The Power of God’s Spirit

 

Just before He ascended to heaven Jesus promised His disciples that they would “receive power, after the Holy Spirit is come upon you,” as it says in Acts 1 and verse 8. What did Jesus mean by that statement? We’ll start over in Acts 10 today. He told His disciples that, “you will receive power.” What power was He talking about, and is that same power available to us today? Acts chapter 10.

In John’s gospel—we won’t take the time to go over there—but Jesus is quoted as saying that, “I can of mine own self do nothing,” and He said later in that same gospel that it was God in Him that did the works. God was living in Him. Now, how is that possible? How is it possible for God to be living in Jesus Christ?

Notice Acts 10 here, verse 37. It says, “That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;”

Verse 38 says, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy [Spirit] and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” Now Christ wasn’t like some in this world who, when they claim to have the Spirit of God, carry on about, you know, a fashion that’s emotionally out of control—screaming, shaking, wailing—all because they think the Spirit is moving them. You see how the Spirit moved Jesus Christ from this verse, verse 38. It moved Him to go about doing good, to perform miracles, to heal the sick. It was by the power of God’s Spirit that Jesus overcame the devil. It was by the power of God’s Spirit that Jesus lived a perfect life.

So when Jesus promised to give His disciples—after repentance, faith, and baptism—when He promised to give them the gift of the Holy Spirit, can it be that we as Christians actually have access to that same power, that very same Spirit that enabled Christ to obey God with a perfect heart, that enabled Christ to have God, Himself, living in Him? And the answer to that, of course, is yes; that’s what God is offering to us.

Luke 11 and verse 13—you can just look at it later—“If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” How much more? See, God is EAGER to give us His Spirit, to give us this gift. And the plain teaching of the Bible is that if we turn to Him in repentance and faith, as I just mentioned, if we’re baptized by a minister of Jesus Christ, then we, too, can receive the power, the gift of God’s Holy Spirit, which is His mind, His power.

Acts chapter 3, another passage here in Acts. As you turn there, I’ll just remind you of what Paul said over in Romans 15 and verse 13, how that “the God of hope [would] fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy [Spirit].” Over and again the Bible refers to the Holy Spirit as God’s power, not as a separate entity in a closed Godhead—that’s not scriptural—a trinity that leaves everyone else out, but rather the scriptures refer to the Spirit as being something that emanates from God. I mean, without God, the Spirit wouldn’t be able to do anything because it’s just a power, a force that comes from our Creator.

Acts chapter 3. This is an incident here where Peter and John had just been filled with the Spirit of God. You can look at chapter 2 if you like, to review that history of what happened there on the first Pentecost and how the Spirit came into the Church, into the body of Christ, and many were converted to the truth on that day. And then now full of God’s Spirit, or at least given a portion of God’s Spirit, notice what happens here in chapter 3. It says, “Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. (2) And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; (3) Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.” So he was asking for a handout, something physical, some money.

(4) “And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. (5) And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said,” verse 6, “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.”

(8) “And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.” As I’m sure you might imagine. We’d probably do the same thing or react the same way after a miracle that stunning. This man’s strength in his legs enabled him now to walk, a wonderful miracle, a powerful miracle performed by one of God’s servants, by two of God’s servants there who had just received the Spirit of God.

And if you go and read some of the events that happened there, after this miraculous healing, aroused quite a lot of antagonism coming from the priests and the Sadducees, who then seized Peter and John and threw them in prison for a night. And the next day these religious leaders were threatening them and commanded them not to speak, not to carry on with this message, not to carry on with this work that they were doing. And as a result of these threats, I mean it did have an adverse impact on Peter and John.

You can look at chapter four. We’ll just hit the high spots here. They were human. I mean they now had the Spirit of God, but they still had to resist against the old man that we put away at baptism that continually wants to resurface and come back to life. But these threats got to them, and notice what they did here in chapter four. They went to the brethren for encouragement. They went to the Source that they needed in this time of need, the Source or the Provider of that Spirit, that power. Verse 24 in Acts 4, it says, “And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God,” they were with the brethren now or God’s people, “they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: (25) Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage,” and so on. You can read the next few verses of this prayer.

