Holy spirit power

HOLY SPIRIT POWER
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
ACTS 1:8 "But you will receive power when the Holy
Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the
ends of the earth."
gotquestions.com
Question:"What is the powerof the Holy Spirit?"
Answer: The powerof the Holy Spirit is the power of God. The Spirit, the
third Personof the Trinity, has appearedthroughout Scripture as a Being
through and by whom greatworks ofpower are made manifest. His power
was first seenin the act of creation, for it was by His power the world came
into being (Genesis 1:1–2;Job26:13). The Holy Spirit also empoweredmen in
the Old Testamentto bring about God’s will: “So Samuel took the horn of oil
and anointed him in the presence ofhis brothers, and from that day on the
Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power” (1 Samuel 16:13; see also
Exodus 31:2–5;Numbers 27:18). Although the Spirit did not permanently
indwell God’s people in the Old Testament, He workedthrough them and
gave them power to achieve things they would not have been able to
accomplishon their own. All of Samson’s feats ofstrength are directly
attributed to the Spirit coming upon him (Judges 14:6, 19;15:14).

Jesus promised the Spirit as a permanent guide, teacher, sealofsalvation, and
comforterfor believers (John 14:16-18). He also promised that the Holy
Spirit’s powerwould help His followers to spreadthe messageofthe gospel
around the world: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on
you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The salvation of souls is a
supernatural work only made possible by the Holy Spirit’s powerat work in
the world.
When the Holy Spirit descendedupon believers at Pentecost, it was not a quiet
event, but a powerful one. “When the day of Pentecostcame, theywere all
togetherin one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind
came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They
saw what seemedto be tongues of fire that separatedand came to rest on each
of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and beganto speak in
other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (Acts 2:1–4). Immediately
afterward, the disciples spoke to the crowds gatheredin Jerusalemfor the
FeastofPentecost. Thesepeople hailed from a variety of nations and therefore
spoke many different languages.Imagine their surprise and wonder when the
disciples spoke to them in their own tongues (verses 5–12)!Clearly, this was
not something the disciples could have accomplishedon their own without
many months—or even years—ofstudy. The Holy Spirit’s power was made
manifest to a great number of people that day, resulting in the conversionof
about 3,000 (verse 41).
During His earthly ministry, Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:1),
led by the Spirit (Luke 4:14), and empoweredby the Spirit to perform
miracles (Matthew 12:28). After Jesus had ascendedto heaven, the Spirit
equipped the apostles to perform miracles, too (2 Corinthians 2:12; Acts 2:43;
3:1–7;9:39–41). The power of the Holy Spirit was manifest among all the
believers of the early church through the dispensation of spiritual gifts such as
speaking in tongues, prophesying, teaching, wisdom, and more.

All those who put their faith in Jesus Christare immediately and permanently
indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11). And, although some of the spiritual
gifts have ceased(e.g., speaking intongues and prophecy), the Holy Spirit still
works in and through believers to accomplishHis will. His power leads us,
convicts us, teaches us, and equips us to do His work and spreadthe gospel.
The Holy Spirit’s powerful indwelling is an amazing gift we should never take
lightly.
The Powerof the Holy Spirit
June 17, 1855
by
C. H. Spurgeon
(1834-1892)
© Copyright 2002 by Tony Capoccia.This updated file may be freely copied,
printed out, and distributed as
long as copyright and source statements remain intact, and that it is not sold.
All rights reserved.

Verses quoted, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE:
NEW INTERNATIONALVERSION
©1978 by the New York Bible Society, used by permission of Zondervan Bible
Publishers.
“The power of the Holy Spirit.”--Romans 15:13
Poweris the specialand distinctive prerogative of God, and God alone. Power
belongs to God. God is God: and powerbelongs to him. If he delegates a
portion of it to his creatures, yetit still is his power. The sun in the heavens,
although it is “…like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a
champion rejoicing to run his course” [Psalm19:5], yet it has no power to
move through the universe exceptas God directs it. The stars, although they
travel in their orbits and no one can stopthem, yet they have neither power
nor force exceptthat which God daily infuses into them. The tall archangel,
near God’s throne, who outshines a cometin its brilliance, and who excels in
strength and listens to the voice of the commands of God, still has no strength
exceptthat which his Creatorgives to him. As for Leviathan, who causes the
sea to boil like a pot that one would think the oceanwas white:as for
Hippopotamus, who could almostdrink up the Jordanin one swallow, and
boasts that he caninhale rivers; as for those majestic creatures that are found
on earth, they owe their strength to him who formed their bones of steeland
made their muscle of brass. And when we think of man if he has might or
power, it is so small and insignificant, that we canscarcelycallit such; yes,
when it is at its greatest-whenhe waves his scepter, when he commands vast
armies, when he rules nations-still the powerbelongs to God.

This exclusive prerogative of God is to be found in eachof the three persons of
the glorious Trinity. The Fatherhas power: for at his word the heavens were
made, and by his strength all things continue, and through him they fulfill
their destiny. The Son has power:for like his Father, he is the Creatorof all
things; “Without him nothing was made that has been made” [John 1:3], and
“in him all things hold together” [Colossians 1:17]. And the Holy Spirit has
power.
It is concerning the powerof the Holy Spirit that I will speak this morning;
and may you gain a practical example of that attribute in your own hearts,
when you sense that the influence of the Holy Spirit is being poured out on
me, so that I am speaking the words of the living God to your souls, and the
powerbestowedon you when you feel the effects of it in your own souls.
We will look at the power of the Holy Spirit in three ways this morning. First,
the outward and visible displays of his power, second, the inward and
spiritual manifestations of his power, and third, the future works of his power.
I trust that the power of the Spirit will be clearly presentedto your souls.
I. First, the OUTWARD AND VISIBLE DISPLAYS of the powerof the Holy
Spirit.
The powerof the Spirit has not been dormant; it has exerted itself. Much has
been done by the Spirit of God already; more than could have been
accomplishedby any being exceptthe Infinite, Eternal, Almighty Jehovah,
with whom the Holy Spirit is one person.

There are four works which are the outward and visible signs of the power of
the Holy Spirit: creationworks;resurrectionworks:works oftestimony; and
works of grace. Iwill briefly speak on eachof these works.
1. First, the Holy Spirit has demonstrated the omnipotence of his power in
creationworks;for sometimes creationis ascribedto the Holy Spirit, as well
as to the Father and the Son.
The creationof the heavens above us is said to be the work of God’s Spirit.
This you will see at once by referring to the sacredScriptures, Job, chapter
26, and verse 13, “By his Spirit he has [adorned] the heavens, and his hand
has formed the crookedserpent” [KJV]. All the stars of heavenare said to
have been placed there by the Holy Spirit, and one particular constellation
calledthe “crookedserpent” is especiallypointed out as his handiwork. He
loosenthe cords of
Orion and he joined the beautiful Pleiades. He made all the stars that shine in
heaven. The heavens were adorned by his hands, and he formed the crooked
serpent by his power.
In addition, the Holy Spirit’s poweris displayed in those continued acts of
creationwhich are still performed in the world; such as the creationand birth
of men, women, and animals. These are also ascribedto the Holy Spirit. If you
look at Psalm 104, verses 29 and30, you will read, “Whenyou [God] hide
your face, they are terrified; when you take awaytheir breath, they die and
return to the dust. When you send your [Holy] Spirit, they are created, and
you renew the face of the earth.” Therefore the creationof every man and
woman and angelis the work of the Holy Spirit: and the creationof all life
and all flesh in this world is as much to be ascribedto the powerof the Holy
Spirit as the creationof the heavens. But if you will look in the 1stchapter of

