The Role/Power of the Holy Spirit
The reason why I chose to write on the power of the Holy Spirit is that as I write this note Pentecost Day is right around the corner.
Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised His disciples that He would not leave them comfortless that He would send them the comforter also known as the Advocate who will teach them everything Christ had revealed today. However, the disciples were to wait in Jerusalem.
As the disciples frigidly gathered in the Upper Room, Jesus appeared and said Peace be with you. He breathed on them and said to the Disciples: “Receive the Holy Spirit as the Father has sent me so I have sent you.”
Another account of how Jesus fulfilled the promise of the Holy Spirit was in Acts chapter 2 verses 1 through 11. As the disciples were gathered a sudden rush of violent wind from heaven came and it filled the entire house. Tongues of fire appeared among them, and rested on each of them and all of them were filled of the Holy Spirit and they began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
Thank God Jesus fulfilled His promise to send the Holy Spirit if not who knows how long the timid disciples who locked themselves up in the Upper Room would have spent in there.
With the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ disciples were set free to reach the world with the Good News of Jesus Christ. They were able to teach their world about the message of love of Jesus.
This is true of any Christian or any Church that are about to take a giant step in their ministries to the glory of God. Through the Holy Spirit our hearts are connected to God’s heart so that we can respond to God’s expectation of us.
The Holy Spirit is what enlightens us to behold what God is doing around us and for us to be able to not only respond to the needs of our community rather to be part of the Community.
Through the Holy Spirit some things we may look at as impossible have been made possible. This affirms what the Scripture says that With God all things are possible. The Holy Spirit also enables us to affirm that we can do all things through God who strengthens us.
It is humanly possible to describe the boldness that we receive when we are grasped by the power of the Holy Spirit. This makes part of what Psalm 23 says meaningful- that though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we shall fear no evil.
Many of us are who we are today because of the power of the Holy Spirit. Many of us would have been derailed in life or follow the wrong crowd if not for the Holy Spirit who is teaching us and directing us in the way of Christ. Yes, I said who, because the Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Triune God. The Holy Spirit has the same essence, nature and substance as of God.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are able to witness to other people not only to come and see our beautiful Churches but also to taste and see that the Lord is good.
The Holy Spirit assists us as individuals and as churches to go through discernment and thereby making a choice believing that God is in our discernment. An example of this was when the disciples wanted to select someone to be the twelfth disciple after Judas’ death.
Before I end this writing, I pray that we will all seek the help of the Holy Spirit in every decision we make believing that through the Holy Spirit our decisions will be sanctified. May God help us as we do. Amen.
Father John
