“The Kingdom of God does not consist in talk, but in power.” (1 Corinthians 4:20)
We’ve spent the past three months talking about the Holy Spirit. We’ve seen from God’s Word who the Holy Spirit is and the power He seeks to provide us:
1. The Holy Spirit is God. Yes, the Holy Spirit is God, equal with the Father and Jesus the Son in His deity and humanity. The Holy Spirit is not an “it”, some impersonal force or energy, but truly a personal guide, helper, and comforter living in each of us. (Read John 14:26)
2. A Gift from God. The Holy Spirit lives in all believers. (Read John 14:15-17, 1 Corinthians 12:13)
3. The Holy Spirit provides Spiritual gifts to all believers. (Read 1 Corinthians 12)
4. The Holy Spirit seeks to develop certain characteristics on each of us. The Fruits of the Spirit are these nine attributes that the manifest themselves in a person who lives according to the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. (Read Galatians 5:23-26)
5. The Holy Spirit intercedes when we cannot speak for ourselves. The Holy Spirit prays to the Father for us when we don’t know what to say or have the words to say it. (Read Romans 8:26-27)
While doing some reading this morning I came across the scripture above and I realized that all this study of the Holy Spirit is wonderful, but that is not what He is about.
Jon Bloom reminded me with these words, “If we are not disillusioned with how much we have allowed our talk to pass for our walk, discontented with the sparse amount of spiritual fruit we are truly bearing, and disappointed by the impotence of our own efforts, we will never be distressed enough to really plead with God to fill us with the Holy Spirit. If we are not disturbed by how little we can do in our own power, we’ll never be desperate enough to ask God for His.”
When the church went about its work in the century following Christ’s resurrection, they did so with the power of the Holy Spirit. Does our ministry here resemble that? Are we relying on the power of the Holy Spirit for ministry or do we only see what we are capable of on our own? Or don’t we really care anymore? Our words say we care, but do our actions?
I’ve heard it too often – I’m tired, I don’t have the energy, I’ve already done that, I wish things were like they used to be, As Bloom puts it, “Do you long for more fruit, both the internal fruit of the Holy Spirit and the external fruit of empowered ministry?”
If this describes you at all, close your eyes, bow your head, and pray this prayer:
“Heavenly Father, renew the power of the Holy Spirit living in me. Whatever it takes Lord, renew the power of the Holy Spirit living in me. I may not possess the physical stamina I used to or the youthfulness I once had, but you can still use me and I want that to happen. I don’t want my church to die, and I don’t want to just exist. I want my life and my church to be a light for Your Gospel in whatever way you want that to happen. Whatever it takes Father, fill me with Your Holy Spirit and give me any gifts that would be pleasing to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
God’s Blessings,
Pastor Brett