The Role of the Spirit in the Church

Acts 2:3-4, “Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

In order for the Church, the Body of Christ, to function, we need the help of the Holy Spirit. God knew that we couldn’t fulfill the Great Commission on our own; we would need divine help and strength. That is why, before the disciples could go off and start proclaiming the Gospel to the world, Jesus told them to wait for the promise of the Father. (Acts 1:4-5)

When the day came and the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples who were gathered together in that upper room, everything changed. The Church was mobilised, empowered and equipped to carry out the most important assignment that ever existed; preach the Gospel of the Kingdom.

It is important for us to understand the role of the Holy Spirit in the Church so we know how to yield to Him. Last week we talked about the purpose of the Church through the Modal, the Mission and the Mobilisation. We saw that Jesus is the model which the Church follows. The mission of the Church is to carry the Gospel to the world. The mobilisation is the command to “Go!”

This is where the Holy Spirit comes in.

He is the reminder of the model.

He is the leading behind the mission.

He is the power behind the mobilisation.

The Holy Spirit’s role is to remind us of the model: Jesus. He testifies of Jesus and reminds us of everything that Jesus said to us. The Spirit is the Spirit of Truth; He only testifies of the truth. The Church does not have to fear lies and deception because greater is He that is in us than he that is in this world. The Holy Spirit only and will always testify of Jesus. We can discern what is truth and what is a lie with the help of the Holy Spirit. Anything that does not glorify and magnify Jesus is of the influence of the evil one, but any spirit that testifies that Jesus is the Christ is from the Spirit of truth.

The Holy Spirit is the leading behind the mission. The Great Commission is a huge assignment, one that cannot be done according to human wisdom. We need the help of the Holy Spirit to know what to say, when to say it, and who to say it to.When to go, when not to go, and where to go. We can see throughout the book of Acts how the Holy Spirit would lead the apostles. He would either lead them to go to a certain place, or He would forbid them from going to a certain place. In order for the Church to successfully fulfill the Father's command to “go and preach the Gospel”, we need the leading of the Spirit to ensure we do it properly. That’s how we avoid unnecessary hardships and struggles.

The Holy Spirit is the power behind the mobilisation. When the command came from the Head of the Church, we needed power to carry out that command. There is a boldness that the Holy Spirit equips the Church that goes far beyond human personalities and talents. This boldness can take a group of uneducated and untrained men and use them to change the world. The persecution and fears of this world are no match compared to the power of the Holy Spirit that equips the Church to shine bright in this dark world.

Understanding the role of the Holy Spirit in the Church is what equips us to be active and mobilised parts in the Body of Christ. What are we waiting for? Let’s remember who is on the inside of us, follow His leading, and rely on His power to go and preach this Gospel to those around us!

Remember, we love you, and we are praying for you.

Blessings,

Chloe