But skipping to the end of it, verse 29 says, “And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all BOLDNESS they may SPEAK thy word, (30) By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.” So they went right to the Source of this power, notice, to receive it again, and this, itself, tells us that the Holy Spirit is not something that you receive all at once. You receive this supply at baptism. In fact there are some at times that coming out of baptism are a little disappointed that they don’t feel more of an onrushing power in them, but they shouldn’t feel disappointed. They should go to the Source, the Provider of that power, who is God! That’s what Peter and John did, even when they were getting a little bit down. I mean these were Apostles of God!

Look at verse 31, it says, “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all FILLED with the Holy [Spirit],” see, the Holy Spirit is something that fills us, that can come into us. They were filled with this Spirit, “and they spake the word of God with boldness.” So they were revitalized, they were rejuvenated spiritually. They were inspired by this show of support coming from God’s people. Certainly every member in the body of Christ serves an important purpose, offering up prayers for the ministry, offering up prayers for the work, making those requests before God who wants to give us His Spirit, as I said. I mean, He is a father who wants to give gifts, who wants to empower us.

Verse 33 says, “And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.” God, you see, is looking to provide us with power, and He gave it to Peter and John. I mean there’s a verse in John’s gospel that talks about the disciples, or those who became the apostles, performing even greater works than what Jesus Christ did in His ministry. I mean so much so that the shadow of Peter passing over the one who was sick healed that individual.

Isaiah chapter 55. Do you mean to say that that same power is accessible today? Can we, as Christians, draw on that same source of power? And the answer is yes, we can. We can do it, but we have to be really hungry enough, thirsty enough, spiritually speaking, to go and get it. Isaiah 55 and verse 6, it says, “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: (7) Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” It goes on and talks about how far above God’s thoughts are from ours. But there’s plenty of people in this world, even plenty of followers to the Trumpet and other things that this work produces, that can see just how obvious it is in this world that it’s falling apart. They can see the evils in this world, and they know that God has the answers. But it’s not enough for us to just see what’s obviously wrong in this evil world. It’s not enough for us to just see the evil, even to just see the evils in our own life that we’ve got to change and get rid of.

Look at verse 1 of this same chapter. Isaiah 55 and verse 1, “Ho,” it says, “every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”

If you’re thirsty, then go to the waters. John 7, verses 37 through 39 where Jesus spoke on that Last Great Day of the Feast and said much the same thing. If you’re thirsty, come and drink from these rivers of living water. And John said He spoke there of the Spirit, the Spirit of God! That’s what we’ve got to be thirsty for! If you’ve ever gone without food and water for a time, you know there’s a real hunger and thirst that sets in just after a few hours. And this is why fasting is such an important spiritual tool because it reminds us of how much we’ve got to thirst and hunger for God’s righteousness, of how much we’ve got to thirst for the Spirit of God!

This is a quote from Mr. Armstrong, a Good News article from February 1983. He wrote, “Do you today have the same power the original Christians had? They were just as human as you! The real question, then, is this—do you YIELD yourself as fully, SURRENDER your will as unconditionally to God, PRAY as often, as earnestly and intensively as they?” He says, “If you do, you will be filled with as much of the divine power as they, for God is no respecter of persons.” It’s a wonderful promise, a wonderful encouragement that we can be empowered by the same Spirit, coming from the same Source that Peter and John and the others drew from, the power of God.

Look at Ephesians 1. Ephesians 1. The question is not whether we have access to that power. The question, as Mr. Armstrong brings out there, is do we yield to God? Do we surrender unconditionally to God’s will the way that those servants of God in the first century did? Do we go to God as often in prayer and study to receive that power?

Well, look at Ephesians 5 while we’re here in Ephesians. I’ll go to chapter one here in a second, but Ephesians 5, I think it’s verse 17. It says, “Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. (18) And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;” BE filled! BE filled! See, you’ve got to go and consume of the Spirit, you’ve got to drink in of God’s power, you’ve got to ask for God’s power, and then you have to use it. Get up from your prayers and really go about living the way that God lives, and those fruits will then be made manifest, or that Spirit will be made manifest as fruits, also spoken of there in Ephesians. Look at chapter 1, though. Ephesians chapter—or Galatians, I guess, is where it lists the fruits of the Spirit.