Genesis, youwill see evenmore clearlypresented that specialactof poweron
the universe which was done by the Holy Spirit; you will discoverwhat his
specialwork was. In the
2nd verse of the 1stchapter of Genesis, we read, “The earth was formless and
empty, darkness was overthe surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was
hovering over the waters.” We don’t know for certain how long it has been
since the universe was first created. Our planet has passedthrough various
stages ofexistence, anddifferent kinds of creatures have lived on its surface,
all of which have been createdby God. But before that time came, when man
became its principal tenant and monarch, the earth was formless, and empty;
and darkness was overthe surface of the deep. The Holy Spirit came,
commanded the darkness to separate, and as he moved over it, all the
different pieces of matter came into their places, and it was no longer
“formless and empty;” but became round and beganto move, singing the high
praises of God-not out of tune as it had done before, but as one greatnote in
the vastscale of creation. This was done by the power of the Holy Spirit. If we
could have seenthat earth in all of its confusion, we would have said, “Who
can make a world out of this?” The answerwould have been, “The power of
the Holy Spirit can do it. He can make all the things come together. There will
be order where there was nothing but confusion.”
Nor is this the only power of the Holy Spirit. We have seensome of his works
in creation. But there was one particular instance of creationin which the
Holy Spirit was more particularly concerned, namely, the creationof the body
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though our Lord Jesus Christ was born of a woman
and made in the likeness ofsinful flesh, yet the power that conceivedhim
came entirely from God the Holy Spirit-as the Scriptures reveal, the Angel
Gabriel said to Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of
the MostHigh will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called
the Sonof God” [Luke 1:35]. The physical body of the Lord Jesus Christ was
a masterpiece ofthe Holy Spirit. I suppose his body would have excelledall

others in beauty; to have been like that of the first man, the very pattern of
what the body is to be in heaven, when it will shine forth in all its glory. That
body, in all of its beauty and perfection, was formed by the Holy Spirit. He
createdand shapedthe body of Jesus, thus here againwe have another
instance of the creative energyof the Spirit.
2. A seconddemonstrationof the Holy Spirit’s poweris to be found in the
resurrectionof the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you have ever studied this subject, you have perhaps been rather perplexed
to find that sometimes the resurrectionof Christ is ascribedto Jesus. By his
own powerand divinity he could not be held by the chains of death, for just as
he willingly gave up his life he also had the power to take it back again. In
another sectionof Scripture you will find the resurrectionof Christ attributed
to God the Father: “He [the glorious Father] raisedhim from the dead”
[Ephesians 1:20]:” “Godexalted him” [Acts 5:31], and many other similar
passages. But, again, it is said in Scripture that Jesus Christwas raised by the
Holy Spirit. Now all these things are true. Jesus was raisedby the Father
because the Father said, “Let the prisoner go. Justice is satisfied. My law does
not require any more compensation-vengeancehas had its day, let him go.”
Here the Fathergave an officialmessage whichdelivered Jesus from the
grave. And yet, Jesus still was raisedby his own majesty and powerbecause
he had a right to come out of the grave and he knew that he had, and
therefore he “broke the chains of death: he could no longer be held by them.”
But, the actualpower that raisedhis body was the power of the Holy Spirit. It
was the power of Holy Spirit by which the body of Jesus was raisedfrom the
grave after having laid there for three days and nights. If you want proofs of
this you must turn in your Bibles to 1 Peter 3:18, “Christ died for sins once for
all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to
death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.” And you can find further
proof in Romans 8:11, “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is

living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your
mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.”
The resurrectionof Christ, then, was achievedby the activity of the Holy
Spirit, and here we have a goodillustration of his omnipotence. If you could
have stepped, as angels did, into the grave of Jesus, and seenhis dead body,
you would have found it as cold as any other corpse. Lift up the hand, it falls
by the side. Look at the eye: it is glazed. There the gashin his side, which was
to ensure that all life is destroyed. See his hands; the blood does not drip from
them,
They are cold and motionless. Can that body live? Canit rise up again? Yes;
it can and will be an illustration of the powerof the Holy Spirit. For when the
powerof the Holy Spirit came on Jesus, as it was when it fell on the dry bones
of the valley [Ezekiel37:4-5]: “He arose in the majesty of his divinity, and
bright and shining, astonishedthe guards so that they ran away, yes, he arose
no more to die, but to live forever, King of kings and Prince of the kings of the
earth.”
3. The third demonstrationof the Holy Spirit’s power, is testimony works. I
mean by this-works of witnessing.
When Jesus Christ was baptized in the river Jordan, the Holy Spirit
descendedon him like a dove, and proclaimed him to be God’s beloved son.
That was what I call a testimony work. And later when Jesus Christ raisedthe
dead, when he healed the leper, when he spoke to diseases andthey fled away,
when demons by the thousands were castout from those who were possessed
by them, it was done by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit lived in
Jesus without limit, and by that powerall those miracles were accomplished.
These were testimony works. And after Jesus Christ ascendedinto heaven,

you will remember the greatesttestimonyof the Holy Spirit when he came like
a mighty rushing wind upon the assembledapostles, and tongues of fire came
to rest on eachof them; and you will remember how the Holy Spirit testified
to their ministry by giving them the ability to speak with tongues, as he gave
them utterance; and how, also, miraculous works were produced by them,
how they taught, how PeterraisedDorcas, how he breathed life into Eutychus,
how greatworks were done by the apostles justlike they were done by their
Master-so thatPaul could say, “I will not venture to speak ofanything except
what Christ has accomplishedthrough me in leading the Gentiles to obey God
by what I have said and done-by the powerof signs and miracles, through the
powerof the [Holy] Spirit.” Who will doubt the powerof the Holy Spirit after
that? Ah! those Socinians who deny the existence of the Holy Spirit and his
absolute personality, what will they do when we reveal to them the Holy
Spirit’s work in creation, resurrection, and testimonies? Theymust rush in
the very teeth of Scripture. But note this! it is a stone on which if any man
falls he will be bruised; but if it falls on him, as it will do if he resists it, it will
grind him to powder. The Holy Spirit has omnipotent power-the power of
God.
4. Once more, if we want another outward and visible signof the power of the
Holy Spirit, we canlook at the works of grace.
Remember the city where there lived a sorcerernamedSimon who boastedof
divine power and that he was someone great. Philip then enters that city and
preaches the Word of God, and right awaySimon loses allof his powerand
seeks thatthe powerof the Holy Spirit be given to him, even believing that it
might be purchasedwith money.
Now move to modern times, to a pagan country where the inhabitants live in
gloomy tents, feeding on reptiles and other wretched creatures;observe them
bowing down before their idols and worshipping their false gods, and

therefore plunged in superstition, so degradedand debased, that it was
questionable whether they had souls or not; Now observe that a Scottish
missionary, named Robert Moffat, goes with the Word of God in his hand to
these lost people, listen to him preach as the Holy Spirit gives him the words,
and accompaniesthat Word with power. They throw awaytheir idols-they
hate and abhor their former lusts; they begin to build houses, where they live;
they become clothed, and in their right mind. They destroy their bows, and
break their spears in two; the uncivilized become civilized; the savage
becomes polite; he who knew nothing begins to read the Scriptures, thus out
of the mouths of savagesGodshows the powerof his mighty Spirit.
Now, coming back to our country-go to a household in this city-and we could
guide you to many where the father is a drunkard; he has been the most
desperate of characters;see him in his madness, and you might just as well
meet an unchained tiger as to meet such a man. He seems as if he could tear a
man to pieces who would offend him. Note his wife. She, too, has a spirit in
her, and when he treats her badly she can resisthim; many fights have been
seenin that house, and often has the neighborhood been disturbed by the
noise createdthere. As for the poor little children-see them in their rags and
nakedness, pooruntaught little ones. Untaught, did I say? They are taught
and well taught in the devil’s schooland are growing up to be the heirs of
damnation. But then someone whom God has blessedby his Spirit is guided to
the house. Perhaps, he may only be a humble city missionary but he speaks to
the wickedman: “Sir,” he says, “come andlisten to the voice of God.”
Whether it is his own witnessing, ora minister’s preaching, the Word, which
is quick and powerful, cuts to the sinner’s heart. The tears run down his
cheeks suchas never been seenbefore. He shakes andshudders. The strong
man bows down-the mighty man trembles-and those knees that never shook
begin to knock together. That heart which never trembled before, now begins
to shake before the powerof the Holy Spirit. He bends his knees, while his lips
utter a child’s prayer, but, although it is a child’s prayer, a prayer of a child
of God. He becomes a new creation. Note the reformation in his house! His
wife becomes a respectable woman. Those children become obedient and well-
mannered, and in due time they grow up like olive branches around his table,

adorning his house like polished stones. Walk pass the house-no noise or
fights, but rather we hear songs ofZion. Look at him-no more drunkenness;
he has drank his last drink; and now renouncing it, he comes to Godand is his
servant. Now, you will not hear at midnight the drunken shout; but should
there be a noise, it will be the sound of the solemn hymn of praise to God.
And, now, let me ask you, is there such a thing as the power of the Holy
Spirit? Yes, there is, and these persons, just mentioned, have witnessedit and
seenit.
I know a village, once, perhaps, the most wickedin England-a village
inundated by drunkenness and wickednessofthe worstkind, where it was
almost impossible for an honest traveler to stop in the city without being
annoyed by blasphemy; a place noted for arsons and robbers. One man, the
ringleader, listened to the voice of God. That man’s heart was broken. The
whole gang came to hear the gospelpreached, and they sat and seemedto
reverence the preacheras if he were a god, and not a man. These men were
changedand reformed; and every one who knows the place affirms that such
a change had no other explanation than that it had been accomplishedby the
powerof the Holy Spirit.
Let the gospelbe preachedand the Holy Spirit poured out, and you will see
that it has the power to change the conscience, to improve the conduct, to
raise the debased, to chastise andto curb the wickednessofmen and women.
The change will be so noticeable that you must the glory to God. I say, there is
nothing like the power of the Holy Spirit. Only let that come, and, indeed,
everything canbe accomplished.
II. Now, for our secondmajor point this morning, THE INNER SPIRITUAL
POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

