A person can be Incarnational but not be empowered by the Holy Spirit. So he said to me, 
"This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.( Zech 4.6)So it is with the mission of God . At Jesus’ baptism before his ministry started Marks writes that :
'And immediately, coming up from[a] the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove'.(1.10)
Later Jesus was to declare that the Spirit of the Lord God was upon him because the Lord has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor’ (Lk. 4.18-19) When he was full of the Holy Spirit Luke records that he was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil then he
returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit.During his ministry he told the people that ‘But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.(Matt 12.28)
It has been said thst 99% of the work of the Church would carry on without the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Do you think that is true? How much do we do in the Church which is not Spirit empowered. Need it be so? Of course not. After Jesus’ resurrection he told his disciples to 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.”
IN Acts 1.4-5 Jesus says to them:
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Should we have the Baptism of the Spirit or be Spirit Filled. It is better to be filled with the Spirit today than Baptised in the Spirit Last week or last Year or Last decade. I believe what is important is that we are continually filled with the Holy Spirit.
· In the Lords prayer which is very much a missionary prayer Jesus tells us to pray that his will would be done and his kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.
· To pray this is essentially to pray for His rule and reign in our own lives, in the Church and in the world. This can not be done without expecting the Holy Spirit to fill us to the uttermost. Again Jesus told us to drink of him that out of our bellies would flow rivers of living water. In some early versions of the Lord's prayer it read ' Thy Spirit come' as opposed to 'Thy Kingdom come'. Yet if the Kingdom is the reign of God they would still mean the same thing.
· It must become a daily prayer.
· D.L. Moody who was asked why he always asked God to fill him with the Holy Spirit. He said because he leaked. We all leak.
· We can’t be satisfied with experiencing the Holy Spirit ten years ago, or five or one. We need to hunger and thirst for God today.
· Corporately and individually we need the power of the Holy Spirit to reach the world. William Booth another evangelist whose passion was to reach the world wrote this amazing hymn.
SEND THE FIRE
O God of burning, cleansing flame, Send the fire
Your blood - bought gift today we claim, Send the fire today
God of Elijah, hear our cry, Send the fire
And make us fit to live or die, send the fire today
To burn up every trace of sin, to bring the light and glory in
The revolution now begins, Send the fire today
It's fire we want, for fire we plead, Send the fire
The fire will meet our every need, Send the fire today
Give us strength to always do what's right,
And grace to conquer in the fight
for power to walk this world in white, Send the fire today
Look down and see this waiting host
And send the promised Holy Ghost
We need another Pentecost, Send the fire today
To make our weak hearts strong and brave, Send the fire
To live a dying world to save, Send the fire
Lord, we're here tonight and we're on Your alter, Send the fire
We give our lives to You today, Send the fire
Send the fire today!
Yes I've read the blog and the book looks "good". Books however aren't my forte although I have read a few in my time! Yes I agree they can be inspired as well as inspiring and of course assist in our lives. I would however ask those taking the time to read this comment the following question, "Who influenced you?" Of course there are many people and situations which have been pivotal in moulding us as humans but none have the Power of The Holy Spirit. We may be black or white or any other colour. Tall, small, thin, fat or any other combination you can think of and all of the influences we have had since the day we were born pale into insignificance when it comes to how we SHOULD be influenced. This book uses the word "empowered" by the Holy Spirit. We are influenced by all around us but ONLY the Holy Spirit can "EMPOWER" us the way He does for God's work. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Andrew for the chance to comment on his blog site and also thank him for being instrumental in bringing me to Jesus, not through his own doing but by the "Power" of the Holy Spirit working in him. Mission can mean many things to many people but for me it is simply summed up in Matthew 28:19-20. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Praise The Lord! A special friend once told me "Just be friends with others and they will see Jesus in me" May I suggest you do the same. God bless you whoever you are and in whatever situation you find yourself in. Your Brother in Christ.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments on the importance of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian. Also for the word of the encouragement regarding how you came to Christ: It took me a while to work out who you might be-perhaps you meant it that way.
ReplyDeleteAnyway Regarding the cultivation Holy Spirit’s companionship this is perhaps the most wonderful thing that happens to a Christ follower. To think that the Spirit of God would dwell in our hearts brings both immense comfort to the troubled soul and also an awe(old meaning)that we must not treat lightly this divine resident.
The old hymn states ‘ think what Spirit dwells within thee’. Surely this thought we could easily spend half an eternity meditating on and not fully comprehend it.