Holy Spirit...
In this newsletter we will deal with the subject: "The Power of the
Holy Spirit."
Believers are powerless and ineffective in their daily lives because
they do not partake of the vast storehouse of power that is available
to them in the person of the Holy Spirit. As a result, they depend
upon personality traits and psychological manipulations rather than
the power of God. They forget that God says in Zechariah 4:6: . . .
Not by [human] might, nor by [human] power, but by my spirit . . . .
Man, with all of his reliance on tricks, gimmicks, and manifold
activities, could accomplish so much more if God, the Holy Spirit,
originated, motivated, and activated the program. He alone supplies
the power needed by powerless human beings. He alone is the match to
ignite the fire, the fuel to propel the motor. A person cannot move
without His assistance. Acts 1:8 states: . . . ye shall receive power,
after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you . . . . Do you have this
power? Or are you still serving God in the energy of the flesh? Just
as there is a difference in cultivating a field with a shovel or with
a tractor, so there is a mighty difference in one's service when
empowered by the all-powerful Holy Spirit. May I also say that there
is no power shortage in God's Spirit because:
The Holy Spirit is Omnipotent
The Holy Spirit manifested this power on numerous occasions:
A. At creation, this blessed Spirit was active because the spirit of
God moved upon the face of the waters (Genesis 1:2). Job 26:13 states:
By his spirit [God] hath garnished the heavens . . . . Again, Psalm
104:30 declares that mankind, animals, birds of the air, fish of the
sea and all other created objects came because thou sendest forth thy
spirit, they are created....
B. At the conception and birth of Christ, the Holy Spirit again
displayed His power. The Bible teaches that Christ was an unembodied
spirit in eternity past, for He was in the form of God (Philippians
2:6), and God is a Spirit (John 4:24). However, one of the members of
the Trinity had to become embodied because God had decreed in the
councils of eternity that the blood . . . maketh an atonement for the
soul (Leviticus 17:11). Animal blood was only an inadequate temporary
covering looking toward the planned, prepared, permanent sacrifice (I
Peter 1:20). This eternal offering also had to be a sacrifice of
blood. Man's blood was already poisoned through Adam's transgression
(Romans 5:12). Therefore, since animal blood was inadequate and man's
blood was tainted, the only solution was that a member of the Godhead
should take a body containing blood. However, if this One were to come
into the world through natural generation, the seed of a man deposited
into the womb of a woman, the tainted blood would then be passed on to
the newborn Christ. Thus God planned and prepared a body for His Son
(Hebrews 10:5), which the Holy Spirit miraculously placed in the womb
of the virgin, and the result was the incarnation -God in the flesh,
with sinless blood. That is why I Peter 1:19 declares that we are
redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without
blemish and without spot.
Perhaps this information may help some seeking soul see why the entire
program of redemption and salvation stands or falls upon the
foundation of the virgin birth. The blessed, all-powerful Holy Spirit
was the agent in carrying out this miracle of the ages. The story is
unfolded in Luke chapter one. The angel appears to Mary and says: . .
. thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt
call his name JESUS. Mary, in her astonished frame of mind, replies:
"How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?" The word know in
Scripture often refers to the sex act. For instance, Genesis 4:1 says:
And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived . . . . So Mary is
actually saying, "How shall I have a child when I have never known a
man intimately?" The angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost
shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow
thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall
be called the Son of God (verse 35). Oh, blessed be the
wonder-working, omnipotent Holy Spirit who took the body and blood
prepared by the Father and placed the Christ - the sent One - into the
womb of the pure virgin.
C. Again, notice the power of the Holy Spirit in the resurrection of
the Lord Jesus Christ. First Peter 3:18 declares: For Christ also hath
once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring
us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened [made alive]
by the Spirit. Romans 8:11 also states: But if the Spirit of him that
raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ
from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that
dwelleth in you.
We have thus far witnessed the power of the Holy Spirit in the work of
creation, incarnation, and resurrection. We have discussed the
unlimited power of the Holy Spirit for one primary reason: to show
every child of God that this power is available in each believer's
life.
Holy Spirit Power for Believers
. . . ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon
you . . . (Acts 1:8). This power is released in a Christian as the
indwelling Holy Spirit is allowed to take full control. Do not
misunderstand - every saved person has this Holy Spirit indwelling him
. . . [we] have been all made to drink into one Spirit (I Corinthians
12:13). All means ALL. In fact, it is correct to say that it is
impossible to be a child of God if one does not have the Holy Spirit,
for if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his
(Romans 8:9). Romans 5:5 says: . . . the love of God is shed abroad in
our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. Who? A select
few? No! . . . the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man
to profit withal (I Corinthians 12:7). One cannot have the
manifestation of the Spirit without having Him, and this manifestation
is given to every man who says: Jesus is the Lord (verse 3).