What I have already spokenof may be seen;what I am about to speak ofmust
be felt, and no one will understand the truth of what I say unless they have felt
it. Even the unbeliever must confess, andthe greatestblasphemer, if they
would be honest, cannot deny the outward and visible manifestations of the
Holy Spirit. But the inner spiritual powerof the Holy Spirit is what the
unbeliever and blasphemer will laugh at as being nothing but emotion and the
invention of our confused minds. However, no matter what they say, we have
a cleartestimony. We have a witness within. We know it is the truth, and we
are not afraid to speak ofthe inner spiritual power of the Holy Spirit.
Let us now notice three ways the inner spiritual power of the Holy Spirit is
easilyseenand thus worthy of our praise.
1. First, we note that the inner spiritual power of the Holy Spirit has power
over the hearts of men and women.
Normally, it is very hard to affect a person’s heart. However, if you want to
get at them for any worldly purpose you cando it. A cheating world can win
the hearts of men and women, a little gold can win their hearts, a bit of fame
and a little applause can win their hearts. But there is not a minister alive,
who by himself, canwin the hearts of men and women. He can win their ears
and make them listen; he can win their eyes, and cause those eyes to look at
him; he can win their attention, but their hearts are very slippery. Yes, the
heart is like a fish that all gospelfishermen find difficult to hold on to. You
may sometimes almostpull it out of the water; but slippery as an eel, it slips
betweenyour fingers, and evades capture. Many a minister has imagined that
he has caught the heart but has been disappointed. It would need a strong
hunter to overtake the deeron the mountains. It is too fastfor a human on
foot to approach.

Only the Holy Spirit has powerover the hearts of men and women. Did you
ever try your power on a heart? If any personthinks that a minister can
convert the soul, I wish they would try. Let them go and become a Sunday-
schoolteacher. Theywill take their class, theywill have the bestbooks that
can be obtained, they will have the best rules, they will draw their lines of
defenses around their fortified spiritual city, they will take the best child in
their class, and if they are not tired in a week I will be very much surprised.
Let them spend four or five Sundays in trying, and in the end they will say,
“The young personis incorrigible.” Let them try another. And they will have
to try another, and another, and another, before they will manage to convert
one. They will soonfind it is “‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,'
says the LORD Almighty.” [Zechariah 4:6] Can a minister convert anyone?
Can he touch the heart? David said, your “…hearts are callous and
unfeeling.” [Psalm 119:70]Yes, that is very true; and we cannot break
through such a hard heart. Our swordcannot getat the heart, for it is so
callousedand unfeeling, it is harder than a millstone. Many a sharp blade has
been blunted by the hard heart. Many pieces of the true steelthat God has put
into the hands of his servants has had the edge dulled by being used against
the sinner’s heart. We cannot reachthe soul; but the Holy Spirit can. He can
give a sense ofblood-bought pardon that will dissolve a heart of stone. He can,
“Speak with that voice which wakes the dead,
And commands the sinner to rise:
And makes the guilty consciencedread
The death that never dies.”
He can make Sinai’s thunders audible; yes, and he canmake the sweet
whisperings of Calvary enter into the soul. He has powerover the hearts of
men and women. And here is a glorious proof of the omnipotence of the Holy
Spirit that he has rule over the heart.

2. But if there is one thing more stubborn than the heart it is the will.
“My lord; Will-be-will,” as John Bunyan calls him in his book “Holy War,” is
a fellow who will not easilybe convinced. The will, especiallyin some men and
women, is a very stubborn thing, and in all men and women, if the will is once
stirred up in opposition, there is nothing that canbe done with them.
Some believe in freewill. Many dream of freewill. Freewill!Where is that to be
found? Once there was freewill in Paradise, andfreewill made a terrible mess
there, for it spoiled all of Paradise and turned Adam and Eve out of the
garden. Freewillonce existed in heaven, but it turned the glorious archangel
out and a third part of the angels of heaven fell into the abyss. I want nothing
to do with freewill, but I will try to see whether I have a free will within me.
And I find that I have. I have a very free will to commit evil, but a very poor
will to do that which is good. I demonstrate my freewill when I sin, but when I
want to do goodevil is presentwith me, and I cannot carry it out. Yet some
boastof freewill. I wonder whether those who believe in freewillhave any
more power over other person’s wills than I have. I know I have no power. I
find the old proverb is very true, “One man canbring a horse to the water,
but a hundred cannotmake him drink.” I find that I can bring all of you to
the water, and a greatmany more than can
fit into this church; but I cannot make you drink; and I don’t think a hundred
ministers could make you drink. I have read all about the greatpreachers,
RowlandHill, and George Whitfield, and severalothers to see what their
secretwas;but I cannot discoverfrom them any plan that would work in
turning your wills. I cannot coaxyou; and you will not yield by any other
means. I don’t think any man has powerover his fellow creature’s will, but
the Spirit of God has. “I will make them willing in the day of my power.” He
makes the unwilling sinner so willing that he is eagerfor the gospel;he who

was obstinate, now runs to the cross. He, who laughed at Jesus, now begs for
his mercy; and he who would not believe, is now made by the Holy Spirit to do
it, not only willingly, but eagerly;he is happy, he is glad to do it, rejoices in the
sound of Jesus’name, and delights to obey God’s commands. The Holy Spirit
has powerover the will.
3. And yet there is one thing more which I think is worse than the will. The
will is somewhatworse than the heart to bend but there is one thing that
exceeds the will in its wickedness, andthat is the imagination.
I hope that my will is managed by Divine Grace, but I am afraid that at times,
my thoughts are not. Those who have a fair share of imagination know what a
difficult thing it is to control. You cannotrestrain it. It will break the reins.
You will never be able to manage it. The imagination will sometimes fly up to
God with such a powerthat eagles’wings cannotmatch it. It sometimes has
such powerthat it can almost see the King in his beauty, and the land which is
very far off. With regardto myself, my imagination will sometimes take me
over the gates of iron, across that infinite unknown, to the very gates of pearl,
and discovers the blessedhome of the glorified. But if it is powerful one way it
is also powerful in another; for my imagination has taken me down to the
vilest gutters and sewers ofthe earth. It has given me thoughts so dreadful,
that while I could not avoid them, yet I was thoroughly horrified at them.
These thoughts will come, and when I feel in the holiestframe of mind, the
most devoted to God, and the most earnestin prayer, it often happens that
that is the very time when the plagues breaks out the worst. But I rejoice and
think of one thing, that I cancry out to the Holy Spirit when these thoughts
come upon me. I know it is said in the Book ofDeuteronomy, when an actof
rape was committed, that if the girl cried out againstit, then her life was to be
spared. So it is with the Christian. If they cry out there is hope. Can you chain
your imagination? No; but the power of the Holy Spirit can. Yes, he will do it,
and He does it throughout all of eternity; He does it even on earth today.

III. Lastly this morning, I want us to look at the FUTURE WORKS of the
Holy Spirit--for although the Holy Spirit has done so much already he cannot
say, “It is finished.”
Jesus Christ could cry out concerning his ownwork of salvation-“Itis
finished.” But the Holy Spirit cannotsay that. He still has more to do: and
until the fulfillment of all things, when the Son himself becomes subjectto the
Father, it will not be said by the Holy Spirit, “It is finished.” What, then, are
the future works of the Holy Spirit?
1. First, the Holy Spirit has to perfect us in holiness.
There are two kinds of perfection which a Christian needs-one is the
perfection of justification in the personof Jesus;and the other is, the
perfection of sanctificationworkedin them by the Holy Spirit. Presently
corruption still resides evenin the hearts of the regenerate. At present the
heart is partially impure. At present there are still lusts and evil thoughts.
But, Oh! my soul rejoices to know that the day is coming when God will finish
the work which he has begun; and he will presentmy soul, not only perfect in
Christ, but, perfectin the Spirit, without spot or blemish, or any such thing.
And is it true that this poor depraved heart is to become as holy as that of
God? And is it true that my spirit, which often cries, “O wretched man that I
am, who will deliver me from the body of this sin and death!” will getrid of
sin and death-I will have no evil things to bother my ears, and no unholy
thoughts to disturb my peace? Oh!Joyful hour! May it sooncome!At the
moment of my death, sanctificationwill be finished; but not till that moment
will I ever claim perfectionin myself. But at that moment when I depart, my
spirit will have its last baptism in the Holy Spirit’s fire. It will be put in the
crucible for its final refinement in the furnace; and then, free from all
impurities, and fine like a wedge ofpure gold, it will be presentedat the feet of
God without the leastdegree of impurities or contamination. O glorious hour!

