When the Holy Spirit Comes… (part 2)
For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. (Rom 8:13-14)
You are warmly welcome!
The connection between the Coming of the Holy Spirit and the confirmation of the Great Commission is clearly evident in both the New and the Old Testaments. This second part on the subject seeks to lay emphasis on this point. To be led by the Spirit and to live according to the Spirit (putting to death the misdeeds of the body), will result in performing God’s given assignments. To do God’s work, you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. And if you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you cannot help bur perform God’s assignments. This connection is well illustrated in several biblical texts as shall be outlined later. But first…
We have a quick reminder of the identity of this Holy Spirit by reading Isaiah 11. In this Messianic prophecy, it is written: “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 the knowledge and fear of the LORD” (Is 11:2) – and that gives us a good and functional definition of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit comes and fills one’s life, these six items are the components of the package; whether or not noticeable physically by our eyes and senses, they are a real. These catapult action – the kind of action that is a response to instructions from God who created each one of us for a purpose.
See the Judges: In those days Israel enjoyed peace, then they forgot God and went astray, then God released upon them punishment by the hand of enemies, then they cried to God and He gave them a ‘deliverer’ judge; then they had peace again – but the cycle continued! Each of those judges was described in a similar way: “The Spirit of the Lord came upon him…” and that with the assignment, and they performed well. In the case of Samson, the Spirit of God manifested in physical might and power even to the extent of fighting and defeating a lion and numerous strong enemies. He then went on to defeat several of the oppressive enemies of God’s people and delivered the peace that had eluded them for many decades.
Isaiah’s vision in chapter 6 is an encounter with God’s presence – similar to an encounter with the Holy Spirit. The encounter ended up in a commissioning that Isaiah received warmly. Similarly in Acts 2, we not only see excitement among the apostles, but also a launch of the great mission that they now embrace without fear or favour when they are empowered with the Holy Spirit. As you sing this prayer, open your heart and also get set for higher Kingdom responsibilities: “Holy Spirit, Saturate me now, till I overflow.”
God bless you all.