House of Hope Online

April 30, 2023

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Jesus made an awesome promise to us right before He ascended into Heaven after the resurrection:

Acts 1:

 8 but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

 9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

Just let that soak in a little – you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.  The Greek word for “power” includes force, miraculous power, ability, abundance, meaning, mighty deeds, strength, and wonderful works.

Sometimes I think we forget that Jesus told us that through the Holy Spirit’s power, we have access to:

• Miraculous Ability – When we say we cannot do something, we are forgetting Acts 1:8.
• Abundance – His power provides abundance.  Put aside your fear of lack.
• Meaning – The Holy Spirit comes upon us and gives our lives meaning.  If you are wondering what your purpose is, take some time to soak in the presence of the Holy Spirit.  Let Him show you what you are currently doing to please Him, and what His vision is going forward.
• Mighty Deeds – You read that right.  You have through Jesus the ability to  do mighty deeds.  Stop shooting too low.
• Strength – We have supernatural strength, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally.  The Lord will strengthen us when we are weak.  Keep that in mind and call on Him to keep that promise.
• Wonderful Works – Trust Him to give you the ability to do wonderful things as you witness for Him.  Start asking Him in prayer time: “What can I do today to advance your will?” “To whom may I witness?” “Whom shall I bless?”  “Let me do a wonderful work by the power of your Holy Spirit.”

Notice the remainder of verse 8: “you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”  Jesus would never ask us to witness or do anything without giving us the power to accomplish it.  The key is staying focused on His will.  The power of the Holy Spirit is to accomplish His will.

In addition to the miraculous ability, abundance, meaning, might, strength, and works that come from His power, Romans 15 promises even more from the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:

 13 ¶ Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I think sometimes we lose our joy and peace in trying to witness to an unbelieving world.  We get angry in response to the spirit of unbelief, and we can lose hope.  Paul’s prayer is for us to receive joy and peace in believing, so that we may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Abounding in hope is central to witnessing for Christ.  The unbelieving world would never admit it, but it lacks hope.  Our hope is an important by-product of the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is the key to accessing the Holy Spirit’s power, joy, peace, and hope.  He is the One who sends the Holy Spirit to us.

John 16:

 7 ¶ “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.

It is important to Jesus that the Holy Spirit ministers to us and manifests His power not only to bless us but, more importantly, to allow us to witness to an unbelieving world.  In John 17, Jesus prayed a tremendous prayer asking the Father to give us a special relationship within the Holy Trinity.  As you read it, keep in mind that we are the “them” to whom Jesus is referring.

John 17:

 14 “I have given them Thy word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

 15 “I do not ask Thee to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil [one.]

 16 “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

 17 ¶ “Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth.

 18 “As Thou didst send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.

 19 “And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.

 20 ¶ “I do not ask in behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word;

 21 that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, [art] in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me.

 22 “And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them; that they may be one, just as We are one;

 23 I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love Me.

There is a lot for us to digest from Jesus’ prayer:

• Verse 14 – The world has hated us.  The world is an evil place, and we have the Word in us.  Therefore, we are hated by the spirit of unbelief.
• Verse 15 – Jesus prays that the Father will keep us from the evil one.  Jesus does not want to lose even one of us to the evil one.  He says in John 10:28-29 that no one will be able to snatch us out of His hand.
• Verse 17 – The Lord wants us to be sanctified in the truth.  Ephesians 5:11 says we can have no fellowship with darkness. 
• Verse 18 – Jesus is sending us into the world to witness, which He re-emphasized in Acts 1:8.  We shall receive power from the Holy Spirit to go into the world.
• Verse 20 – Jesus is praying not only for the disciples of His day, but for those who believe through their word.  That is a direct reference to us.  Jesus is praying for us in this passage to be able to fellowship with the Father.
• Verses 21-23 – Jesus wants us to have a tremendous relationship of unity with Him and the Father.  He is praying that we would have the same closeness to Father God that He has, so the world would know that Jesus was sent by the Father.  That means when we witness, the world should see Jesus, not us.  There should be a peace within our spirit that the world covets and knows it lacks.  There should be a peace that comes only from the Holy Spirit.

We are to be in this world but not of it. 

Romans 12:

 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

We are to love others but not participate in their darkness.  We cannot accept latter day pronouncements and rationalizations that compromise the word of God in the name of individual “rights.”  Our rights are subordinate to the will of God, but we know that freedom comes from the Spirit of the Lord, as we submit to Him.

2^nd Corinthians 3:

 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, [there] is liberty.

Galatians 5:

 1 ¶ It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

It is one of the great spiritual principles – we get free by submitting.  Most think of submission as a form of slavery or entrapment, but in Jesus, our submission frees us from the desire to sin.  It frees us from condemnation because, as the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, we repent, receive forgiveness, and we know there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  It frees us from jealousy and the need for approval from others.  It frees us from fear because His perfect love casts out fear. 

It is important, as we witness to others, to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to test and discern the spirits in this world.  The Spirit of the Lord is freedom, but the spirit of the world enslaves while promising freedom.

1^st John 4:

 1 ¶ Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;

 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the [spirit] of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.

 4 ¶ You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak [as] from the world, and the world listens to them.

 6 We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

 7 ¶ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

 9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.

We are to love others, but we are to discern the spirits using a simple litmus test: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist.

Love others by witnessing to them by the Holy Spirit’s power, which yields abounding hope, peace, and joy.  The Holy Spirit will manifest in us the ability, abundance, meaning, might, strength, and works to witness for Jesus.

Father God, thank You for the power we receive from the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus sends to us.  Thank You for the joy and peace that come from that power, and thank You for the ability, strength, and works to witness for Jesus.  Help us to love the unbeliever without fellowshipping with darkness.  Help us to model Jesus’ love for those who hate the Word in us.   In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.