O blessedmoment! I think I would still long to die even if there were no
heaven, if I might but have that last purification, and come up from Jordan’s
stream pure white from the washing. Oh! To be washedwhite, clean, pure,
perfect! No angel will be more pure than I will be-yes, as holy as God himself!
And I will be able to say, in a double sense, “GreatandGlorious God, I am
clean-through the blood of Jesus I am clean, through the Holy Spirit’s work I
am cleantoo!” We must praise the powerof the Holy Spirit for making us fit
to stand before our Fatherin heaven!
2. Another greatwork of the Holy Spirit which is not yet accomplishedis the
bringing on of the latter-day glory.
In a few more years-I don’t know when, I don’t know how-the Holy Spirit will
be poured out in a far different waythan the present. There are diversities of
ministries; and during the lastfew years it has been the case thatthe
diversified ministries have consistedin very little pouring out of the Spirit.
Ministers have gone on in a dull routine, continually preaching-preaching-
preaching, and little goodhas been accomplished. I do hope that perhaps a
fresh era has begun, and that there is a better pouring out of the Spirit even
now. Forthe hour is coming, and it may be that it now is, when the Holy
Spirit will be poured out againin such a wonderful manner that many will go
here and there to increase knowledge-the knowledgeofthe Lord will cover the
earth just as the waters coverthe surface, when his kingdom will come, and
his will, will be done on earth even as it is in heaven. We are not going to be
dragging on forever. My heart praises and my eyes sparkle with the thought
that very likely I will live to see the out-pouring of the Spirit when “the sons
and the daughters of God againwill prophecy, and the young men will see
visions, and the old men will dream dreams.” Perhaps there will be no
miraculous gifts-for they will not be required; but yet there will be such a
miraculous amount of holiness, such an extraordinary fervor of prayer, such a
real communion with God and so much true religion, and such a spread of the
doctrines of the cross, that every one will see that truly the Holy Spirit is

poured out like waterand the rains are descending from above. For that let us
pray: let us continually labor for it, and seek it from God.
3. One more future work of the Holy Spirit which will clearlyshow his power
is the generalresurrection.
We have reasonto believe from Scripture that the resurrectionof the dead,
while it will be effectedby the voice of Godand of his Word, (the Son) will
also be brought about by the Holy Spirit. That same powerwhich raisedJesus
Christ from the dead, will also cause your mortal bodies to come alive. The
powerof the resurrectionis perhaps one of the finest proofs of the works of
the Spirit. Oh! my friends, if this earth could have its crust torn awayfor a
little while, if the green sodcould be pulled back from it, and we could look
down about six feet into its heart, what a world it would seem!What would we
see? Bones,carcasses,rottenness, worms, anddecay. And you would say,
“Canthese dry bones live? Can they rise up?” “Yes!in a moment! in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, the dead will be raised.” He speaks:
they are alive! See them scattered:bone comes to his bone! See their bare
skeletons:flesh comes onthem! See them still and lifeless:“Come from the
four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain!” When the wind of the
Holy Spirit comes, they live, and they stand up on their feeta very greatarmy
of saints.
Thus I have attempted to speak ofthe power of the Holy Spirit, and I trust I
have shown it to you. We must now have a moment or two for practical
application. Oh, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the Holy Spirit is very
powerful! What do you infer from that fact?
Why, that you never need to distrust the power of God to carry you to heaven.

The powerof the Holy Spirit is your protection, and all his omnipotence
defends you. Can your enemies overcome omnipotence? If they could then
they can conquer you. Can they wrestle with Deity, and throw him to the
ground? If they could then they might be able to conquer you. But we are safe
because the power of the Holy Spirit is our power; the power of the Holy
Spirit is our strength.
Once again, dear Christians, if this is the powerof the Holy Spirit, why should
you doubt anything?
There is your son. There is that wife of yours for whom you have prayed for
so frequently: don’t doubt the Holy Spirit’s power. “Though he delays with an
answer, waitfor him.” There is your husband, O holy woman! And you have
wrestledin prayer for his soul. And though he is everso hardened and
desperate a wretch, and treats you badly there is power in the Holy Spirit.
And, you who have come from weak churches with scarcelya bit of truth.
Don’t doubt the power of the Holy Spirit to raise you up. For it will be a
“pasture for flocks, a den of wild donkeys,” open, but deserted, until the Holy
Spirit is poured out from on high. And then the parched ground will be made
a pool, and the thirsty land will be coveredwith springs of water.
And, you who are members of our church! And especiallyyou who remember
what your God has done for you, never distrust the power of the Spirit. You
have seenthe wilderness blossomlike Carmel, you have seenthe desert
blossomlike the rose;trust him for the future. Then go out and labor with this
conviction, that the powerof the Holy Spirit is able to do anything. Go to your
Sunday-school;go to your tract distribution; go to your missionary
enterprise! Go to your witnessing, with the conviction that the power of the
Holy Spirit is our greathelp.

And now, lastly, to you sinners, to you who are not saved-Whatis there to be
said to you about this powerof the Holy Spirit?
Why, to me, there is some hope for some of you. I cannotsave you: I cannot
convince you. I make you cry sometimes-youwipe your eyes, and it is all over.
But I know my Mastercan. That is my consolation. Chiefof sinners, there is
hope for you! This powercan save you as wellas anybody else. It is able to
break your heart, though it is made of iron; to make your eyes run with tears
though they have been like rocks before. His power is able this morning, if he
is willing to change your heart, to turn the current of all your ideas, to
immediately make you a child of God, to justify you in Christ. There is
enough powerin the Holy Spirit. You are not weak in him, but in your own
hearts. He is able to bring sinners to Jesus:he is able to make you willing in
the day of his power. Are you willing this morning? Has he gone so far as to
make you desire his name, to make you wish for Jesus? Then, O sinner! while
he draws you, say, “Draw me, I am wretchedwithout you.” Follow him, follow
him, and while he leads, follow in his footsteps, andrejoice that he has begun
a goodwork in you, for there is evidence that he will continue it even to the
end. And, O desponding one! put your trust in the powerof the Holy Spirit.
Restin the blood of Jesus, and your soul is safe, not only now, but throughout
eternity. Godbless all of you who have listened to this sermon. Amen.
THE DYNAMITE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
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When we speak ofthe powerof the Holy Spirit, many people--even
Christians--misunderstand the meaning of power. They tend to define power
as the world defines it.
In the world's view, power conveys the ability to control people, events, and
circumstances forour own advantage. In the world, powerbrings
independence and self-sufficiency, with no need for God's help or the
assurance ofothers.
The world's poweris temporary, leaving a person always wanting more.
While many devote their lives to achieving this goal, this type of powercan
never satisfy the soul or bring joy or peace. The world's power is temporary,
leaving a personalways wanting more.
In describing the powerof the Holy Spirit, the Bible paints quite a different
picture (see Luke 24:49;Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 12:9). The word translatedas
"power" in the English Bible is the Greek worddynamis, from which we get
the word dynamite. In Acts 1:8, Jesus told His disciples that before they would
be able to evangelize the world, they must receive the dynamis of the Holy
Spirit.

The Holy Spirit possessesa dynamite-like power that works within a believer
to blast out anything that is unlike God. It is not a power that exalts one
person above others. It does not manipulate or control others. Instead, the
Holy Spirit uses His powerto break us so that He might remake us. The more
we get self out of the way and yield our will to His, the more powerfully He is
able to pour Himself out through us to others, and the more powerfully He is
able to transform our lives. We are merely the conduits, the channels through
which God's powermoves.
The Holy Spirit empowers us to be witnessesofGod's love, to live in a way
that pleases God, to meet fully the demands and pressures of life, and to resist
temptation. The power of the Holy Spirit is the only powerthat is sufficient to
win spiritual battles againstour own selfishdesires and the wiles of Satan.
Set aside some time today to ask God to free you from the desire to control
others and to lead you to become a cleanvesselthat can be used to transmit
His power. Ask Him to do the same for your spouse, your children, your
coworkers, andyour friends.
Prayer: Lord, teachme about the true power of Your Spirit and grant me the
willingness to submit to Your power. I confess that You alone are God. Please
display Your powerin and through my life today. Make me a cleanand
willing vessel. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
"My messageand my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but
with a demonstration of the Spirit's power" (1 Corinthians 2:4).

