And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high ~ Luke 24:49.
Introduction:
Now is the time for us to verily join the fresh move of the Holy Spirit in our days. The Kingdom of God must be here and now!
Too many people are hurting and, in many instances, feeling hopeless in our world today. But, I can boldly confirm that all these only point to the fact that the world is actually groaning for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and for a new dawn, a new day and a new life (Roman 8:19).
Nothing moves right until the Church moves properly to join the move of the Holy Spirit. Our lives must be filled with His Presence if we are to be empowered to bring forth the answers that our world is craving for.
Meanwhile, since the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit became a part of our lives, dwelling within us and helping us always and in all ways. For this purpose, Christ had to leave so that we could receive this timeless gift of God, which is for every Christian believer.
When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the evidence of that in our lives is the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. Besides, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God’s Might, and when we allow Him to have His way in our lives, we can actually become the change we want to see, both in our personal lives and in our communities.
The Holy Spirit is Irreplaceable!
Today, one of the greatest detriments of the Church is that too many Christians try to live in this world without the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within them.
Many Christian workers who are serving in the various Church congregations are really good and sincere-hearted believers, but are unfortunately lacking in the power needed to be valid witnesses for Christ to make a difference in the world.
However, if we are to live as valuable, valid and vital witnesses for Christ, we must be truly charismatic Pentecostals (Acts 1:8). This Holy Spirit experience is absolutely irreplaceable in the real Christian life!
By the way, Pentecostals include all Christians, irrespective of their denominational backgrounds, who actively believe that the manifestations of the Holy Spirit are available and should be experienced by all Christians today. Indeed, we all must believe and live in the day-to-day reality of the power of the Holy Spirit.
It is the Holy Spirit living within us who nudges us along the paths of doing what is good, right and relevant to God. It is the same Holy Spirit who guides us in our times of trouble and comforts us on every side.
Yes, the Holy Spirit helps us to live the new-life in Christ, and to glorify God as witnesses of His power. He is constantly at work in our world, giving His gift to believers to minister salvation and total liberty to their generations.
Pentecost: Yesterday and Today!
From the record in Acts 2:1-4, Pentecost was the beginning of God’s gifting of the Holy Spirit to everyone who has come to believe in salvation through Jesus Christ.
However, Pentecost actually pre-dated the first christian Pentecostal experience. There was already a feast of Pentecost in Judaism, and it was during this feast that the Holy Spirit fierily descended upon the disciples of Christ.
The Jewish Pentecost was the feast of seven weeks, or the feast of harvest, when the first-fruits of grain were offered to God. It also commemorated, especially during Jesus' time, the conferral of the law and the covenant on Mount Sinai. It is noteworthy that the Holy Spirit descended upon the Church precisely on such a remarkable day, highlighting the imports of the first Christian Pentecost experience.
We can safely infer from the fact above that the Holy Spirit ushered in the new spiritual law that sealed the new covenant, which is written today in the hearts of all men and women who have experienced Christ as their Lord and Saviour. And, this underscores the real difference between the Christian faith and all other religious formats.
Unfortunately, many believers still go through life struggling, without joy and without testimonies of supernatural intervention in their lives and through them to their world. This ought not so to be, especially because the Comforter has come!
Basic Requirements for Holy Ghost Infilling
The pertinent question arises: “How do I get the power of the Holy Spirit”? To answer this question succinctly, I wish to use the following illustration.
The first electric power generator we owned in our Church several years ago ran on an old lister engine, which was donated by one of our members at that time. The engine then was dirty, but nonetheless a very precious gift to us because we badly needed electrical power.
Firstly, we got it thoroughly washed with petrol. When it dried, an energetic young man was called upon to roll the wheel frantically to start the engine.
It was very hectic to start with but, after some concerted efforts, suddenly there was a noise, and the engine started to work. The young man then straightened himself up and breathed a sigh of relief because light had come!
This is an image of what happens in the Christian life. One groans with much efforts, but without great progress, when the Holy Spirit is yet to take His place in our lives.
We have an incredibly powerful ‘Spiritual Engine’ that only needs to be set working. Nevertheless, we must first of all purify ourselves, and be ready to pay the price required for His infilling.
We must completely surrender our lives to God, accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior and acknowledging the fact that we are the temples of the Holy Ghost on earth today (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
Moreover, we must also tarry like the early disciples of Christ did in the place of prayers, and were united in purpose in order to be equipped for their tasks of world evangelization (Acts 1:4-5; 2:1-4). Without doubt, a major secret for experiencing the Holy Spirit is called prayer. Why? It is in the place of prayers that we can find the ‘spark’ that starts the ‘engine’.
Jesus promised that our heavenly Father would give the Holy Spirit to those who ask for Him (Luke 11:13). So, we can boldly ask: “Come, Holy Spirit and fill us with renewed energy to glorify Jehovah-God in our generation, in Jesus Name”. Thereafter, we can begin to expect to take the world by storm!
Friends and brethren, this special Holy Ghost season, I pray that your spirit-man will look up, and that your soul will be enriched by the strength of God’s Spirit. May your Kingdom-relevance soar, even as you tastefully enjoy the high favour of God Almighty, in Jesus Name. Amen. Happy Sunday!
Rhema Christian Church,
Otta, Ogun State, Nigeria.
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