Going with the Power
First of all, Holy Spirit (HS) is not a thing. He is a person. He is one personal entity within the Trinity. He is the invisible God within us.
Now let us look into two passages:
Zechariah 4:6 -
Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith.
Acts 1:8 -
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
To follow Jesus as God intended us to do, we must understand how the HS works in our lives and we must live in his power. If we do not understand the HS, we will lead superficial lives and not supernatural lives that he intends for us.
God spoke to Zerubbabel and gave him an impossible task. God reassured him by reminding him of the HS. God's word was both a promise and a precaution. An encouragement and a warning.
The Israelites frequently ignored both. There sure were moments when they flourished in faith. More often than not, they floundered. They relied upon their own strength. History suggests that we have not learnt lessons from the Israelite's as well. God's people often affirms the presence of the HS without experiencing the power of the HS. If you go to any church in Kerala, they will say they do believe in the HS. But the key question is whether you have experienced the power of the HS.
We teach the doctrine of the HS without acknowledging the dynamic of the HS. We sing about the fire of the HS, but the church is cold, the hearts are dry, languishing in weakness.
If God were to take the HS away from church today, much of what is going on in church will continue and nobody will know the difference - A. W. Tozer
The church was intended as a group of people who are doing what is impossible apart from God, and doing things in dependence of God.
God's people lead average lives. But average is not the normal. We can be accustomed to the subnormal christian living that when we see the normal living, we view it as extra-ordinary. Average is living powerless lives. Remember, people leave the church when they see the preaching about HS's power but don't see the evidence of it.
What is a normal christian life? There is a untiring hope grounded in Christ. A life pursuing God's Holy kingdom and not the American dream. It is Spirit-led and not cause-motivated. It is utterly impossible without the power of the HS.
Understanding normal Christian life requires a model for us. More is caught than taught. The best model is of course Jesus Christ.
How did Jesus know what to say, or what to do? How did he speak with authority? How did he know the best timing? How did he heal? Well, you could be tempted to say that it was possible because he is God. But the answer lies in Isaiah 11.
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him - the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the spirit of counsel and of might, the spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord - and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
Jesus started his public ministry after the HS came on him. Then immediately, he was led to the wilderness. He started to walk according to the leading of the HS. He said what he told to say (John 5:19 and 12:49). If Jesus' life and ministry was so much dependent on the HS, how much more should ours be?
We need to know where the power is going, and we need to go with it.
The HS's power never corrupts our soul. However, the sin in our souls could corrupt our approach to the HS's power in us. Remember Simon the Sorcerer? He wanted the power of the HS to do tricks and miracles. the same power empowered the disciples to do great things, and not to do tricks.
God's power is meant to accomplish God's purposes through two things:
- He wants us to get the World out of us (HOLINESS) - to set us free from our addictions to sin. We often want God's blessings, but are unwilling to take the trash out. He wants us to be Holy.
- He wants to get us into the World (MISSION)
The latter is impossible without the former. The first thing the HS wants us to do in our lives, is to make us Holy. When HS comes, he will expect us to be obedient to God's word.
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