The Purpose and Power of the Spirit
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The Power and Purpose of the Spirit
I’m a James Bond guy. No, really - I’m a secret agent …. I grew up watching James Bond movies.
In every James Bond movie, before he goes out on his mission, he goes to MI6 headquarters, meets with this guy named Q. Q is the inventor / scientist behind all the cool gadgets. Q’s purpose is to ensure the success of Britain’s secret service. “You’ll need this exploding pen - you’ll need this car that turns into a submarine to accomplish the mission.”
James Bond - he has a mission, but he needs certain tools or equipment to help him accomplish the mission. In many ways, I believe that’s the role of the Holy Spirit - giving us what we need to accomplish our mission.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Now, that’s the mission, but before the disciples go, Jesus, kind of like Q says, “You’ll need this to accomplish the mission.” He says, “You will need the Holy Spirit.” Jesus said,
And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me;
for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
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 end of the earth.”
And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Believers receive the Holy Spirit, and when we receive the Holy Spirit, we receive what? Power. And we receive power for a purpose. And that purpose is always connected to what? The mission. So let’s look at the power and the purpose of the Holy Spirit.
Power - why the need for power? What is this power and what does this power do? The word here for power (Acts 1:8) is dunamis. People have turned this word into all kinds of things that’s it’s not. So here’s the bottom line - dunamis is nothing more and nothing less than having capability. Dunamis is about being empowered or being made capable to perform a particular function or task.
Now, Jesus said that this power is from where? On high - meaning that this power is from whom? God. It is not our power, our strength, not our ability, but His. This power is from on high - it is supernatural power - above normal power. So, whatever mission God gives us, He provides power (the capability) through His Spirit to accomplish the mission. God makes you and I capable to do whatever He asks us to do.
Question: if the most you can lift with your own natural strength is a 50-pound rock, and God asks you to lift a 100-pound rock, will you be able to lift that 100-pound rock? Yes - because ….
Let’s clarify something. Receiving supernatural power from God is not synonymous with being controlled by God. God provides the power, but He does not violate our freewill. God provides the capability, but we must collaborate with Him. If God asks you to lift a 100-pound rock, He will give you the power to lift it, but He will not force you to lift it.
It seems like some Christians know God said, “Go and lift that 100-pound rock.” They know this, but they’re waiting for God to take control … become a robot ….
Furthermore, receiving supernatural power does not always look so super. Yes, Jesus said we would be able to cast out demons, heal the sick, prophesy, speak in tongues, you can lift 100-pound rocks - but that's not all. When Jesus said you will receive power, I wonder if He had the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 6-8) in mind. That He would give us power to be salt and light, power to love our enemies, power over sin, power to pray, power to think of others above ourselves, to live in humility, to suffer for righteousness, power to refuse to cast the first stone, power to wash feet, power to love the outcast, power to whether by life or by death to honor Christ.
It takes a lot of power to pick up a cross daily - to be crucified with Christ. It takes a lot of power to serve without recognition. It takes a lot of power to forgive, to extend mercy ….
So that’s the power - so what about the purpose of the Holy Spirit?
Again, Jesus said you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses. Some of you might be thinking I hate this part because I don't know how to witness. Good, because that’s not what Jesus said to do. Jesus did not say you would receive power to do witnessing. He did not say, “Live your Christian life every day and then once a month I will give you this special power to witness when you volunteer at the homeless shelter or wherever.”
We know Jesus didn’t say that, but how many live like it? We think that witnessing is this extracurricular activity that is either separate from the rest of our faith or it’s only for special people. Where do we get that? There are some who are called to do witnessing - that’s their call / mission. Most of us, however, are not called to do witnessing, but rather we are called to be witnesses of Jesus Christ. Read the verse. Jesus didn’t say you would do witnessing, but that you will be my witnesses.
Yes, I might be splitting hairs, but I think it’s a significant split. To be means to have the quality of being - to exist. In other words, receiving power from the Holy Spirit is about being. This is about character. It’s about who we are and how we live. It’s about identity. And identity is about who you are, how you think, how you live - it’s not an extracurricular event.
It’s about being. Being what? Being a witness (martys). A witness is someone who has direct personal knowledge of an event. They saw it with their own eyes and heard it with their own ears. That’s a witness - a noun. To bear witness (verb) means to give accurate information about that particular event - listen - verbally and behaviorally. Being a witness is both what we say and how we behave.
If you have received Jesus Christ as your Savior, then you have direct knowledge of and experience of new life, forgiveness of sins, God’s love, mercy and grace. You have direct knowledge of being adopted by God, being His child, and having the right to call him Father. You know what it's like to be saved from hell and to receive the promise of eternal life. You know what it's like to have hope. If you’ve ever received any blessings from God, any provisions, any answers to prayer, any victory over sin - you have power to be a witness.
“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.
And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.
The Holy Spirit is given to Believers so that we can have power to accomplish the mission.
The Holy Spirit is given to Believers for a purpose. What’s the purpose? So that we can BE witnesses of what Jesus was done in our lives. Which means your witness, your information will be a little different than mine. Same Jesus - different stories.
So, what are three significant things Jesus has done in your life?
What can you do with that list?