The Spirit's Power and Purpose

Week 6: The Spirit’s Power and Purpose

Bid Idea: We cannot fulfill God’s mission in our own strength—we need the Holy Spirit. His presence guides us, His power emboldens us, and His purpose transforms hearts. When we rely on Him, we can share the Gospel with confidence, knowing He is always at work.

Key Takeaway: The Holy Spirit is not just power for mission but the very presence of God guiding, convicting, and equipping believers.

Prayer: “Holy Spirit, we welcome You. Fill us with Your presence, strengthen us with Your power, and transform our hearts to reflect Jesus more and more. Teach us to trust in You, to walk in boldness, and to faithfully share the Gospel, knowing that You are the One who brings change.”

Main Scripture: John 16:5-15, Acts 1:4-8

Introduction

Have you ever felt completely unprepared for something important? Maybe it was a job interview, a big presentation, or even a conversation you knew would be difficult. You knew what needed to be done, but deep down, you felt like you didn’t have what it took to do it. I wonder if that’s how the disciples felt in those days between Jesus’ ascension and Pentecost. They had walked with Jesus, learned from Him, and even seen Him risen from the dead—but now, He was gone. And the mission He had given them? “Be my witnesses to the ends of the earth.”

No pressure, right? How could they possibly accomplish that?

Jesus had told them to wait, as we talked about last week... Not to strategize, not to plan, not to get ahead of themselves—but to wait for the gift the Father had promised. Why? Because what they needed most wasn’t a better plan, more resources, or even more courage. What they needed was power—but not their own.

The very presence of God was about to dwell within them, to guide them, empower them, and transform them.

And here’s the question we need to wrestle with today: Are we trying to live the Christian life in our own strength, or are we relying on the power of the Holy Spirit?

Because if the disciples couldn’t fulfill their calling without Him—why do we think we can?

Main Teaching

SLIDES

Read John 16:5-7

John 16:5–7 LEB

But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and none of you is asking me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

Imagine being one of the disciples, standing there as Jesus tells you, "It is for your good that I am going away." How could that possibly be good?

They had walked with Jesus, talked with Him, eaten meals with Him, and seen Him perform miracles with their own eyes.

How could His leaving be better than His staying?

But Jesus was pointing them to a deeper reality—one they couldn’t yet fully grasp.

His physical presence was limited to one place at a time, but through the Holy Spirit, His presence would dwell within every believer, in every place, at every moment.

No longer would they have to wait for Jesus to arrive in a town or gather around Him on a hillside. The Spirit would be with them always, guiding them, strengthening them, and speaking truth into their hearts.

This wasn’t a new idea. All throughout Scripture, God had promised His people that He would be with them. In Isaiah 41:10, He says, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.”

In Ezekiel 36:26-27, God foretells the coming of the Spirit: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees.”

This was always the plan—God dwelling not just among His people, but within them. And now, Jesus was declaring that this promise was about to be fulfilled.

And yet, even now, we struggle to embrace the reality of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We want something visible, something tangible—something like the disciples had when they walked with Jesus in the flesh.

We say things like, “If only I could have been there to see Him,” or “If only I could hear His voice out loud.”

But Jesus Himself tells us that we have something even better: the Holy Spirit, living in us, leading us, comforting us, and empowering us.

The question is—are we relying on Him? Or are we still trying to follow Jesus in our own strength?

The Spirit’s Power: Boldness for the Mission

SLIDES

Read Acts 1:4-8

Acts 1:4–8 LEB

And while he was with them, he commanded them, “Do not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for what was promised by the Father, which you heard about from me. For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” So when they had come together, they began asking him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” But he said to them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest part of the earth.”

Let’s go back to the question I asked at first; Have you ever felt completely unprepared for something important?

Maybe you’ve hesitated to share your faith, to pray for someone in need, or to step out in obedience because you felt weak or unprepared.

Imagine how the disciples felt. Jesus had just given them the most daunting mission imaginable—to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20).

And yet, His very next instruction was to wait. “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised” (Acts 1:4). Why? Because they could not fulfill this mission on their own.

But Jesus promised them something greater: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8). Before they could go, they had to be filled.

This power — was the very presence of God, equipping them for the work ahead.