The Holy Spirit: the powerof God
Throughout the Bible the Holy Spirit is spokenof in the Bible as being God's
divine power.
The Anchor Bible Dictionary, in its article on the Holy Spirit, describes it as
"The manifestation of divine presence and power perceptible especiallyin
prophetic inspiration" (Vol. 3, Doubleday, New York, 1992, p. 260).
Many scriptures refer to the Holy Spirit as the powerof God (Zechariah4:6;
Micah3:8). Paul told Timothy that it is the " spirit of...powerand of love and
of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7, emphasis added throughout).
Luke 4:14 records that Jesus Christbegan His ministry "in the powerof the
Spirit." Luke 1:35 identifies the Holy Spirit with "the powerof the Highest."
Speaking of the Holy Spirit, which would be given to His followers afterHis
death, Jesus told them, "You shall receive powerwhen the Holy Spirit has
come upon you..." (Acts 1:8).
Peterrelates how "Godanointed Jesus of Nazarethwith the Holy Spirit and
with power, [and Jesus]went about doing goodand healing all who were
oppressedby the devil, for God was with Him" (Acts 10:38). The Holy Spirit
is here associatedwith the power by which God was with Him— the power
through which Jesus Christ performed mighty miracles during His earthly,
physical ministry. The Holy Spirit is the very presence ofGod's power actively
working in His servants.
The apostle Paul's desire was that the members of the Church in Rome would
"abound in hope by the powerof the Holy Spirit," in the same way that Jesus

Christ had workedthrough him "in mighty signs and wonders , by the power
of the Spirit of God" (Romans 15:13, 19).
Divine inspiration by the Spirit
The Bible also shows that God inspires and guides His prophets and servants
through the powerof the Holy Spirit. Peternoted that "prophecy never came
by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the
Holy Spirit" (2 Peter1:21).
Paul statedthat God's plan had been "revealedby the Spirit to His holy
apostles and prophets" (Ephesians:3:5), and that his own teachings were
inspired by the spirit (1 Corinthians 2:13). Paul, in 1 Corinthians 2:9-10,
explains that God through His Spirit has revealed to us the things which He
has prepared for those who love Him. God the Father is the Revealer, working
through His Spirit in those who serve Him.
Jesus Christ told His followers that the Holy Spirit, which the Fatherwould
send to them, "will teachyou all things, and bring to your remembrance all
things that I said to you" (John 14:26).
It's through God's Spirit within us that we can gain spiritual understanding
and insight. "Forwhat man knows the things of a man except[by] the spirit of
the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except[by]
the Spirit of God" (1 Corinthians 2:11-12).
Jesus Christ had this spiritual understanding in abundance. As the Messiah,
He was prophesied to have "the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the
Spirit of counseland might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fearof the
Lord" (Isaiah11:2).

What the Holy Spirit isn't
The traditional Christian view of the Holy Spirit presents it not only as the
powerof God, but also a third person with the Father and Son in a Trinity.
But when the Bible is takenat face value it's clearthat it's never presentedas
a separate person. It's always presentedas an attribute or power of God.
There are many scriptures that demonstrate it's not a divine person. For
example, the Holy Spirit is referred to as a gift (Acts 10:45; 1 Timothy 4:14).
We are told that it can be quenched (1 Thessalonians 5:19), that it can be
poured out (Acts 2:17; 10:45), and that we are baptized with it (Matthew
3:11). It must be stirred up within us (2 Timothy 1:6), and it also renews us
(Titus 3:5). These are certainly not attributes of a person. They certainly are
attributes of God's characterand power.
This Spirit is also called "the Holy Spirit of promise...the guarantee of our
inheritance...the spirit of wisdom and revelation..." (Ephesians 1:13, 14, 17).
This Spirit is not only the Spirit of God the Father;it's also "the Spirit of
Christ" (Romans 8:9; Philippians 1:19; 1 Peter1:11). It dwells within
Christians, leading and enabling us to be children of God (Romans 8:14).
In contrastto Godthe Father and Jesus Christ, who are consistently
compared to human beings in their form and shape, the Holy Spirit is just as
consistentlyrepresentedin a completely different manner. It is described as
appearing as a dove (Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32) and as
"tongues offire" (Acts 2:3). Jesus Christ comparedit with "living water"
(John 7:37-39).

There is further evidence that the Holy Spirit is not a person, but is the divine
powerof God. In Matthew 1:20, we read that Jesus was begottenby the Holy
Spirit (Moffatt translation). Yet Jesus Christ continually prayed to and
addressedthe Father, not the Holy Spirit, as His father (Matthew 10:32-33;
Matthew 11:25-27;Matthew:12:50;Matthew 15:13; Matthew 16:17, Matthew
16:27;Matthew 18:10, Matthew 18:35). He never representedthe Holy Spirit
as His Father.
(There's so much more evidence that the Holy Spirit is God's power, mind,
and life essencethrough which He begets us as His children, and that it is not
a divine person. Readall about it in our free Bible study aid Is God a
Trinity?)
Living in the Powerof the Spirit
By R.A. Torrey • February 8, 2011
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HomeDecisionMagazineFebruary2011Living in the Powerofthe Spirit
We obtain the fullness of powerthat God has provided for us in Christ to the
same extent that we understand and claim the Holy Spirit’s work for
ourselves. Manyin the church claim for themselves only a small part of what
God has made possible for them in Christ because they know so little of what
the Holy Spirit can do—and longs to do—for us. To find out what the Holy
Spirit has the powerto do, study the Word of God.

We will not go far before we discoverthat the same work that we see ascribed
in one place to the powerof the Word is in other places creditedto the Holy
Spirit. The explanation of this is simple. The Word of Godis the instrument
through which the Holy Spirit does His work. The Word of God is the “sword
of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17).
The Word of God is also the seedthe Spirit sows andquickens (see Luke 8:11
and 1 Peter1:23). The Word of God is the instrument of all the varied
operations of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, if we wish the Holy Spirit to do His
work in our hearts, we must study the Word. If we wish Him to do His work
in the hearts of others, we must give them the Word.
The Swordof the Spirit
The Word will not do the work alone. The Spirit Himself must use the Word
because whenHe uses His own sword, its real strength, keenness andpower
are manifested. God’s work is accomplishedby the Spirit through the Word.
The secretofeffective Christian living is knowing the powerof the Spirit
through the Word. The secretof effective Christian service is using the Word
in the powerof the Spirit.
Some believers magnify the Spirit but neglectthe Word. This will not do
because fanaticismand groundless enthusiasm are the result. Others seek to
magnify the Word but largelyignore the Spirit. This will not do either. It
leads to dead orthodoxy and to truth without life and power. The true course
is to recognize both the instrumental powerof the Word through which the
Holy Spirit works and the living, personalpower of the Holy Spirit who acts
through the Word.

The Spirit Reveals Christ
You can send men to the Word to getknowledge ofChrist, but it is only
through the Holy Spirit’s illumination of the Word that men canget a real,
living knowledge ofChrist. “No man can say that Jesus is Lord, but by the
Holy Ghost” (1 Corinthians 12:3).Formen to get a true knowledge ofJesus
Christ so that they will believe in Him and be saved, seek the testimony of the
Holy Spirit for them. Neither your testimony nor that of the Word alone will
suffice, though it is your testimony or that of the Word that the Spirit uses.
The Indwelling Spirit
The Holy Spirit dwells in everyone who belongs to Christ (Romans 8:9). We
may not have surrendered our lives utterly to this indwelling Spirit, we may
be very far from being full of the Spirit, and we may be very imperfect
Christians. But if we have been born again, the Spirit dwells in us.
What a glorious thought it is that the Holy Spirit dwells in me! But it is also a
very solemn thought as well. If my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1
Corinthians 6:19), I certainly should not defile it, as many professed
Christians do. Bearing in mind that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit
would solve many problems that perplex young Christians.
The True Christian Life
Romans 8 gives us a picture of the true Christian life. This life is possible, and
God expects it from eachone of us.
The flesh is still in us, but we are not in the flesh (Romans 8:9, 12-13). It is our
privilege, in the Spirit’s power, to have daily, hourly and constantvictory over
the flesh and over sin. But the victory is not in ourselves, not in any strength
of our own. Left to ourselves, desertedby the Spirit of God, we would be as

helpless as ever. It is all in the Spirit’s power. If we try to take one step in our
own strength, we will fail.
Has the Holy Spirit setyou “free from the law of sin and death”? (Romans
8:2). Will you let Him do it now? Simply give up all self-effort to stop sinning.
Believe in the divine powerof the Holy Spirit to setyou free, and give yourself
to Him to do it. He will not fail you. Then you can triumphantly cry with Paul,
“The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of
sin and death” (Romans 8:2).
The Spirit Gives Christlikeness
An exceedinglyimportant thought about the Holy Spirit’s poweris found in
Galatians 5:22-23:“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness,temperance:againstsuch there is no
law.”
The Holy Spirit brings forth Christlike graces ofcharacterin the believer
(Romans 14:17; 15:13;5:5). All real beauty of character–allreal
Christlikeness in us–is the Holy Spirit’s work. It is His “fruit.” He bears it, not
us.
It is a beautiful life that is set forth in these verses. Everyword is worthy of
earneststudy and profound meditation: love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness,temperance. The Christ-life is the life
we long for.
If you desire these graces in your characterand in your life, renounce yourself
and all your attempts at holiness. Thenlet the Holy Spirit, who dwells in you,
take full controland bear His own glorious fruit.