Ephesians 1 and verse 12, look at what God is offering to the saints. Verse 12 says, “That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. (13) In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise,” see, the brethren of God here, Paul says, are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. It’s God’s way of promising that there’s bigger and better things to come with this sealing.

Notice verse 14, it says, “Which is,” speaking of the Spirit, “the EARNEST of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” See, the gift of the Holy Spirit is just simply the earnest or the down-payment of our inheritance.

Another Bible translation calls it a pledge or an installment. The Revised Standard says the Holy Spirit is “the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it.” So God gives us this token¸ this down-payment, this guarantee, and that’s why it starts so small at baptism. That’s why it’s almost indiscernible. That’s why you don’t get up from that watery grave and start flailing about. But you use it from that point forward, you submit to God’s will, you go to God and ask Him for more of His Spirit. And that Spirit power will grow inside of us if we’re yielded to God, if we’re obedient, as it says in Acts 5 and verse 32.

God won’t forcefully lead us, as it says in Romans 8. We can just conclude over here in Romans. Romans chapter 8. Mr. Armstrong often compared the Spirit to electricity that circulates, that comes from the light source or the power source and then illuminates that light. Jesus, of course, compared it to living water, flowing water, not dead, stagnant water that just sits there, but water that flows, water that moves, and that’s the idea. We have to be moved by the Spirit of God. We have to use the Spirit of God if it’s to grow inside of us, if we’re to receive more of God’s power.

Romans 8. This chapter, this entire chapter has a lot to teach us about the Spirit of God. Verse 1, it says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” The working power of God’s Spirit in our lives, you see, it frees us from captivity, and we can go and live an obedient life. Not by our own power, as Jesus said, but by the power of God. With men, it’s impossible, but with God, all things are possible.

Jump down to verse 9, it says, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” So the Spirit in us is what makes us Christian; that’s what makes us a follower of Christ, God’s Spirit dwelling in us, but it leads to much more.

Verse 10 says, “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. (11) 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.” Quicken, or make alive at the resurrection when we will, in fact, be Spirit.

But coming back now to how that Spirit works in us today, notice verse 14. It says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” See, it won’t push, it won’t drag, it leads. God leads us, and if we use the Spirit, if we’re continually led by it, we will receive POWER from God. But we’ve got to walk in the direction of God. We’ve got to walk, following Christ.

Verse 16 says, “The Spirit itself,” God’s Spirit, that is, “beareth witness with our spirit,” we have a human spirit that enables us to think and reason, unlike animals, but “The Spirit itself beareth witness,” or joins together “with our spirit that we are the children of God:” see, it makes us children, God’s power, God in us. Jesus, we could add in passing here, is called in scripture the “Son of God” and the “Son of man,” both accurate descriptions. He’s never once called the Son of the Spirit, though. It was by the Spirit, by God’s power that He became a Son of God, and we have that same potential if we believe God’s Word.

Look at verse 17, speaking again if this Spirit is in us, if it’s joined together with God’s, or with our human spirit, it says in verse 17, “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” See, that’s what God has in store for us, the same inheritance which Hebrews 2 says is all things, including this universe, these billions and billions of stars, galaxies, and it’s all out there waiting for the first fruits, as you can read in the rest of that chapter. Read the rest of Romans 8 sometime. But think on this inheritance that God has for us, and think about how much we need more of God’s power today, even, just to finish what God has given us.

Going back to that article from 1983—I’ll conclude with this—Mr. Armstrong said, “We need to present our bodies a living sacrifice to God.” He’s referring to Romans 12:1 there. He says, “We need to receive a greater transforming and to be less conformed to this present evil world. We need to repent. We need to be more earnestly seeking God! We need to put on the whole ARMOR of God,” as we’re admonished in Ephesians 6.

“Perhaps some of us need to fast and pray as Jesus did.” He concludes here, “Have you enough of the power of God flowing DYNAMICALLY into and out of you? You need to seek a much closer contact with your God.”