While it is true that every believer has the Holy Spirit (and has all
of Him, for He does not enter in percentage portions), this does not
guarantee that He has all of us. Therefore, subsequent to salvation,
every believer needs the filling of the Spirit (also see Chapter 4).
Ephesians 5:18,19 says:. . . be filled with the Spirit; speaking to
yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making
melody in your heart to the Lord. One evidence of the filling, then,
is a heart overflowing with spiritual songs.
Another evidence is Holy Spirit power for witnessing . . . ye shall
receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: [the
result:] and ye shall be witnesses unto me. . . (Acts 1:8). Seek the
power the apostles had to witness as they bore ridicule, hatred,
persecution, and death for the Lord Jesus Christ. May I go one step
further? I care not what you call your experience with the Holy
Spirit. However, do not pray for "the fulness of the Holy Ghost"
unless you are willing to become hated and even slaughtered for the
name of Jesus. This is where the power of the Holy Spirit usually
leads the sold out, dedicated, Spirit-filled Christian. Let's look at
the Book of Acts for a moment and see.
Peter, after being filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:4 (not
baptized, which takes place at salvation, but filled, which is
subsequent to salvation), becomes a power-laden giant for God. Earlier
in his life - in fact, only 7 weeks earlier - he sat by a fire denying
the Lord (Matthew 26). At that point in his life, he was a powerless
witness. After he allowed the Holy Spirit to take full control and
possession of his body, he became a one-man army for the Saviour.
Please notice that the texts to be quoted mention "boldness" and
"power" as the results of the filling of the Spirit. These two
attributes, which the indwelling Spirit generates in the believer when
He is allowed to have control, cannot be easily duplicated "in the
flesh." "Boldness" and "power" in the face of persecution and death
can only be produced by the blessed Spirit of God.
The Boldness of Peter
First, let's consider the boldness of the Apostle Peter. Acts 4
states: Then Peter, filled [filled - not baptized, but filled] with
the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of
Israel . . . Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of
Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye
crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man
stand here before you whole. This [Christ] is the stone which was set
at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name
under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (verses 8,
10-12). Verse 13 states that these people saw the BOLDNESS of Peter
and John. Imagine the high priest and his relatives and a great
multitude of those who had put Christ to death gathered together as
Peter denounces their sin publicly and declares that this Christ they
killed is the only way of salvation! It takes Holy Spirit boldness to
be uncompromising.
Are you seeking the fulness of the Holy Ghost for the same reason or
because it is the popular thing to do?
This same crowd hated Peter's message and threatened Peter and John in
verses 18-20: And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at
all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and
said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken
unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the
things which we have seen and heard. That is boldness, my brother! Did
they quit? No! Acts 4:33 states: . . . with great power gave the
apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great
grace was upon them all. In Acts 5:40-42 they are beaten for the sweet
name of Jesus and guess what?. . . they departed from the presence of
the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame
for his name. Did it stop them? And daily in the temple, and in every
house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. The only
thing that stopped these Spirit-filled warriors was death. Beloved, to
be filled with the Spirit is to die daily (Luke 9:23).
The Power of Paul
In Acts 9:17, Paul, too, was filled with the Spirit -not baptized, but
filled. He was baptized by the Spirit at salvation, as all believers
are (I Corinthians 12:13), and then filled as all believers should be
(Ephesians 5:18). This filling prepared him for the Lord's plan: . . .
I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake
(Acts 9:16). Has anyone ever suffered as much as Jesus or Paul? This
battle-scarred apostle enumerates his sufferings in II Corinthians
11:23-27: . . . in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in
prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received
I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I
stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in
the deep; in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of
robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen,
in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the
sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and painfulness, in
watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and
nakedness.
Why was he so hated? Because. . . he went into the synagogue, and
spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading
the things concerning the kingdom of God (Acts 19:8); because his
preaching caused an uproar in the city (Acts 20:1); and because he
called sin and sinners by name. In Acts 13:9,10 we see Paul filled -
get the exact word -filled with the Spirit, setting his eyes on Elymas
the sorcerer and saying: . . . thou child of the devil, thou enemy of
all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of
the Lord? A Holy Spirit-filled life denounces sin in an uncompromising
way. It also often brings death because they beheaded Saint Paul.
Stephen also experienced the same in Acts 7:55 when he, being full of
the Holy Ghost, BOLDLY exposed sin PUBLICLY and was murdered.
Friend, do you want to be filled with the Spirit? Think twice before
asking Him to take full control of your life. It may cost you
everything you have. However, it will be worth it all when we see
Jesus. He said in Matthew 5:10-12: Blessed are they which are
persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you,
and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven:
for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Father God, forgive my sins. Thank you for sending Jesus Christ down
to die on the cross and for shedding his blood for me. Three days
later you resurrected him. I accept that. I invite Jesus Christ into
my heart as my Lord and savior. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
God bless you.
