracles and signs and wonders, and throughout the earlier chapters we have seen the apostles do awesome stuff with the power of the holy spirit. the thing is i believe that the spirit is still able to do powerful stuff through people-miracles, healings, etc..., the problem is it doesn't seem like too many other people think so. i wouldn't consider myself "charismatic" but i do wonder why all the skepticism about the holy spirit using people to do miracles?

if we as the church don't believe that there is power available in Jesus for here on earth why waste our time going to church? Not that we only go to see the miracles but we have to believe that they can be done or happen or we take all of his power away. it is something discussed quite a bit in the scriptures but we don't talk much about it. makes me wonder if we really have the right idea about god and how he is?

shouldn't we receive power when we receive the spirit? what makes it so that we don't? it seems that people in the church live the same as people out of the church-neither one believing too much about what god is capable of doing. if the church minimizes god's abilities, then what could we expect from people who don't even claim to be believers? i love to hear great stories of how god is at work in people's live today-perhaps you have one to share?? i would love to hear your story about the power of god at work in your life.

maybe you have some thoughts about why the power of the spirit doesn't seem to be very common in the church today, let me know.