The Work And Ministry Of The Holy Spirit

WED Evening Prayer Reflection 063021 (Acts 8: 14-25)

How can we be aware of the work of the Holy Spirit amongst us? The early church seems to have been super in tune with the workings of the Holy Spirit. Take Acts 8: 17 for example: “Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.” There was a distinct awareness that previously they had not received the Holy Spirit but they had accepted the word of God. What can we make of this? Where did we go wrong? Could it be that we are no longer sensitive to the movement of the Holy Spirit like with the Apostles? There are many questions that could come out of this: Is the level of our faith insufficient? A lack of understanding like Simon who thought he could buy this power? Sadly, this huge contrast between different eras and how the church has experienced the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit makes us want to speculate on the reasons why.

During my seminary years, I came across a ministry called Acts 29 ministries. They noted the difference between the vibrant ministry of the Holy Spirit in the early Church and what is currently observed in our churches. Part of it was the way early church believers lived their public Christian life: Evangelism, making disciples, healing, signs and wonders; church planting, repentance, conversion, suffering/sacrifice/serving/surrender, reality of hell, Satan and eternal damnation, authority of scripture, salvation in Christ alone… How would we rate the church today in their experiences of this important Christian life? This ministry tells us that consumerism mentality has severely diminished our capacity to listen, sacrifice, to serve or surrender; people are no longer rebuked/corrected as part of church discipline, truth is no longer taught because of personal interpretation. For e.g., Ignoring the command to flee immorality in favor of embracing who you are. The needs of the flesh are therefore glorified and acted on which is contrary to the Bible's teachings. How can one walk in the power of the Holy Spirit if he/she is oblivious with the understanding of the basics of Christian faith?

The real question at hand here is how can we “reclaim” the work of the Holy Spirit as normative in our lives and in our congregations? Just because people have not been taught about healing, about signs and wonders that accompany believers, does not mean we should stop talking about it and teaching it. We will certainly be ridiculed, and this is not uncommon. The Holy Spirit is not optional in the life of believers or the church. We should examine ourselves to see if we are still living in the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Could it be that the world’s ways and thinking has infiltrated our postmodern thinking in such a way that act as a real impediment to true Christian life? When the Bible’s idea of obedience is downplayed in favor of permissiveness of anything or when the idea of conversion is vague and with no clear boundaries, then we are definitely allowing the world’s thinking to take center stage and God is removed. The power of the Holy Spirit cannot work where it is not invited. God wants us to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus walked ahead of us in great demonstration:

·         Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and we are to be conceived/born again by the Holy Spirit. (John 3:3-8)

·         By the Holy Spirit, we have fruits worthy of repentance (Gal 5: 22-23), we have power to live victoriously (Rom 6: 10-14), we are to be filled by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2: 4).

·         By the Holy Spirit, there is guidance and revelation of truth (John 16:13) if we should not be afraid to lose face by exposing darkness, only then light can shine through when truth emerges. There is the ability to witness (Acts 1:8).

·         Like Jesus, we are to be raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit, so we can walk in newness of life (Rom 6:4)

If you are a Christian believer determined to reclaim the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit, then focus on God, not on the failures of this generation. Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit would be given to all who ask. He would be the one who would enable us to do the things that he did. Focus on God’s word rather than the traditions of men and women. Believe what the Apostles believed and taught; you will experience what they experienced. You will be sensitive to the guidance and the nudging of the Holy Spirit to accomplish what pleases God.

Let us come back to Simon’s problematic thinking that he could obtain God’s gift with money. This is symptomatic of us, when we try to understand God’s ways using their world’s lenses. In some way, this is unavoidable because we live in the world and sometimes think that it is okay to use it to make sense of our realities, even supernatural realities. Unfortunately, this may inhibit us from being sensitive to the Holy Spirit especially when there is unchallenged darkness involved. The apostle’s response shows a depth of discernment of what was really going on in Simon’s heart: “For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and chains of wickedness.” This to me is an encounter with truth, which by the power of the Holy Spirit, we gain capacity to be led to spiritual transformation. Let us pray:

Lord Jesus help us face what is in our hearts that is not right with God, give us your Holy Spirit to give us strength and confidence to expose it to your light of truth, help us repent and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.