The word Jesus used for power is dynamis, the same root word for dynamite.

Now, dynamite is powerful. By itself, power can be seen in many ways. Here’s a sense of what the disciples would have heard when Jesus said this word power...

strength, ability… it would have gave them the idea...more than myself.

If you read through Acts, you’ll see the disciples talking and acting differently than they were in the Gospels.… They had been changed.

Paul was another one who had a huge change...you can read of his change through Acts too.

Paul reminds us in 2 Timothy 1:7

SLIDE

2 Timothy 1:7 LEB

For God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power and love and self-discipline.

The Spirit doesn’t just give us comfort—He gives us courage. Courage to live within this new worldview...

And yet, too often, we try to serve God in our own strength. We attempt to be good enough, knowledgeable enough, or persuasive enough on our own.

But Jesus never intended for us to carry this mission in our own power. He told His disciples to wait because He knew they needed something more. The question is—are we waiting on the Spirit’s power, or are we trying to do God’s work in our own strength?

Are we living in strong belief, or are we still afraid? If we want to be witnesses for King Jesus, we need what He intends to give us—we need to be filled with His Holy Spirit.

The Spirit’s Purpose: Convicting and Transforming Hearts

SLIDE

Read John 16:8-11

John 16:8–11 LEB

And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and concerning righteousness and concerning judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me, and concerning righteousness, because I am going away to the Father and you will see me no more, and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

Have you ever tried to change someone’s mind about something important? Maybe you’ve had a conversation with a friend or family member about faith, and no matter how clearly you explained the Gospel, they just didn’t seem to get it.

It can be frustrating, right? But Jesus reminds us that the work of conviction and transformation is not ours—it belongs to the Holy Spirit.

In John 16:8, Jesus says, “When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment.” It is the Spirit who softens hearts, opens blind eyes, and leads people to repentance.

Our role is to tell and liveout truth, but only the Spirit can make it take root in someone’s life.

This truth was on full display at Pentecost. (Next week!)

Peter, the same man who had once been too afraid to admit he even knew Jesus, now stood before a massive crowd and preached his first sermon.

And the response? “They were cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37). Not because Peter was an exceptional speaker, but because the Spirit was at work. That day, 3,000 people repented and were baptized—not by human persuasion, but by divine power.

The same Spirit that convicted them is the same Spirit that moves today, stirring hearts and calling people into relationship with Jesus the King.

That means we don’t have to carry the burden of changing people. We simply bear witness, and the Spirit does the rest.

Example: 200 Muslims in Gaza (Palestinians) believed in Jesus.

Underground Christian Ministry in Gaza was serving people in Gaza as the war with Israel was going....their point was to serve...nothing about politics...they were serving people and then offering to read the Bible and simply be there. Support for those who were hurting.

After some time here’s what happened one night.

So what does this mean for us?

It means we can share without fear.

We can speak the truth without worrying if we have the perfect words.

We can pray for our lost loved ones, trusting that God is working even when we can’t see it.

Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 3:6

SLIDE

1 Corinthians 3:6 LEB

I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing it to grow.

SLIDE

Our job is faithfulness—God’s job is transformation.

When we trust the Spirit’s power to convict and change hearts, we can share the Gospel with confidence, knowing that He is always working behind the scenes.

Conclusion

As we reflect on Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit, we see that He is not only our Helper and Guide, but also our source of power and the One who brings transformation.

The Spirit’s presence reassures us that we are never alone. His power emboldens us to live out our faith with confidence.

His purpose reminds us that salvation and transformation is ultimately God’s work, not ours.

Just as the disciples had to wait for the Spirit before stepping into their mission, we, too, must rely on His presence rather than our own strength.

The same Spirit that moved in the early Church is still moving today, equipping and empowering us to be faithful witnesses of Christ.

Next week, we arrive at the turning point of this journey—Pentecost. The day when fire fell, the Church was born, and the mission of Jesus truly began to spread to the ends of the earth. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit changed everything, and it still changes everything for us today. As we prepare our hearts for Pentecost Sunday, let’s ask ourselves: Are we truly open to the Spirit’s work in our lives?

Are we ready to step forward in boldness, trusting in His power?

Let’s pray together.