GREETINGS, beloved nation, in the name of Jesus Christ. Acts 1:8: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
In these last days, we need the power of the Spirit of God to be restored in the Church so that the Gospel may be fully preached. It is sad when we speak in church about the power of the living God, yet that power is neither seen in us nor demonstrated. This is largely because, both as individuals and as the body of Christ, we have ignored the power of the Spirit of God.
Ladies and gentlemen, we cannot continue to ignore the Holy Spirit if we want to see results in our lives, families, ministries and communities. In these end times, we cannot succeed without the
Holy Spirit if we are to fully preach the Gospel before the coming of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. The manifestation of God’s power, producing remarkable results in the lives of the saints, will compel unbelievers and those around them to recognise that there is a God — a God in the midst of His people, who is not only present but indeed mighty.
One thing I have realised is that many believers know how to pray, fast and read the Word of God, but do not have a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. In fact, many believers do not understand (i) the person of the Holy Spirit or (ii) the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Understanding the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit and how to relate to Him, is very important if we are to fulfil our God-given mandate here on earth.
There are some things we need to understand as believers about building a relationship with the Holy Spirit:
(a) Intimacy with the Holy Spirit. Every relationship requires communication and intimacy grows when we spend special times together. Spending time with and communicating with the Holy Spirit will lead to greater intimacy. It is good to carry out ministry work and take part in church programmes, but if we neglect an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit, we will not be able to fully preach the Gospel.
(b) Brokenness. The Holy Spirit relates to people from a position of brokenness and contrition. You will never truly walk with the Holy Spirit until you are willing to be broken — not just once, but continually. Brokenness should be part of your daily life. Nothing attracts the Spirit of the Lord more than brokenness and contrition in a person’s life.
(c) Obedience to the voice and instructions of the Holy Spirit. Without obedience, there can be no intimacy with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is an extension of the will of the Father, through Christ and it is the Holy Spirit who reveals the mind of God to us. 1 Corinthians 2:10–11 says: “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.”
Understanding the ministry of the Holy Spirit is also important in the life of a believer. First and foremost, the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, shows us that none of us can live up to the righteousness of Jesus and reveals the judgement that awaits those who die without a Saviour (John 16:8–11). When we repent, confess our sins and receive the gift of salvation, the Holy Spirit regenerates our dead inner human spirit, which then becomes sensitive to the spiritual things of God (John 3:1–16; Acts 2:38).
The ministry of the Holy Spirit involves many other important aspects but I want to focus on one: the power of the Spirit of God. As I mentioned last week, we need the power of the Spirit of God to be manifested in our lives in these end times.
The Bible tells us in Luke 24:49: “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” Jesus was speaking to His disciples about the promise of the Holy Spirit. They were to wait in Jerusalem until they were endued with the Holy Spirit; other versions say “clothed with the Holy Spirit”.
This means the disciples needed to be clothed with the power of the Holy Spirit so that they could accomplish greater works, as stated in John 14:12: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”
Acts 1:8 says: “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.” To preach the Gospel effectively, the disciples needed the power of the Holy Spirit and so do we as believers. Zechariah 4:6 says that it is not by might nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord. We cannot do anything through our own strength, but only through the power of the Spirit of God.
The Bible tells us in Acts 10:38: “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”
Jesus had to be anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power to carry out His ministry. How much more do we, as believers, need this anointing? In Luke 10:19, the Bible says: “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
We, too, have been given the power to do the works that Jesus did — and even greater works. But without the power of the Holy Spirit, we cannot do these greater works; and without a relationship with the Holy Spirit, we cannot manifest this power and fully preach the Gospel to all corners of the world.
I would like to invite you to receive Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour by believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth that He is your Lord and Saviour and you shall be saved.
May God bless you all. Amen.
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