Emptying and Filling
Only when we put away our own righteousness willwe find the righteousness
of God (Philippians 3:4-9; Romans 10:3). Only when we put awayour own
wisdom will we find the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 3:18; Matthew 11:25; 1
Corinthians 1:25-28). And only when we put awayour own strength will we
find the strength of God (Isaiah40:29; 2 Corinthians 12:9; 1 Corinthians
1:27-28).
Emptying must precede filling. Selfmust be poured out so that Christ may be
poured in. We must be taught daily by the Holy Spirit to understand the
Word of God. I cannot depend today on the fact that the Spirit taught me
yesterday. Eachnew contactwith the Word must be in the powerof the Spirit.
That the Holy Spirit once illumined our minds to graspa certain passageis
not enough. He must do so eachtime we confront that passage.
The Christian life is not to be lived in the realm of natural temperament but in
the realm of the Spirit. And Christian work is not to be done in the power of
natural endowment but in the power of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit eagerly
desires to do His whole work for eachof us. He will do for us everything we
will let Him do.
R. A. Torrey(1856-1928)was an evangelist, teacherand author, as well as the
first dean of the MoodyBible Institute in Chicago.
POWER FOR MANY PURPOSES:LEARN HOW TO USE POWER

Think of how many ways electricityis used: With it, people light their cities,
cook, heattheir homes, run their factories, andoperate all kinds of
machinery. Because menhave learned how to use electric powerthey can do
what used to seemimpossible -- even go to the moon.
The Holy Spirit wants to fill your life with a powergreaterthan electricity --
powerto do what is impossible without it -- but you must learn to use it. Used
in the right way, this power will bring glory to God and blessing to your life.
Powerof any kind used in the wrong way will always bring trouble.
Three mistakes to avoid:
1. Some people use the Holy Spirit's power as a toy to be played with.
This was the problem of the Corinthian church. They so enjoyed talking in
other tongues by the Spirit's powerthat they were just having a good time in
their services. There was a lot of disorder. Outsiders thought they were crazy.
Paul let them know that all things should be done decently and in order. They
should learn to so channel the powerof the Holy Spirit that souls would be
saved, not turned awayfrom Christ.
2. Some people call attention to themselves insteadof giving glory to God.
If the Holy Spirit gives a man faith for healing the sick, it is not so that he can
shout: "Look at me, everybody! Miracles!I have lots of power!" Or if God
uses someone to give messages in prophecy, it is not so that he can say:
"Everyone had better listen to me! I am a prophet! Come to me if you want to
know what to do." Such pride brings many problems.

3. Some people just don't use the powerthat the Holy Spirit has for them.
This is the most common mistake of all. Some have seenthe misuse or
imitations of the Spirit's power and are afraid of anything supernatural. The
Thessalonianchurch had this problem. Paul told them to testthe spirits to see
if they were of God and not to acceptany false prophecies or imitations of
God's work. But they were not to throw awaythe real along with the
imitations.
Do not restrain the Holy Spirit; do not despise inspired messages.Put all
things to the test: keepwhat is good, and avoid every kind of evil (1
Thessalonians 5:19-22).
Being filled with the Holy Spirit is like having your house wired for electricity.
It's not wired so you cansit in the dark and say: "I've got electricityat last!"
Turn the light on! Use the power!In the Book of Acts you have God's pattern
for the right use of the powerof the Holy Spirit.
This is the Patternfor You
The powerof the Holy Spirit in the early Christians made their lives cleanand
goodin a civilization noted for its crime and corruption. An inner joy and
peace made them sing and praise God when they were beatenand thrown into
jail for Christ's sake. Full of God's love, they forgave and prayed for those
who tortured them. This is powerused rightly!
They had a powerful message andgave it with powerful personalconviction.
They knew what they were talking about. Anyone without Christ was lost, but

Jesus would save those who believed on him. They spoke with wisdom, logic,
and courage beyond their ownabilities -- power that convictedtheir hearers
of the truth and convictedthem of sin.
They had a powerful faith. They knew that God was with them and would
work through them as He had promised. So in Jesus'name they commanded
paralytics to walk and they did. They prayed and things happened. Sick
people were healed. Prisondoors opened. Multitudes of sinners turned to
God.
This powerin the early Christians made them witnesses, justas Jesus had
said. They had the boldness and urgent desire to tell all their neighbors about
Jesus. Theyhad a mission to fulfill. Courage, love, a greatvision, and total
commitment to Christ drove them on from town to town and country to
country. They were determined to give the goodnews of salvationto every
man, woman, and child in their world.
This is the pattern of powerin the early Church. Their powerthen was the
powerof the Holy Spirit who filled them and workedthrough them. What
they did was the natural outflow of Spirit-filled lives. The Bible tells you their
experience in detail because it is the pattern for Christians today.
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These 8 Habits Activate Holy Spirit's Powerin Your Life
5:00PM EDT 5/27/2017 KEN MALONE
The Lord loves to communicate with you.

The Lord loves to communicate with you. (Pexels)
Faith—Shedthe victim mentality and believe God for a miracle. Speaking
God's word overyou and your family will unlock the resources ofheaven.
ReadHeb. 11:1-6 and Rom. 10:8,17. Getactive in God's Word.
Prayer—Talk to God like you're talking to a friend. The Lord loves to
communicate with you. This creates anavenue of intimacy with the Lord.
Don't be religious—youdon't have to say everything right. Just talk to Him
(Matt. 6:9-14).
Worship—When worship becomes a focus in your life, it creates an
atmosphere of His presence. Openyour mouth and begin to sing. Sing unto
the Lord a new song (Ps. 22:3).
Intercession—Taking up the cause ofChrist in the earth puts you in a position
of partnering with Him. Partnerwith Him through intercession(1 Tim. 1:1-
3).
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to our newsletter.
Pray in Tongues—Whenyou pray in tongues, you edify your spirit and build
up your faith. If you don't pray in tongues, ask Jesus to fill you with the Holy
Spirit and speaking in tongues (Acts 2:1-4; 1 Cor. 14:4; Jude 20).
Forgive—Forgivenessis not an emotion but an act of your will that can
change your emotions. If someone has wounded you, begin to say, "I forgive

(put in their name) in Jesus'name." Keep doing this every time Satanbrings
up the offense (John 20-23;Mark 11:25).
Prophesy—Prophesythe word of the Lord over your life. ProphesyHis
written word but also a word spokento you. Keep doing this until it comes to
pass (Is. 55:10-11).
Walk in Righteousness—Realize that Jesus bore your sin that you might be
made righteous through Him. Begin to declare that you are righteous because
of Him (2 Cor. 5:21).
T. P. STAFFORD, A. M., Th. D.
Professorof Christian Doctrines and Evidences
in the Kansas City TheologicalSeminary
THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Have thine own way, Lord ! Have thine own way !
Thou art the Potter ; I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.

Searchme and try me, Master, today
Whiter than snow, Lord, washme just now,
As in thy presence humbly I bow.
Have thine own way, Lord ! Have thine own way t
Wounded and weary, help me, I pray!
Power— all power — surely is thine!
Teachme and heal me, Saviour divine!
Hold o'er my being absolute sway!
Fill with thy Spirit till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me.
THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
I F we express in one word the ministry of the
Spirit to men of the world, that word is con-
viction. (Cf. John 16 : 8-ix.) If we express in
one word the ministry of the Spirit to believers,
that word is power.

“Ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit
is come upon you ” (Acts i : 8).
“ God gave us not the Spirit of fearfulness ;
but of power” (2 Tim. 1 : 7).
“ Not by might, nor by power, but by my
Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts ” (Zech. 4 : 6).
“ Greaterworks than these shall ye do ; be-
cause I go unto the Father” (John 14 : 12).
“ It is expedient for you that I go away; for
if I go not away, the Comforter will not come
unto you ; but if I go, I will send him unto you ”
(John 16 : 7).
“ The kingdom of God is not in word, but in
power” (1 Cor. 4 : 20).
There are many kinds of power. God canuse
any of them and all of them when he wills and as
he wills.
There is physical power. God has at times
used it. He used the animal strength of Samson
and the athletic skill of David. The world ad-
mires this kind of power. But God’s people must

not trust much in it. Elijah used force on Mt.
Carmel and slew the prophets of Baal, but God
taught him in Horeb by the “ still small voice ”
the lessonof gentleness.
There is financial power. It is the world’s god.
It is our God’s instrument. He uses it, but he
values it only lightly. He can do without it.
Petersaid to the lame man : “ Silver and gold
have I none ; but what I have, that give I thee ”
(Acts 3 : 6). Then he gave him power to walk
and earn his own living — something infinitely
better than money. Since the world worships
money, God has very little use for it.
There is intellectualpower. The world wor-
ships at this shrine also. “ Knowledge is power,”
it says. It builds its educationalinstitutions, be-
stows its degrees,and sends forth its sons to con-
quer.
God uses knowledge. He hates it when it is
exalted overmuch. He despises the worldly

brand of knowledge.But true knowledge,the
really scientific kind, he uses and has always used
it. In fact, we may saythat it is indispensable
to his method. Look and see if you canfind
where God ever made use of fools and idiots.
No, he uses men of wisdom. And if they have it
not when he calls them, they acquire it in his
greatschool.
God thinks little of matter and money and
much of mind. But he does not give it the first
place, nor the second, nor the third. It has a sub-
ordinate rank, fourth place or yet lower.
It was not intellectualpower or insight that
Jesus promised to the waiting disciples.
There is also moral poweror influence.
Pure and simple goodness is beautiful to be-
hold, and it has its victories too. The world
praises it and throws its bouquets at the honest
and benevolent man, and sometimes elects him to
office.

And this kind of men God also honors. He
values them so highly that he will have no other
kind to do his work. It is said that a thirsty man
will drink as readily out of a tin can as a golden
goblet. But decentpeople demand that the can
be clean. Dishonestmen, stingy men, selfish men,
God will dump out on the rubbish-heap.
But something more is neededthan simple
goodness.Jesusdid not tell the disciples that
they would become goodon the day of Pente-
cost. Mere goodnesswill not convert the world.
It is goodness plus something that converts the
world.
There is anotherkind of power. It is not
any one of the four I have mentioned, nor is it
all of these combined. It is something other and
more heavenly, more divine, more mysterious
than these. It is spiritual power, or it is the
powerof the Spirit of God. The other kinds of
powerare human ; their source is men. This fifth
kind is divine; its source is God. Its existence
proves the presence of God. It comes down

from above. Its nature is mysterious, but its
effectis as obvious as the sound of the wind.
The powerof the Spirit is the ability so to live
and witness for Christ that men will believe on
him. “Ye shall receive power,” Jesus said.
Powerfor what? Powerto bring in the king-
dom. Powerto cause men to repent and believe.
There is a greatdifference betweenChristians in
the matter of their effectiveness as soul-winners.
Here are two persons who are equally welledu-
catedand are equally goodand worthy in charac-
ter. But one wins many souls ; the other, few or
none. It is said that Barnabas “ was a goodman,
and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith” (Acts
ii : 24). His goodnessdid not explain his use-
fulness. It was his goodnessplus his faith and
his spiritual fulness that explained it
Many questions of vital interest press for an
answer: Is the power of the Spirit intended for all
Christians or for only a limited number?

If for all Christians, does the Holy Spirit come
upon them when they become Christians or at a
later time?
Is there a distinct experience of equipment for
service for every believer comparable with the
experience of regeneration?
Is there a Pentecostalexperience as wellas
Pentecostalpowerfor every Christian ?
May one have the grace of the Holy Spirit that
saves and sanctifies him and not the powerof the
Holy Spirit that qualifies him for service?
Is the receiving of the Holy Spirit in power for
service a momentary actor a gradual process?
Are we to expect now as proof of the coming
and presence ofthe Holy Spirit any miraculous
manifestations?
If it is the privilege of every Christian to have

the powerof the Holy Spirit for service, orin-
creasedpowerfor increasing service, shouldwe
not be earnestlyseeking for it and righteously
living that we may possess it?
We shall try to answerthese leading questions
as carefully and as simply as possible.
As a preparatory stepwe should considerthat
the laws of the Spirit are like the laws of life.
Some are easilydiscerned and some are subtle
and evade any analysis that we are capable of.
We do not apply mechanicalrules to life, and we
should not attempt to limit the Spirit of God
by such rules.
1. My first simple proposition is that the power
of the Spirit is intended for all Christians.
“ I will pour forth of my Spirit upon all flesh ”
(Acts 2 : 17).
“ For to you is the promise, and to your chil-

dren, and to all that are afar off, even as many
as the Lord our God shall callunto him ” (Acts
2 : 39)-
“ He shall give you another Comforter, that he
may be with you forever ” (John 14 : 16). The
powerof the Holy Spirit was not for the apostles
and their generationalone, but for us as well.
2. My secondsimple proposition is that, while
the Holy Spirit comes to every believer to re-
generate him and is in his life to sanctify him, he
is not, by virtue of this fact, in every Christian
to give him powerfor effective witnessing.
This is the meaning of Pentecost.The dis-
ciples had the Holy Spirit in the former sense be-
fore that day. The Samaritans believed and were
baptized ; they were true disciples and were bom
of the Spirit before they received the power of
the Spirit. (Acts 8 : i4ff.) Paul tells the Gala-
tians that they beganthe Christian life in the
Spirit, but are failing to walk in the Spirit. (Gal.

3 : 2, 3, 14; 5 : 25.)
The life of Jesus teachesus the same truth.
When he was baptized the Holy Spirit descended
upon him. (Luke 3 : 22.)But surely it is not to
be supposed that he was without the Spirit in
some sense before this; but that now the Spirit
has come to fill and fit him for his ministry. (Cf.
Matt. 4:1; Luke 3 : 23;4 : 1, 14, 18.)
3. My third simple proposition is that the Holy
Spirit may come to one to save him and to fit
him for service at different times, or to do both
at the same time.
The casesalreadydealt with prove the first
part of the proposition and need not be reviewed
again. The experience of Paul, if he was saved
on the way to Damascus, whichseems to be the
fact, and not later, when the scales fellfrom his
eyes and he receivedthe Holy Spirit, points in
the same direction. (Acts 9 : 5, 17-19;cf. 1 Cor.
12 : 3.) But the interval betweenthe two events

was brief. His conversionand his being filled
with the Spirit were the beginning and the com-
pletion of one revolutionary experience.
The case ofCornelius, however, proves con-
clusively the secondpart of the proposition. Cor-
nelius and the other believers in his house were
savedand receivedthe powerof the Holy Spirit
at the same time. (Acts io : 44-48;cf. 11 :
14.)
The fact that John the Baptist was “ filled with
the Holy Spirit ” from his birth is also a proof
of it. (Luke 1 : 15.)
To hold that some time must elapse between
conversionand the receiving of the power of the
Spirit, as some able writers have done, seems
contrary to the Scriptures; though most of the
casesin them are of this kind. 1
4. My fourth simple proposition is that we can-
not determine the way in which the powerof
the Holy Spirit may come upon one by any ex-

ternal, physical, or conventionalconsiderationor
limitation.
The Holy Spirit, like the Father and the Son,
is sovereign. He does as he wills to. As we
cannot prescribe mechanicalrules for his process
in producing the new birth, so we cannotdo this
for his manner of administering power.
He came on some by the laying on of the apos-
tle’s hands. (Acts 8 : 17; 19 : 6.) On Paul
he came by the laying on of the hands of Ananias.
(Acts 9: 17.) On some he came without the lay-
ing on of the hands of any one. (Acts 2 : 1-4;
10: 44.)In most cases he came upon the dis-
ciples after baptism. (Acts 2 : 4; 8 : 16, 17; 19 :
5, 6.) But in one case, and probably a second,
they receivedthe power of the Holy Spirit before
baptism. (Acts 10 : 47; 9 : 17, 18.)
By his very nature the Spirit is not subject to
limitations of this kind. “ Where the Spirit of
the Lord is, there is liberty ” (2 Cor. 3 : 17).