Holy Spirit."
Believers are powerless and ineffective in their daily lives because
they do not partake of the vast storehouse of power that is available
to them in the person of the Holy Spirit. As a result, they depend
upon personality traits and psychological manipulations rather than
the power of God. They forget that God says in Zechariah 4:6: . . .
Not by [human] might, nor by [human] power, but by my spirit . . . .
Man, with all of his reliance on tricks, gimmicks, and manifold
activities, could accomplish so much more if God, the Holy Spirit,
originated, motivated, and activated the program. He alone supplies
the power needed by powerless human beings. He alone is the match to
ignite the fire, the fuel to propel the motor. A person cannot move
without His assistance. Acts 1:8 states: . . . ye shall receive power,
after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you . . . . Do you have this
power? Or are you still serving God in the energy of the flesh? Just
as there is a difference in cultivating a field with a shovel or with
a tractor, so there is a mighty difference in one's service when
empowered by the all-powerful Holy Spirit. May I also say that there
is no power shortage in God's Spirit because:
The Holy Spirit is Omnipotent
The Holy Spirit manifested this power on numerous occasions:
A. At creation, this blessed Spirit was active because the spirit of
God moved upon the face of the waters (Genesis 1:2). Job 26:13 states:
By his spirit [God] hath garnished the heavens . . . . Again, Psalm
104:30 declares that mankind, animals, birds of the air, fish of the
sea and all other created objects came because thou sendest forth thy
spirit, they are created....
B. At the conception and birth of Christ, the Holy Spirit again
displayed His power. The Bible teaches that Christ was an unembodied
spirit in eternity past, for He was in the form of God (Philippians
2:6), and God is a Spirit (John 4:24). However, one of the members of
the Trinity had to become embodied because God had decreed in the
councils of eternity that the blood . . . maketh an atonement for the
soul (Leviticus 17:11). Animal blood was only an inadequate temporary
covering looking toward the planned, prepared, permanent sacrifice (I
Peter 1:20). This eternal offering also had to be a sacrifice of
blood. Man's blood was already poisoned through Adam's transgression
(Romans 5:12). Therefore, since animal blood was inadequate and man's
blood was tainted, the only solution was that a member of the Godhead
should take a body containing blood. However, if this One were to come
into the world through natural generation, the seed of a man deposited
into the womb of a woman, the tainted blood would then be passed on to
the newborn Christ. Thus God planned and prepared a body for His Son
(Hebrews 10:5), which the Holy Spirit miraculously placed in the womb
of the virgin, and the result was the incarnation -God in the flesh,
with sinless blood. That is why I Peter 1:19 declares that we are
redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without
blemish and without spot.
Perhaps this information may help some seeking soul see why the entire
program of redemption and salvation stands or falls upon the
foundation of the virgin birth. The blessed, all-powerful Holy Spirit
was the agent in carrying out this miracle of the ages. The story is
unfolded in Luke chapter one. The angel appears to Mary and says: . .
. thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt
call his name JESUS. Mary, in her astonished frame of mind, replies:
"How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?" The word know in
Scripture often refers to the sex act. For instance, Genesis 4:1 says:
And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived . . . . So Mary is
actually saying, "How shall I have a child when I have never known a
man intimately?" The angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost
shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow
thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall
be called the Son of God (verse 35). Oh, blessed be the
wonder-working, omnipotent Holy Spirit who took the body and blood
prepared by the Father and placed the Christ - the sent One - into the
womb of the pure virgin.
C. Again, notice the power of the Holy Spirit in the resurrection of
the Lord Jesus Christ. First Peter 3:18 declares: For Christ also hath
once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring
us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened [made alive]
by the Spirit. Romans 8:11 also states: But if the Spirit of him that
raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ
from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that
dwelleth in you.
We have thus far witnessed the power of the Holy Spirit in the work of
creation, incarnation, and resurrection. We have discussed the
unlimited power of the Holy Spirit for one primary reason: to show
every child of God that this power is available in each believer's
life.
Holy Spirit Power for Believers
. . . ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon
you . . . (Acts 1:8). This power is released in a Christian as the
indwelling Holy Spirit is allowed to take full control. Do not
misunderstand - every saved person has this Holy Spirit indwelling him
. . . [we] have been all made to drink into one Spirit (I Corinthians
12:13). All means ALL. In fact, it is correct to say that it is
impossible to be a child of God if one does not have the Holy Spirit,
for if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his
(Romans 8:9). Romans 5:5 says: . . . the love of God is shed abroad in
our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. Who? A select
few? No! . . . the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man
to profit withal (I Corinthians 12:7). One cannot have the
manifestation of the Spirit without having Him, and this manifestation
is given to every man who says: Jesus is the Lord (verse 3).
