For the past two weeks, we have looked at the cruciality of the Holy Spirit in the Christian’s life. The Holy Spirit empowers us to be effective witnesses for Christ. He also blesses us with spiritual gifts so that we may be the impactful and influential force for God in the way He designed us to be.
On July 24th, 2022, Pr Jack Piong of Faith Oasis Church shared about moving in the Spirit. He conveyed that whatever we do as Christians, it is to glorify the Father. The centrality of Pr Jack’s message is on the faithfulness of the One who promised (Hebrews 10:23).
Hebrews 10:23 encourages us to hold on unwaveringly to the confession of our faith, for this faith is based on the very faithfulness of Christ. As people who live in this physical world, we often tend to respond to things at a physical level. However, as Christians, God has enabled us through the help of the Holy Spirit to respond to Him on a spiritual level that transcends our surroundings.
The Holy Spirit helps us to focus on Jesus Christ, the oasis of living water, even when our surroundings seem to be all desert. We can always depend on the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God, as well as the communion of the Holy Spirit to nourish and sustain us (2 Corinthians 13:14).
Pr Jack encourages us to cultivate spiritual intimacy with God, for it is in this process that we expand our spiritual capacities. This world will always have its problems, and we will have our share of trials. Jesus did not promise a world free from pain and suffering when we became Christians. He said that this world is full of troubles. However, Jesus also promised us that He will always carry us through the storms (John 16:33).
Because Christ has overcome the world and He is with us, we will soar like eagles even when there are storms, thunder, lightning, and strong wind. In stormy times like these, we fully grasp Christ’s faithfulness, and we overcome not by our might and power but through the sovereign will and the power of the Spirit of God. ‘When things don’t seem to be going right for us, speak the word of God,’ Pr Jack encouraged, for we know that in all things, God will work for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).
The Holy Spirit empowers Christians with an explosive kind of power known as dunamis, which is cognate with the well-known dynamite. In 2 Thessalonians 2:9, we learn that the coming of the Lawless One, according to the work of Satan, will be accompanied by all power, signs, and lawless wonder. However, this is a fake dunamis power manifested through deception and inferior to the dunamis of Jesus, who sits on the throne of grace and mercy, above all power and dominion (Ephesians 1:20-21), and those sent out by Jesus (Luke 10:19).
Luke 10:19
I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.
We see the dunamis power manifested through Peter and John and their healing of a man who had been lame for so many years that it seemed a hopeless case. It was an act that was so miraculous that it drew a large crowd filled with wonder and amazement, and Peter addressed and told them of the power of the Holy Spirit and the faith in the name of Jesus (Acts 3:1-16). ‘The Holy Spirit always speaks only of Jesus,’ Pr Jack exhorted. ‘He teaches us about what Jesus wants us to do, what Jesus wants to explain to us, what He reveals to us, what He is working in our lives. That is the power of the Holy Spirit.’
The Holy Spirit’s power is such that it breathes life into situations so dry that those situations are like dead bones. We see a vivid metaphor for this in Ezekiel 37: 5,6,9. ‘Everything in your life that seems like there is no hope, the Holy Spirit is going to breathe new life into that situation,’ Pr Jack encouraged. ‘Ask Him to open our eyes to see, our ears to hear, and our mouths to speak what God wants to say to us, what He wants to say to the church, and our mouths to speak words of life unto others. When God comes to knock on the door of your heart, can you hear the sound of the knocking?’
In Numbers 14, we see another example of the Spirit-filled faith at work. Caleb and Joshua were sent with ten other people to spy on the Promised Land and come back with a report. All twelve saw the same thing, and ten reported fearfully about the giants in those land. Joshua and Caleb had a different spirit from the others (Numbers 14:24). They saw the giants. However, they reported about the exceedingly good land (Numbers 14:7), put their faith in God (Numbers 14:8), and reminded the people not to rebel against God (Numbers 14:9).
‘Caleb included God’s plan into his plan,’ Pr Jack pointed out. ‘When you incorporate God’s plan into your plans, you will be able to see what God wants to do for you.’ So when you are lost, seek God for His plans, and He will breathe His Spirit and life into your situation. Joshua and Caleb had the Spirit of God in them, and God would bless them for it.
In what ways can we include God’s plans into our plans? We can ask God to deliver us from the grips of the enemy. The Holy Spirit reminds us of all the things Jesus has taught us (John 14:26). It is vital and wise to include the Spirit as our speaker so that we can speak God’s truths and life into our situations and the people around us.
How do we know the Holy Spirit lives in us? Pr Jack shared three signs that point towards this, found in Ephesians 5:18-21. First, He will fill our hearts with melodies and songs of praise and worship unto the Lord. Secondly, we will give thanks for all things. And the third thing is that we will submit one to another in the body of God.
Pr Jack shared that Jesus has appointed us to bear spiritual fruit. Faith brings life to us, and unbelief only brings defeat. The Spirit filled Caleb with humility and courage. Caleb had a spirit that believed in God and knew that God was there for him and that God was doing a mighty work in his midst. He believed in the mighty work of the Spirit.
As Christians, we have the same Spirit living in us today, and He speaks to us about the grace of God, the faithfulness of our Lord, the love of God in our lives, and His provision and healing power. The Spirit speaks of the dunamis power in our lives.
Our flesh is trained only to see the physical. Nevertheless, the Spirit is in us to reveal the supernatural because of the dunamis power that works in us, and the One who promised is faithful.
Ephesians 3:20
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
Note: This article was written through the lens of impartation the writer has received from the sermon.
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