The good news is that we can have both a great atmosphere and His manifest presence. I am so thrilled when I get the opportunity to visit churches that excel in both of these areas. Don’t allow yourself to fall prey to the notion that the manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s presence will deter people from entering the kingdom. We must remember that the lost were drawn to, not repelled by, the apostles because of their partnership with the Holy Spirit. Any progress we as the Church achieve outside of the Spirit’s involvement will waste away into nothingness.

Even Jesus, the Son of God, did nothing until He had received the power of the Holy Spirit (see Luke 4:1-15). We read in Luke 4:14-15, “Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.” Notice this scripture states that He “returned in the power of the Spirit.” This passage is an account of what took place after the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness, where He was tempted by the devil. After leaving the desert in the power of the Spirit, Jesus returned to Nazareth and declared:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. (Luke 4:18-19)

It was because Jesus operated in the power of God’s Spirit that He was able to accomplish His Father’s will on the earth. Likewise the Church, by this same power, is to preach the gospel to the poor in spirit, bring healing to the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, usher in clarity of sight, liberate the oppressed, and demonstrate the truth that God’s hand is not too short to save. But we will never advance this heavenly cause if we do not rely on the power of the Spirit. Jesus needed the Spirit’s power—what makes us any different?

Day 2

“More of Jesus”

My burning desire is for those who frequent our churches to experience the manifest presence of Jesus Christ. I hear people say all the time, “We need more of Jesus in our churches,” and I completely agree with this sentiment. But who reveals Jesus to us? The Holy Spirit. As we learned earlier in this study, the Holy Spirit is not a commodity to be desired; rather He is a Person to be honored and invited. Why wouldn’t we want the Spirit of truth present in everything we do? As Jesus once told His disciples:

I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He [The Holy Spirit] will glorify Me [Jesus], for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you. (John 16:12-15)