Reading 5 – Strengthened With the Power of His Spirit

by D. Francis

“STRENGTHENED WITH THE POWER OF HIS SPIRIT” – Ephesians 3:16

MYSTERIES

The New Testament presents various concepts about  “mysteries,” and the  book  of Ephesians is no exception to this. According  to Biblical   analysts,  the   Greek word mysterian appears twenty-eight times  in the  New  Testament, six  of them in Ephesians. One mystery deals with the  connection between heaven and earth, which was bridged by Christ. “Having made known unto us the  mystery  of His will,  according to  His good pleasure  which  He hath purposed in Himself:  That in the dispensation of the  fulness  of times He might gather  together in  one  all things  in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him….” Ephesians 1:9, 10.

With the original mindset and education of a radical  Jewish  Pharisee, the  apostle   Paul  demonstrated the great  mystery  of an extreme  change in  himself   in  seeking to  bring the Gentiles and  the  Jews  into   fellow­ ship  with  Christ.  The  central  theme of his preaching in Ephesus was how, through the atonement of Christ, the Gentiles are  adopted as children of God  and united as one body along with the Jews in the church.  Here is the power  of the gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit. In Ephesus, this mysterious concept became a cultural revolution.

THE POWER OF HIS SPIRIT IN THE GOSPEL

“On his  arrival  at Ephesus, Paul found twelve  brethren, who,  like Apollos, had been disciples of John the Baptist, and like him had gained an imperfect knowledge of the life and mission  of Christ….

“These  disciples [in  Ephesus]  were  ignorant of the  mission  of the Holy  Spirit  that  Jesus promised to His believing people to  be the  life and power  of the  church. When  asked by Paul if they had  received the Holy  Ghost,  they  answered,  ‘We  have  not  so much  as heard  whether there  be any Holy Ghost.’  Paul inquired, ‘Unto what then were  ye baptized?’ and they said, ‘Unto John’s baptism.’ The apostle  then proceed­ ed to set before them the great truths which  are the foundation of the Christian’s  hope.” -Sketches from the Life of Paul, p. 129.

What  would be  our  answer to the  apostle  Paul’s question-“if  they had received the Holy Ghost”-if it were asked today? The experience of the converts and the  apostle’s  mission have great  lessons for us today, for we, too,  are placed in the world to minister to the  Gentiles.

The apostle  Paul writes  in 1 Corinthians 12:13, “For  by one Spirit  are we all baptized into  one body, whether  we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been  all made  to drink  into  one Spirit.” We are baptized into the body of Christ, the church. There are no more separations or divisions among us. We  are united with  each other  as well as with  Christ.  Caste, creed,  tribe, language, race, traditions, and customs will not  separate  us any longer. The apostle Paul’s experience in the  ministry is an encouragement to us today as we seek to reach people who were mostly Gentiles.

THE SPIRIT QUALIFIES CHRIST’S FOLLOWERS

“With deep  interest, and  grateful, wondering joy, the  disciples lis­ tened to the  words  of Paul. By faith they  grasped the  atoning sacrifice of Christ, and acknowledged Him  as their  Redeemer.  They were then baptized ‘in the name  of Jesus;’ and as Paul laid his hands upon them, they  received also the  baptism of the  Holy  Spirit, by which  they  were enabled to speak the  languages of other nations  and to prophesy. Thus these men were qualified to act as missionaries in the important field  of Ephesus and its vicinity, and also from  this center to spread the  gospel of Christ in Asia Minor.” -Sketches from the Life of Paul, p. 130.

The Spirit  of prophecy reiterates that  one  of the  primary qualifications to be a missionary is to receive the baptism or the anointing of the Holy  Spirit.  The miraculous presence of the  Holy Spirit  was evident in the  early apostolic church.

UNDERSTANDING THE GREAT MYSTERY, THE HOLY SPIRIT

“It is not  essential for us to be able to define  just what the  Holy Spirit is. Christ  tells us that the  Spirit is the  Comforter, ‘the  Spirit  of truth, which proceedeth from  the Father.’  It is plainly declared regarding the Holy  Spirit that, in His work  of guiding men  into  all truth, ‘He  shall not speak of Himself.’ John 15:26;16:13.” -The Acts of the Apostles, p. 52.

As the  apostle Paul presented various  mysteries  in his epistles, especially  in his Epistle  to the  Ephesians, the  Holy Spirit  is shown  to be a mystery. We do  not necessarily  need to try to present  arguments to define  the  nature  of the  Holy  Spirit.  Nevertheless, we still need  to understand the importance of His presence and work.

HIS NATURE AND PERFECT WORK

“The  nature  of the  Holy  Spirit  is a mystery. Men  cannot  explain  it, because the Lord has not revealed it to them. Men having fanciful views may  bring together passages  of Scripture  and put  a human construction on them, but  the  acceptance of these  views will  not  strengthen the  church. Regarding such mysteries, which  are too  deep  for  human understanding, silence is golden.