While it is true that every believer has the Holy Spirit (and has all
of Him, for He does not enter in percentage portions), this does not
guarantee that He has all of us. Therefore, subsequent to salvation,
every believer needs the filling of the Spirit (also see Chapter 4).
Ephesians 5:18,19 says:. . . be filled with the Spirit; speaking to
yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making
melody in your heart to the Lord. One evidence of the filling, then,
is a heart overflowing with spiritual songs.
Another evidence is Holy Spirit power for witnessing . . . ye shall
receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: [the
result:] and ye shall be witnesses unto me. . . (Acts 1:8). Seek the
power the apostles had to witness as they bore ridicule, hatred,
persecution, and death for the Lord Jesus Christ. May I go one step
further? I care not what you call your experience with the Holy
Spirit. However, do not pray for "the fulness of the Holy Ghost"
unless you are willing to become hated and even slaughtered for the
name of Jesus. This is where the power of the Holy Spirit usually
leads the sold out, dedicated, Spirit-filled Christian. Let's look at
the Book of Acts for a moment and see.
Peter, after being filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:4 (not
baptized, which takes place at salvation, but filled, which is
subsequent to salvation), becomes a power-laden giant for God. Earlier
in his life - in fact, only 7 weeks earlier - he sat by a fire denying
the Lord (Matthew 26). At that point in his life, he was a powerless
witness. After he allowed the Holy Spirit to take full control and
possession of his body, he became a one-man army for the Saviour.
Please notice that the texts to be quoted mention "boldness" and
"power" as the results of the filling of the Spirit. These two
attributes, which the indwelling Spirit generates in the believer when
He is allowed to have control, cannot be easily duplicated "in the
flesh." "Boldness" and "power" in the face of persecution and death
can only be produced by the blessed Spirit of God.
The Boldness of Peter
First, let's consider the boldness of the Apostle Peter. Acts 4
states: Then Peter, filled [filled - not baptized, but filled] with
the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of
Israel . . . Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of
Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye
crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man
stand here before you whole. This [Christ] is the stone which was set
at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name
under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (verses 8,
10-12). Verse 13 states that these people saw the BOLDNESS of Peter
and John. Imagine the high priest and his relatives and a great
multitude of those who had put Christ to death gathered together as
Peter denounces their sin publicly and declares that this Christ they
killed is the only way of salvation! It takes Holy Spirit boldness to
be uncompromising.
Are you seeking the fulness of the Holy Ghost for the same reason or
because it is the popular thing to do?
This same crowd hated Peter's message and threatened Peter and John in
verses 18-20: And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at
all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and
said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken
unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the
things which we have seen and heard. That is boldness, my brother! Did
they quit? No! Acts 4:33 states: . . . with great power gave the
apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great
grace was upon them all. In Acts 5:40-42 they are beaten for the sweet
name of Jesus and guess what?. . . they departed from the presence of
the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame
for his name. Did it stop them? And daily in the temple, and in every
house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. The only
thing that stopped these Spirit-filled warriors was death. Beloved, to
be filled with the Spirit is to die daily (Luke 9:23).
The Power of Paul
In Acts 9:17, Paul, too, was filled with the Spirit -not baptized, but
filled. He was baptized by the Spirit at salvation, as all believers
are (I Corinthians 12:13), and then filled as all believers should be
(Ephesians 5:18). This filling prepared him for the Lord's plan: . . .
I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake
(Acts 9:16). Has anyone ever suffered as much as Jesus or Paul? This
battle-scarred apostle enumerates his sufferings in II Corinthians
11:23-27: . . . in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in
prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received
I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I
stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in
the deep; in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of
robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen,
in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the
sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and painfulness, in
watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and
nakedness.
Why was he so hated? Because. . . he went into the synagogue, and
spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading
the things concerning the kingdom of God (Acts 19:8); because his
preaching caused an uproar in the city (Acts 20:1); and because he
called sin and sinners by name. In Acts 13:9,10 we see Paul filled -
get the exact word -filled with the Spirit, setting his eyes on Elymas
the sorcerer and saying: . . . thou child of the devil, thou enemy of
all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of
the Lord? A Holy Spirit-filled life denounces sin in an uncompromising
way. It also often brings death because they beheaded Saint Paul.
Stephen also experienced the same in Acts 7:55 when he, being full of
the Holy Ghost, BOLDLY exposed sin PUBLICLY and was murdered.
Friend, do you want to be filled with the Spirit? Think twice before
asking Him to take full control of your life. It may cost you
everything you have. However, it will be worth it all when we see
Jesus. He said in Matthew 5:10-12: Blessed are they which are
persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you,
and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven:
for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Father God, forgive my sins. Thank you for sending Jesus Christ down
to die on the cross and for shedding his blood for me. Three days
later you resurrected him. I accept that. I invite Jesus Christ into
my heart as my Lord and savior. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
God bless you.
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