The Holy Spirit Book: One Holy Spirit, Many Ministries

The Holy Spirit Book: One Holy Spirit, Many Ministries -Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow The Holy Spirit had many ministries in the life of Jesus. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. He was indwelt by the Holy Spirit His entire life, and at the Jordan River, Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit when the Spirit descended upon Him. It was this particular ministry of the Holy Spirit that would equip Jesus for the next three plus years of completing the work God called Him to do. If Jesus himself —the Son of God— needed to be anointed by the Holy Spirit to do His Father’s will, then how much more do we need the same anointing power? “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” Acts 10:38 NKJV Jesus told us of three distinct ways that the Holy Spirit would minister in the lives of believers. He told us that the Holy Spirit would be with us. This is His promise of spiritual companionship. “The Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” John 14:17 NKJV He told us that the Holy Spirit would be in us. This is His promise of spiritual intimacy. “The Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” John 14:17 NKJV He told us the Holy Spirit would come upon us. This is His promise of spiritual power—when we are baptized with the Holy Spirit. “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 NKJV Even though the disciples received the life of the Holy Spirit within them, they still had not received the power of the Holy Spirit upon them. This is why Jesus told them to wait for His promise to be fulfilled before they went into the world as His witnesses. This happened to them on the Feast of Pentecost (Acts 1 and 2). Like the disciples, it is important for us to have both the Scriptural understanding of Jesus’ promise as well as the personal experience of receiving the promise of the Holy Spirit on our lives. Although each of us will serve God differently, according to His specific will for our lives, each of us needs to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to serve Him effectively. APPLICATION: How is your life impacted as a result of the Holy Spirit dwelling with you...being in you...coming upon you? Considering how vital the ministry of the Holy Spirit is in our lives, how can we learn to be more responsive to what He has been sent to do?  © 2017, 2023  Roy Lessin, The Holy Spirit Book. Used with permission, all rights reserved. #theholyspiritbook #theholyspirit #learningabouttheholyspirit #roylessin #meetinginthemeadow