The Spirit’s work in the Church

Hello everyone,

How are you doing? I hope well and bubbling in the Lord. We thank God for His Holy Spirit who has been given to us, to be in us and with us. The Holy Spirit was given to the church to empower us to be witnesses for the Lord Jesus. Acts 1v8 (Classic Amplified Version) says “But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth.” The Lord will also have us preach the gospel to all people, everywhere. Mark 16v15 (King James Version) records Jesus’ commandment to the disciples “And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

In a book I read, I love how the work of the Holy Spirit with regards to missions is put: “The origin, the progress, the success of missions are all His. It is He who wakens in the hearts of believers the jealousy for the honour of their Lord, the compassion to the souls of the perishing, the faith in His promise, the willing obedience to His commands, in which the missions take its rise. It is He who draws together to united effort, who calls forth the suitable men to go out, who opens the door, and prepares the hearts of the heathen to desire or to receive the word. And it is He who at length gives the increase, and, and even where Satan’s seat is, establishes the cross, and gathers round it the redeemed of the Lord. Missions are the special work of the Holy Spirit. No one may expect to be filled with the Spirit if he is not willing to be used for missions” (Chapter 16, The Spirit of Christ, Andrew Murray).

We see a specific situation of this in Acts 13v1-4 (New International Version): “Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.  The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.” There is much work to be done in bringing the Good News to people in our communities, nations and all around the world. The Holy Spirit can guide us into our best to go about it.

Prayer

Father, we thank You for Your Word this day. We thank You for Your Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit of Christ, who has been sent to us. Thank You Father for You communicate to us through Your Spirit. Father, we know that there is much You want to accomplish on earth. We yield to Your Spirit, to be possessed by Him and used as He wills to establish Your Kingdom here on earth. Search our hearts o Lord, and purge us from all that is competing with Your glory in our hearts in Jesus name, amen. We pray indeed that You will send labourers to Your Vineyard, for the harvest indeed is plenteous, but the labourers are few. Thank You so much O God, in Jesus name we pray, amen.