WHEN IT COMES TO DESCRIBING WHAT THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT CAN DO IN THE LIFE OF A CHRISTIAN, I BELIEVE JESUS GAVE US THE ANSWER IN LUKE 7:22-23.
IT CAME WHEN JESUS TOLD THE DISCIPLES OF JOHN THE BAPTIST TO GIVE A REPORT ABOUT WHAT THEY HAD SEEN AND HEARD WHICH WAS, "THE BLIND SEE, THE LAME WALK, THE LEPERS ARE CURED, THE DEAF HEAR, THE DEAD ARE RAISED TO LIFE AND THE GOOD NEWS IS BEING PREACHED TO THE POOR.”
WHAT I FIND INTERESTING ABOUT THESE THINGS THAT JESUS LISTED IS REALLY ONLY “SCRATCHING THE SURFACE.” I BELIEVE WE CAN ADD TO WHAT JESUS SAID BY NAMING SUCH THINGS AS RECOVERING FROM PAST MISTAKES, HEALING FROM TRAUMATIC EVENTS, RECONCILIATION OF BROKEN RELATIONSHIPS, RECOVERY OF SHATTERED MARRIAGES, AND OBTAINING JOY AND PEACE.
WHATEVER IT MAY BE, I BELIEVE THAT IT IS POSSIBLE AS LONG AS WE KEEP THE PROPER PERSPECTIVE IN “WHERE” THE POWER FOR THE HEALING, RESTORATION AND EMPOWERMENT IS COMING FROM. I BELIVE THAT IF THE THINGS IN OUR LIVES ARE EVER GOING TO BE FULLY REALIZED THE WAY GOD ORIGINAL INTENDED THEN A HEALTHY UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT MUST FUEL THE OUR THOUGHTS.
IN ALL THINGS AND AT ALL TIMES, WE MUST SUBMIT TO THE LEADERSHIP OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD AND EXPECT OUR ABILITY AND EMPOWERMENT TO COME SOLELY FROM HIM AND HIM ALONE.
JESUS INSTRUCTED US IN JOHN 16:7-8; 13-14, WHEN HE SAID, "BUT IT IS ACTUALLY BEST FOR YOU THAT I GO AWAY, BECAUSE IF I DON’T, THE COUNSELOR WON’T COME, IF I DO GO AWAY, HE WILL COME BECAUSE I WILL SEND HIM TO YOU. AND WHEN HE COMES…THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH …WILL GUIDE YOU INTO ALL TRUTH.
HE WILL NOT BE PRESENTING HIS OWN IDEAS; HE WILL BE TELLING YOU WHAT HE HAS HEARD. HE WILL TELL YOU ABOUT THE FUTURE. HE WILL BRING ME GLORY BY REVEALING TO YOU WHATEVER HE RECEIVES FROM ME."
JESUS IS TELLING US THAT WE ARE TO SUBMIT TO THE INDWELLING AUTHORITY, GUIDANCE AND LEADERSHIP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. IF WE WILL FOLLOW THE SPIRIT, HE WILL SHOW US THE WAY. THE GREEK VERB "TO GUIDE" USED HERE IS A COMPOUND VERB DERIVED FROM THE TWO WORDS "WAY" AND "LEAD."
THEREFORE, WE CAN MAKE A LITERAL TRANSLATION THAT JESUS IS SAYING THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT HE IS SENDING US WILL "LEAD THE WAY”FOR US. IF WE WILL FOLLOW THE GUIDANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, HE WILL LEAD OUR COMMUNITY OF FAITH INTO THE TRUTH, THE WAY, AND THE LIFE.
BY BECOMING A SPIRIT-FILLED, SPIRIT-LED COMMUNITY LIVING IN TOTAL OBEDIENCE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS AND FAITHFUL BEHAVIOR TO THE HOLY SPIRIT, WE WILL BE LIVING LIFE THE WAY GOD INTENDED IT TO BE LIVED IN THE FIRST PLACE.
AFTER ALL, THIS IS THE VERY REASON THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS GIVEN IN THE FIRST PLACE. THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS COME TO FILL US WITH GOD’S POWER. THE SPIRIT HAS COME TO INSPIRE AND EQUIP ORDINARY PEOPLE TO DO EXTRA-ORDINARY WORK FOR THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND TO BUILD THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
WE ARE GIVEN THE HOLY SPIRIT SO THAT THROUGH HIS INDWELLING POWER, WE WILL HAVE THE CAPABILITY AND ABILITY TO FULFILL ALL OF GOD’S WILL, TO DEFEAT EVERY DEVICE OF SATAN, AND TO EXTEND THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST HERE ON EARTH.
IF WE WILL ALLOW THE HOLY SPIRIT TO TOTALLY FILL US, WE WILL LITERALLY BE ABLE TO DO GREAT AND MIGHTIER WORKS THAN JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF EVER ACCOMPLISHED ON EARTH.
