Last week I shared with you how I Believe that this is “The Year of the Holy Spirit”
Again I believe God is stirring us to spend this year emphasizing the Holy Spirit – Who He is, What He does and our need to continually lean in on Him and allow Him to direct our lives, our church, our services – to truly allow Him to be “in charge” of everything.
Last week I also released a prophetic word from Remi Castillo, And it would be easy, in light of that prophetic word to call this a Year of Revival, but again I believe it is a Year of the Holy Spirit, and what we need to do is not “seek for revival” but seek after God – pursue God – pursue the Holy Spirit and give ourselves to Him – and when we do that… the revival will come.
You see, we think we want revival – but what we want is God! A supernatural encounter with God!
The Book of Acts, written by Luke, is a story of revival. It is the story of the early church – the “Acts” of the early church. But more accurately, it is the acts of the early disciples under the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit. And they did the same things Jesus had done in His ministry: healed the sick, raised the dead, cast out demons!
Jesus knew that without that anointing His disciples would be powerless to accomplish what God had in mind. So his parting words from the Mount of Ascension is go straight to Jerusalem to the upper room and don’t do anything else until you’ve received the Holy Spirit.
[Act 1:1-8 NLT] 1 In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit. 3 During the forty days after his crucifixion, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God. 4 Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, "Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. 5 John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." 6 So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, "Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?" 7 He replied, "The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. 8 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."
The rest of the book of Acts is the story of the disciple’s obedience to that command to be filled with the Spirit, walk in the Spirit, depend on the Spirit of God.
If God’s Kingdom purposes are to be accomplished in the earth, it is going to require seeking the face of God for his assignments for all of us, and listening diligently to what He has to say about revival and awakening in our land.
But it is also going to require us to walk in an awareness and pursuit of the Holy Spirit to guide us and empower us and to do those supernatural things that are necessary to bring revival to our city and the world.
So are we expecting, seeking and welcoming the presence of the Holy Spirit?
Or are we content to do “church as usual” because we have lunch plans and we don’t want the services to go too long???
Are we really ready to “live in” an atmosphere of the Holy Spirit Presence – where He is in charge – where He calls the shots – where He is the driving force – where He is free to interrupt our plans and do whatever He wants to do in us and through us?
That’s how Jesus lived His Life and fulfilled His Ministry – by living and working through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus, of course, is our best example … in everything … and especially when we are talking about living in a Holy Spirit Presence.
Most of us know what Jesus said in Luke 4 as he launched his public ministry: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for He has anointed me…”
Just break that down and we see that Jesus was anointed (empowered, enabled, blessed) by the Holy Spirit who was “Upon Jesus” – With Him… resting on His life and ministry.
All we need to do is back up a page or so in the Bible and we see this more fully explained…
- [Luk 3:21-22 NLT] 21 One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, "You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy."
- [Luke 4:1, 14 NLT] 1 Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, ...
- 14 Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit's power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region.
These are the events that led Jesus to that place in the temple where He boldly declares the Spirit of the Lord is upon me for He has anointed me… He wasn’t just quoting Scripture. He was declaring the reality that was happening in His life. And it was in that power and anointing of the Holy Spirit that Jesus proceeded to preach the good news of the Kingdom, to heal the sick, raise the dead and cast out demons…
Jesus operated in a lifestyle of Holy Spirit presence and so must we.
So often, it is easy to see all the miraculous stuff Jesus did and think, well, of course, because He’s Jesus! He is the Son of God. He is God. Of course He can do miracles. But we need to remember that when Jesus came to this earth he “emptied himself” and “became as a man”
[Phil 2:5-8 ESV] 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
- Kenosis Theology – The word for emptied: means “deprive of force, render vain, useless, of no effect”
- Jesus did not empty Himself of His deity in the terms of giving up His diety or ceasing to become God; But he willingly set aside the power that He had as God, deprived Himself of His Godly power; rendered it vain and useless – so that He could live with the limitations of humanity while on this earth.
Jesus came to demonstrate to us what is possible for man when he is filled, anointed and walking in the power of the Holy Spirit.
So …
- He healed the sick, not as God, but as a man full of the Holy Spirit, operating under the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit.
- He raised the dead, not as God, but as a man full of the Holy Spirit, operating under the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit.
- He cast out demons, not as God, but as a man full of the Holy Spirit, operating under the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit.
- He did all of this under the anointing of the HS to show us what is possible…
- … to show us that we can do the same things.
- In fact, He said that we would not only do the same things as He had done, “but greater works than these….”
- Church, I’m ready to see some “Greater Works!”
- I’m ready to see supernatural manifestations… signs, wonders, miracles as we walk in the Spirit and give Him full permission to work in our midst, in us and through us, as He desires!
In his book, The Greatest Words Ever Spoken, Steven Scott lists a compilation of all the words recorded in the Bible spoken by Jesus, categorized according to topics - That list includes 10 roles of the Holy Spirit in His ministry to believers. They are located in different books of the Bible, but when read all together they give us a powerful description of the importance of the work of the Holy Spirit in everything we do.
Ten roles of the Holy Spirit's ministry to believers
- He is our Teacher - John 14:26 NIV
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
John 16:13 NIV - But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.
In a world where lies abound, we need the Holy Spirit to reveal to us what is true! Whether you are talking about the world of politics, or the world of doctrine…
- He Helps us to remember God’s Word
John 14:26 NIV…. will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you
- He is a witness of Christ (to us & through us)
John 15:26-27 NIV - “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
- He is our Helper and Comforter
John 14:15-16 NIV- “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—
- He Convicts unbelievers of sin [John 16:8 NKJV] "And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
- He Reveals the righteousness of Christ
John 16:10 NIV …about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer;
- He Reveals the judgment of God.
John 16:11 NIV… and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
- He Reveals future events
John 16:13 NIV But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, … he will tell you what is yet to come.
- He Empowers believers
Acts 1:8 NIV But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;
- He helps us to witness
Acts 1:8 NIV … and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Is it any wonder then that the Apostle Paul put the emphasis on the importance of being filled with the Holy Spirit in his letter to the Ephesian church? Listen to what he said in….
Eph 5:17-18 NIV
17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit
“Be continually being filled”
"Always be getting filled with the Holy Spirit!"
Conclusion: Musicians Come
I am excited about what the Holy Spirit is doing in these days, and in the days just ahead of us.
Prophets around our nation and world are declaring that God is calling His people to passionate prayer and fasting, seeking God for a move of the Holy Spirit resulting in miracles, signs and wonders and ultimately, a Great Awakening in America.
And I believe it. But it will never happen if we don’t find ourselves immersed in the presence of the Holy Spirit, taking our hands off the wheel, and saying ‘Holy Spirit do your thing… have your way … be in charge…!!!”
It’s not enough that we say, “Well I got filled with the Holy Spirit 20 years ago and I spoke in tongues, so I’m good.” No…. we need to always be getting filled with the Spirit, so He can work in us and through us for His Kingdom purposes.