“The  office  of the  Holy  Spirit  is distinctly specified in the  words  of Christ: ‘When He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.’ John 16:8. It is the Holy Spirit that convicts of sin. If the sinner responds to the quickening influence of the Spirit, he will be brought to repentance and aroused to the importance of obeying the divine requirements.” -The Acts of the Apostles, p. 52.

 HIS SPIRIT EMPOWERS AND CHANGES THE INNER MAN

Jesus explained how  God  the  Father  would bless  those  who  ask for the Holy Spirit.  “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how  much  more  shall  your heavenly  Father  give the  Holy  Spirit to  them  that  ask Him?”   Luke 11:13. The Holy  Spirit  is a gift  from  God  to those  who believe in Him to provide them  with the  extra power they need to obey  His will, to make  changes in the inner man, and to unite them with Heaven.

When the  sinner repents, believes in Christ, and is baptized, he is led to the fullest  truth by the Holy Spirit. He will do God’s will obey His commandments as part  of the  heavenly  family. In fact, this is how unity is established with the heavenly family, thanks to the Saviour’s atonement.

Through the   Holy  Spirit’s  power, the  repentant sinner  unites  with  the Son and subsequently unites with the Father. This unity with  Christ  empowers him  to perform the  divine  will  to be witnesses on earth, transforming one’s inherent evil character  into  the character of Christ and sharing the gospel through the power  of His Spirit. In Acts 1:8 we read: “But  ye shall receive   power,  after   that   the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be  witnesses  unto  Me  both in  Jerusalem, and  in all Judaea,  and  in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part  of the earth.”

“And with great  power gave  the apostles  witness   of  the  resurrection of  the  Lord  Jesus:  and  great  grace was upon them  all.”  Acts  4:33. The presence of the Holy Spirit gave unity, obedience, and empowerment to the  disciples, which led to a considerable transformation of their  characters.

THE HOLY SPIRIT FUELS CHARACTER BUILDING

The Holy  Spirit is compared to the oil in the candlestick in the Holy Place of the  sanctuary. He is the  source  of light  for  every  person. In the  Scriptures,  He  is  also  compared to and symbolized by a dove, rain, fire, and wind.   He  is the  substance   and  essence of power; He loves, reasons, helps,  guides, teaches, regenerates, and reproves.

“The  promise of the  Holy  Spirit  is not  limited to any age or to any race. Christ  declared that  the  divine  influence  of His Spirit  was to be with  His followers unto the end.” -The Acts of the Apostles, p. 49. He will  empower the  believers of today if we will  just ask Him. When  we plead for  the  in­ dwelling of the Spirit,  we will experience the mystery  of God  dwelling in us and taking control of our  lives.

“Even  the  Spirit  of  truth; whom the  world cannot  receive, because  it seeth  Him not, neither  knoweth Him: but  ye  know  Him;  for  He  dwelleth with  you, and  shall be in you.”  John14:17.

As  many  people know, today every   airport    has   moving  walkways, which  make  walking easier  and save time.  Similarly, the  Holy  Spirit’s  presence  moves  us along smoothly and faster in our spiritual journey, just like a moving walkway.

“This I say then, Walk in the  Spirit, and  ye shall  not  fulfil  the  lust  of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot  do the things that ye would.  But if ye be  led of the Spirit, ye are not  under  the  law.” Galatians 5:16, 18.

We human beings tend to gravitate toward sin and sinful ways. This is the  sinful  human nature, or the  evil  desire  of humans.  But the  Holy Spirit develops the Christian’s  character so he may overcome these carnal desires that  are so contrary  to God’s will  and character.  The definition  of sin is the transgression of God’s  law. 1 John 3:4. Some sins may be categorized as sensual, superstitious, or social. Some of our actions may keep  us from feeling that we are transgressing God’s law, because we love those  sins, and our carnal desires are tuned to worldly culture, habits, environment, and circumstances. However, they are not valid excuses. The Holy Spirit  gives us a clear understanding of such situations.

The Holy  Spirit also warns us and gives us alerts. If we listen to Him, it is possible for us to take  a detour in our spiritual journey and bypass those  sinful desires. In this journey, the  Holy  Spirit  also helps  us to develop the  “fruit of the Spirit,” which is found in the book of Galatians.

IF WE LOVE CHRIST, WE WILL INVITE HIS SPIRIT

We may compare our spiritual condition today  to that of the disciple Peter, shown in Luke 22. Christ identified the need for change  in Peter’s heart so that  he could be a help to his fellow brethren. Considering the concept of conversion, an unconverted person is of  no use to  God’s church.  It is critically important to understand this  and  be  converted. We know that the disciple Peter was with Christ  and accompanied Him wherever  He went.  He learned from  Christ  and  had  a willing heart  to serve Him.  However, Peter’s inner  life had to change,  and this  is what Jesus  desired.  He  knew  that  an unconverted leader  would make  no progress in His church, so He said to Peter, “Simon, Simon, behold, Sa­ tan hath desired to have you, that  he may sift you as wheat; But I have prayed for  thee, that  thy  faith  fail  not:  and when  thou  art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” Luke 22:31, 32.