IN JOHN 14:12, JESUS RESPONDS TO PHILIP BY SAYING, “I TELL YOU THE TRUTH, ANYONE WHO HAS FAITH IN ME WILL DO WHAT I HAVE BEEN DOING. HE WILL DO EVEN GREATER THINGS THAN THESE….”
BUT, IT TAKES BEING FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT TO HAVE THAT KIND OF FAITH. FOR EVERY TASK, FOR EVERY SPIRITUAL BATTLE, FOR WHATEVER IT MAY BE THAT WE DO FOR GOD, IT MUST BE DONE UNDER THE POWER AND GUIDANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
THIS IS WHERE WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL. THE BIBLE TEACHES THAT WE MUST BE FILLED WHICH TELLS US A “PROCESS” IS INVOLVED. BEING “FILLED” IS A WORD THAT INDICATES THAT THE “FILLING” IS AN ON-GOING, ALWAYS-NEEDED, PROCESS.
IN OTHER WORDS, YOU DON’T GET FILLED ONCE AND YOU’RE GOOD-TO-GO FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU ARE FACING IN LIFE. THERE ARE VARIOUS FORMS OF POWER.
THAT IS WHAT THE APOSTLES EXPERIENCED IN OUR SCRIPTURE PASSAGE. THEY HAD ALREADY BEEN ‘FILLED’ WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT ONCE ALREADY WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS GIVEN TO THEM ON PENTECOST TO BIRTH THE CHURCH. NOW, HERE IN ACTS, CHAPTER FOUR, A NEW, SPECIFIC FORM OF INDWELLING POWER WAS NEEDED FOR A NEW AND SPECIFIC TASK TO SPEAK THE WORD OF GOD BOLDLY. THE GREEK WORD FOR “BOLD” MEANS “WITH CONFIDENCE,” OR “FORTHRIGHTLY.”
THE INFANT CHURCH WAS UNDER GREAT PERSECUTION. JEWISH EFFORTS HAD INTENSIFIED TO SILENCE AND REPRESS THE APOSTLES’ PREACHING OF JESUS CHRIST.
IN ORDER TO BE AN ASSERTIVE WITNESS, THEY NEEDED THE SPIRIT’S POWER TO RENEW THEIR CONFIDENCE TO PREACH ONCE AGAIN. IN OTHER WORDS, THEY EXPERIENCED GOD IN A FRESH WAY.
IT IS THIS FRESH EXPERIENCE OF NEWFOUND SPIRITUAL CONFIDENCE THAT ALLOWS US TO AFFRIM, AS DID PAUL, IN ROMANS 8:31, “IF GOD BE FOR US, WHO CAN BE AGAINST US?”
THIS IS WHY WE NEED MORE THAN JUST THE “CORRECT” MESSAGE CONCERNING JESUS. THIS IS WHY WE NEED TO HAVE MORE THAN JUST A CORRECT METHOD OF PRESENTING JESUS.
WHAT WE TRULY NEED IS THE WONDERFUL POWER JESUS PROMISED HIS FOLLOWERS BECAUSE THE WORK OF GOD CANNOT COME BY OUR OWN STRENGTH. AS WAS TOLD TO ZERUBBABLE IN ZECHARIAH 4:6, WE HEAR AGAIN TODAY, NOT BY MIGHT NOR BY POWER, BUT BY MY SPIRIT,’ SAYS THE LORD OF HOSTS.
IT IS BY THE SPIRIT THAT THE TRUTH WILL CONVICT AND CONVERT, SANCTIFY AND SAVE. THE PHILOSOPHIES OF HUMANITY FAIL, BUT THE WORD OF GOD IN THE FULL DEMONSTRATION OF THE SPIRIT WILL ALWAYS PREVAIL!
MAY IT BE OUR DESIRE THIS PENTECOST TO BE FILLED WITH THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. MAY THE WORDS OF EZEKIAL 36:26-27, BE OUR PRAYER, THAT SAYS, “I WILL GIVE YOU A NEW HEART AND PUT A NEW SPIRIT IN YOU; I WILL REMOVE FROM YOU YOUR HEART OF STONE AND GIVE YOU A HEART OF FLESH. AND I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT IN YOU AND MOVE YOU TO FOLLOW MY DECREES….”
LET US PRAY: DEAR HEAVENLY FATHER, WE LONG MORE AND MORE TO BE FILLED WITH YOUR GREAT AND POWERFUL SPIRIT. WE WANT OUR LIVES TO BE MOVED AND MELTED UNDER THE POWER OF YOUR WORD, YOUR WAY, AND YOUR AUTHORITY. SEND US REVIVAL AND LET IT BEGIN IN US, IN OUR DAILY LIVES, OUR TEACHING, AND OUR WITNESSING. BUT NO MATTER HOW OR WHERE IT BEGINS, LORD, SEND A REVIVAL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AMONG YOUR PEOPLE. IN JESUS NAME WE PRAY. AMEN.
