THE HOLY SPIRIT: You Were Made For Power

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you” Acts 1:8

What or who is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is the 3rd person of the Trinity, co-equal, co-eternal, and co-existent with Yahweh (God, the Father) and Yeshua (Jesus, the Son). The first mentions of the Spirit in scripture are associated with creation (see Genesis 1:1-2 and Exodus 31:3 as examples)

Later in the New Testament we see the Holy Spirit partner with humanity in a more intimate way. In John 14, Jesus is spending the last moments with his disciples before his arrest and crucifixion, and he promises the Holy Spirit will be with them by saying “the peace I have, the peace you’ve seen me demonstrate over the last few years, is an unshakeable peace that this world cannot give you. Only I can and you will have it soon” (my paraphrase).

In Acts chapter 1, Jesus has resurrected, spent the last 40 days with his disciples, and He is about to ascend into Heaven when He gives them one last instruction: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Then in verse 8 He says: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you”

The Greek word for “power” in this verse is “Dunamis” which is where we get our English word “Dynamite” from. Receiving the Holy Spirit is a mighty, explosive type of experience that is for all of us. Jesus doesn’t just invite His disciples to believe, but to be empowered. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is essential for bold, Spirit-led living. This gift is to equip you to be a living witness wherever God places you. The Holy Spirit turns ordinary believers into extraordinary vessels of God’s Kingdom; He turns introverts into extroverts and extroverts into extra extroverts.

In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit comes and Peter preaches his first sermon with boldness and a confidence that is supernatural. Just 50 days prior, he lived a cowardly life and even denied knowing Christ. How does he go from one side of the pendulum swing to the other? It is only possible because of the Holy Spirit.

Let us not neglect the power, the depth, and the importance of the Holy Spirit in our lives. He is the never ending well of life, wisdom, presence, power, gifting, and favor. He is the spirit of the living God inside of us that guides us to righteous living. A.W. Tozer once said, “We can have as much of God as we want.” When we begin to think we’ve seen the peak of God’s power in and through us, we haven’t even scratched the surface. He has more for us than we could imagine. The power of the Holy Spirit demonstrated in the New Testament is available for us today.

FOUNDATION PROMPTS:

• What are your thoughts on the Holy Spirit’s role in your life?

  
  

• In what areas do you need fresh power to be a witness?

  
  

• How would your faith look if you fully walked in Spirit-empowered boldness?