However, Peter said to Him in verse 33: “Lord, I am ready to go with Thee, both into  prison and to death.” Was Peter ready? No, not  at all. He sincerely  desired to be a follower of Christ, but he did not know him­ self and responded according to his innate  understanding.

We may be  baptized and  think  that  we  are converted. We  believe that we are with Christ, and we participate in all of the church meetings. The question is, Do we have the conversion that  Christ wants of us? Do we understand what  it means to be a genuine follower of Christ, to be truly converted and obedient? If we are blessed by His Spirit, there  will be no  pharisaic legalism or liberalism in our  obedience. It will not  be based  on fear or just a little  thought about  being saved; rather, we will always yearn to be blessed, which comes from the bottom of our hearts with a genuine desire to please God.

When he was with Christ, Peter was quite  ignorant of  the  Saviour’s  mission and message, even after spending close to three years with Him. But then,  that  very same  Peter  received the  Holy  Spirit  after  Christ’s  ascension, as promised, and the Comforter made the change  in Peter. The disciple’s misunderstanding about  the gospel, transformation of  character, and the true  meaning of being a follower  of Christ  disappeared. He was transformed from  the  disciple Peter to the  apostle  Peter. It was a significant  change! We read  in his epistle, 1 Peter 1:21-23: “Who by Him  do believe in God, that  raised Him up from the  dead,  and  gave  Him  glory;  that your faith  and hope  might be in God. Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the  truth through the  Spirit unto  unfeigned love  of the  brethren, see  that   ye  love  one  another   with a pure  heart fervently: Being  born again,  not  of  corruptible seed,  but of incorruptible, by the  word  of God, which liveth and abideth forever.”

This  is the  same  conversion that we need to have, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ prayed for  him,  and  after  that  the  apostle Peter  strengthened many  of  Christ’s followers. His writings in the  New Testament  are still strengthening the believers today.

Furthermore, Jesus said to His disciples: “If ye shall ask any thing in My name, I will do it.  If ye love Me, keep My  commandments. And  I will  pray the  Father, and He shall give you an­ other  Comforter, that  He may  abide with you for ever.” John  14:14-16.

“Self” must  die  in us if we  are to identify with the  life that  God  desires for us. If we seek for His indwelling power,   choose   with   all  our   hearts to obey His  commandments, and are willing to change  our  lives according to  His will, we will be  bless­ ed abundantly. Obedient disciples are led and illuminated by the  Holy Spirit. Our priorities definitely matter.

CONCLUSION

Jesus set aside His divine nature and came as a human being to this world. He performed miracles  and  overcame  temptation through the Holy  Spirit.  He never  used  His divine  power  for  His  own  benefit. This shows what happens to  human  nature  when  it depends wholly  on the Holy  Spirit. We, too, need to rely totally  on the  Holy  Spirit. We need to fulfill  Jesus’ commission through the  Holy Spirit’s power  by choosing to be an instrument in His hands with total  commitment. Let us change  di­ rection  today. Let us pray without ceasing, asking for the Spirit  of God more  and more.  In this way, we will abide  in Christ, in the Spirit, as did Enoch. Then our  lives will be strengthened with the power  of His Spirit, we will succeed in our missions, and we will build our characters in the perfect  design  of Jesus’ character. We need the  anointing of His Spirit, the baptism of fire, the baptism of the  Holy  Spirit. Let us make this our priority during this Week of Prayer and in the days to come.

Let us unite  ourselves  as His representative family  on earth with the family in heaven.   “He  which testifieth these things  saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen.  Even so, come,  Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord JesusChrist be with you all. Amen.” Revelation 22:20, 21. •

MOODY’S BIOGRAPHY

Dwight  L. Moody accepted Christ and was converted in Chicago as a youth. He belonged to the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) for a long time. Eventually, he became an excellent businessman and made  a considerable amount  of money. During his first visit to  Britain and Ireland, Moody heard  the  words  that set him hungering and thirsting for a deeper Christian experience and marked  a new era in his life. He happened to speak with Henry Varley, the  well-known evangelist  of the  1800s, in Dublin, Ireland. His struggle became  whether  or not  to  give everything to the  Lord. Biographers quoted Moody as follows:  “The world has yet to see what God will do with, and for, and through, and in, and by, the  man  who  is fully  consecrated to  Him.”  -http://kenwyts­ ma.com/moody-biography/. He thought for a moment and then pledged:” By the grace of God, I will be that man.” -https://siena. org. That  decision  changed the  direction of his life, including a reordering of his priorities. After  that,  Moody became  the  most successful American  evangelist  of the  nineteenth century.

What will our decision  be?