The Christian life is centered on Christ. However, we also know Christ exists in a Trinity with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, equally crucial to our faith. Indeed, the Christian faith teaches us that the Holy Spirit is the principle of communion with God and our brethren (https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/234048694.pdf).

As Christians, it is vital that we know who the Holy Spirit is and His role in the Christian journey. FGA KL has been covering lessons – through their sermons – on the Holy Spirit towards producing Spirit-Empowered Discipleship. During the last two to three months, they have covered the Person and Fullness of the Holy Spirit. In March 2023, they kickstarted the third phase on the Power of the Holy Spirit, with the first sermon delivered last Sunday by Bro Wong Y-Mi.

 

 

Bro Wong’s message is simple but practical, relatable, and coherent. He started by exploring the definition of power in relation to the Holy Spirit. According to Google, Power is the ability or capacity to do something or act in a particular way. Bro Wong conveyed that we all have natural power in one way or another. 

However, the kind the Holy Spirit produces is akin to a superpower. The power given by the Holy Spirit is a supernatural ability provided by Him so that we can do what we cannot do naturally. It is not natural and inherent in us, and we can’t produce it. The Holy Spirit gives it to us, bringing it out of us or in us because of His indwelling presence within us. Some types of empowerment the Holy Spirit blesses us with include the areas of Power for Purity, Power for Works, and Power for Unity. 

The Power for Purity is the power the Holy Spirit gives us to live the Christian life. This outcome of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our lives is seen in the fruit the Spirit produces out of our lives, such as kindness, faithfulness, self-control, peace, and gentleness (Galatians 5:22-23b). The word used for ‘fruit’ in this verse is singular. Together, the attributes describe Christ-likeness. We develop Christ-likeness by looking to Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18) and through the Holy Spirit’s work. It is a promise by God, even back in the Old Testament (Ezekiel 36:25-27). God works in us through the Holy Spirit so that we may have the will to act according to His good purpose as we follow Christ (Philippians 2:13). 

 

 

The Power for Works manifests in the supernatural abilities to bless people around us by enabling us to prove the Gospel, minister God’s touch, and empower us to be salt and light. It is seen through outworking in 3 areas: gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8-10: some examples include words of wisdom, gifts of healing, prophecy, discernment, etc..), ministries of the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:6, 1 Corinthians 12:28: the most well-known example being the five-fold ministry), and talents anointed by the Holy Spirit (Exodus 31:1-6). 

The Holy Spirit blesses all believers with the same gifts and talents for good works, whether in the secular workplace or full-time ministry. Just taking one example, apostles and entrepreneurs are both pioneers and must have the ability to carry a vision, stick it out alone, persist where people give up and have leadership skills. Prominent examples of secular marketplace leaders in the Bible include Daniel and his three friends, Joseph and Nehemiah. In Luke 4:18, Jesus expresses His mission. All believers inherit this mission through the Spirit, who enables us to carry it out. 

 

Luke 4:18

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,

 

Bro Wong shared that Purity and Power go hand-in-hand. We must do nothing out of selfish ambition (desire for power without the corresponding character). However, this does not mean we should refrain from desiring the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We are both to pursue love yet earnestly seek spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 14:1). Sometimes, character and power may test each other. The Holy Spirit helps us to grow and progress in both areas. Maturity comes when Character and Power enhance one another and work hand-in-hand, a growth area under the Holy Spirit’s guidance and spiritual leadership. 

 

 

The Holy Spirit also blesses us with the Power for Unity in the Body of Christ that the world may believe. Unity is a hallmark of revival. In Acts 4:32, just after the Spirit had come upon the people, we see a remarkable strength of unity in the Church and its rapid growth. Unity is also the answer to Jesus’s prayer in John 17:20-23. Unity in the Body of Christ is one of the ways we turbo-charge our effectiveness as witnesses. God’s heart for unity among His people is expressed well in Psalm 133, where oil and dew are symbols of the Holy Spirit. When the Body of Christ is united, the Holy Spirit flows in our midst and brings the blessings of God. Some examples of these blessings can be seen in Acts 2:44,45,47 (together, give anyone who had need, enjoy the favor of all people, the Lord added to their numbers).

 

 

Bro Wong shared that in this season, many people are feeling very dry and tired. But the Lord’s Spirit is still hovering over our nation. In his message, Bro Wong also shared that the word he sensed for this season is one that has been impressed upon many of us. The Lord is doing a new thing in our nation:

Isaiah 43:18-19

18 “Forget the former things;

    do not dwell on the past.

19 See, I am doing a new thing!

    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness

    and streams in the wasteland.   

 

In John 7:37-38, Jesus said 

John 7:37-38

“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 

 

The Lord is calling us to return to Him, where we will find rest and comfort for our souls. Do we qualify for the new thing that He is going to do? Scripture has said in Matthew 5:3 that the poor ( ptochos in the original Greek, connotating the lowly, afflicted, helpless, powerless) are blessed, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. The Lord is gentle and compassionate. 

For those who have influence, the Lord is calling us to gather the people and wait because the Lord is going to bring the waters of the Holy Spirit upon us. 

 

 

It is not by our might but by the Lord’s Spirit. God will bring that purity that we are struggling with, the power we lack, the life where there is now dead-ness, and the living waters where there is dryness. 

 

This is an adaptation and abridgment of the message shared by Bro Wong Y-Mi at FGA KL on the 5th of March 2023. For the original full message, you may access the video sermon at https://www.youtube.com/live/7B1hVLrUYXg?feature=share&t=4383

 

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