When the powerof the Holy Spirit comes upon
Christians, there may he miraculous manifesta-
tions, and there may not be.
There were miraculous manifestations when he
came upon Jesus at his baptism; when he came
upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost;and
when he came upon those that believed in
Caesarea.But that was the age of miracles. And
there were many cases ofindividuals and
churches having the power of the Spirit, concern-
ing whom there is no mention of miracles when
they receivedit. It is so in the experience of re-
generation. In Paul’s conversionthere was
miracle. In the conversionof Zacchaeus there was
not. This age is not an age of miracles, and we
should expectno miraculous manifestations either
in conversionor in the induement of power.
Seek not for miracles, but for power. “ An evil
and adulterous generationseekethaftera sign ”
(Matt. 12 : 39)

Again I say there are no stereotypedrules for
the Holy Spirit’s action. He breaks through
all external, physical, and conventionalbound-
aries. He destroys all “ forms of godliness,”
for he is the “powerthereof.” Powercreates
its own processesandchannels of expression.
The Spirit who gives freedom to believers is him-
self free.
5. My fifth simple proposition is that the en-
duement of the Spirit for service may he an in-
stantaneous experience, orit may be a gradual
process.
In the experience of salvationthe Holy Spirit
comes at once to dwell in the believer. In many
instances in the New Testamenthe came also
all at once to give powerfor service, as on the
day of Pentecostand at the house of Cornelius
and other occasions alreadydiscussed.
Does he come thus instantaneously now ? Who
would deny it?

D. L. Moodyspoke once at Northfield of his
own experience thus : This blessing came upon me suddenly— like a flash of
lightning. For months I had been hungering and
thirsting for powerin service. I had come to that point
that I think I would have died if I had not gotit. I
remember I was walking in the streets of New York.
I had no more heart in the business I was about than
if I had not belonged to this world at all. Right there
on the streetthe powerof God seemedto come upon
me. I was filled with a sense ofGod’s goodnessand
felt as though I could take the whole world to my
heart. I took the old sermon that I had preached
before without any power; it was the same old truth,
but there was a new power. Many were impressed and
converted. This happened years after I was converted
myself. It was in the fall of 1871. Ihad been very
anxious to have a large Sunday schooland a large
congregation, but there were few conversions. Ire-
member I used to take pride in having the largestcon-
gregationin Chicago ona Sunday night Two godly
women used to come and hear me. One of them came
to me one night after I had preached very satisfactorily
as I thought. I fancied she was going to congratulate

me on my success,but she said, “We are praying for
you.” I wonderedif I had made some blunder that
they talkedthat way. Next Sunday night they were
there again, evidently in prayer while I was preaching.
One of them said, “We are still praying for you.” I
could not understand it, and said : “ Praying for me !
Why don't you pray for the people? I am all right.”
“ Ah,” they said, “ you are not all right. You have
not gotpower ; there is something lacking, but Godcan
qualify you.” I did not like it at first, but I gotto
thinking it over, and after a little time I began to feel
a desire to have what they were praying for. They
continued to pray for me, and the result was that at
the end of three months God sent this blessing on me.
I would not for the whole world go back to where I
was before 1871. Since then I have never lost the
assurance thatI am walking in communion with God,
and I have a joy in his service that sustains me and
makes it easywork. I believe I was an older man
then than I am now; ap<J I have been growing ev$f
since. I used to be very tired when preaching three
times a week;now I can preach the gospelfive times
a day and never get tired at all. I have done three

times the work I did before, and it gets better and
better every year. It is so easyto do a thing when
love prompts you. It would be better, it seems to me,
to go and break stones than to take to preaching in a
professionalspirit A man can accomplishmore in.
one year with this power than he can do in forty years
without it JonathanEdwards said he was able to do
more in Northampton in one week than he did in
sevenyears before the Spirit of God came upon him
for service.
I cite this experience of Mr. Moodybecause
it is clearly stated, and because we allcount him
a sincere and practical Christian. He was not
“ flighty,” and he was not given to claiming too
much for himself. He had a large fund of com-
mon sense and splendid poise of mind.
Mr. Moody’s experience in its main features is
duplicated in the lives of many men of our day.
But many men of spiritual power and great
usefulness do not have such an experience to

relate. I have not heard nor read of such an ex-
perience in the lives of John A. Broadus, Ado-
niram Judson, C. H. Spurgeon, and W. A. Sun-
day. These men, it seems, did not have the
experience, but they had the power, which is the
essentialthing.
Digitized by LjOOQle
THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 127
6. My sixth simple proposition is that the
powerof the Holy Spirit for service comes upon
Christians in proportion as they desire it, appro-
priate it by faith, and are worthy of it.
It is the will of Christ that his people, all of
them, have power. “ Now on the last day, the
greatday of the feast, Jesus stoodand cried,
saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me

and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scrip-
ture hath said, from within him shall flow rivers
of living water. But this spake he of the Holy
Spirit, which they that believed on him were to
receive” (John7 : 37-39).
I do not mean that we can merit the power
of God or any grace from him ; but that we must
so live as to be trustworthy of his gift. Cer-
tainly the Spirit of power, who is also the Spirit
of holiness, will not come upon unholy, selfish,
and worldly-minded Christians.
This blessing comes to those who keepthe
commandments of Christ (Acts 5 : 32.)Rebels
have no part in the Holy Spirit, nor have they
who are impractical and spend their time “ gazing
into heaven” (Acts 1 : 11). The disciples
were found doing what Jesus told them to do
when the powercame upon them. Had they
stayed on the Mount of Olives they would have
missed it.

Nor will the power of the Holy Spirit come to
those who do not desire it. This gift of God
must be prized and soughtfor as other blessings
of grace are. So the Holy Spirit comes by
prayer. He came on the Samaritans as a result
of the prayer of others for them. (Acts 8 : 15.)
But he will come to those who ask for the Holy
Spirit for themselves. (Luke 11 : 13.)
I hold that to every Christian the power of the
Holy Spirit is given by measure. To Jesus he
was given without measure or limitation. (Cf.
John 3 : 34.)But all imperfect followers of
Jesus have this powerwith limitation. As Godet
well says, “ Man is a vesseldestinedto receive
God, a vesselwhichmust be enlargedin propor-
tion as it is filled, and filled in proportion as it is
enlarged.”
In harmony with this view is Paul’s exhorta-
tion to be “ filled with the Spirit ” (Eph. 5 : 18).
As our love may be meageror abundant, so our

supply of the Spirit may range from the mini-
mum to the maximum.
The degree of the power of the Spirit that the
Christian possessesdepends upon himself. God’s
will is to fill him according to his desire, conse-
cration, and capacity. God’s reservoir of power
is stored up for his use. He can have it if he
wills to have it.
By this I do not mean that he by striving, or
by his own power, can bring down this gift of
God; for it is receivedby faith- By faith we re-
ceive his new birth and by faith we receive his
power. (Cf. Gal. 3 : 2, 14.) We do not get
the Holy Spirit ; we receive the Holy Spirit.
It is not by a mere willing or a mere saying,
“ Lord fill me,” that one canobtain this gift of
God. Some seemto think it is, “ Presto, I have
the powerof the Spirit .” But spiritual power
does not come by a slcight-of-mind performance.
There is no “ little secret” to right living and
effectualwitnessing. The laws of the Spirit are

the laws of life. Life has many secrets,but no
tricks. Simon the sorcerercouldnot buy the
powerof the Spirit, nor can any one stealit or
get it by stealth. God gives it. But he gives it
to whom he will and to him who is worthy and
as he is worthy.
Spirit-filled workers is the greatneed in our
day as it has ever been. Mighty courage, mighty
utterances, and mighty deeds have characterized
such servants of God. When they are described
as “ filled with the Holy Spirit,” we may look for
something wonderful to happen. (Cf. Acts 4 :
8, 31;6 : 3; 7 : 55; 9 : 17;13 : 9.)
Mr. John R. Mott thus expresses the challenge
of our day and hour:
When I made my first journey around the world I
went home and wrote a book in which I laid great
stress upon the need of an increase in the number of
foreign missionaries. WhenI returned from my second
tour I laid stress upon the need of a greatarmy of

native workers, sons and daughters of the soil. When
I came back from my third extended journey to the
EastI was led to see that I had taken a very super-
ficial view. What we need is not so much an increase
in the number of missionaries, not so much a vast army
of native workers;what we need is the discovery of
the hiding of God's powerand the secretofthe re-
leasing of that power. We need more workers through
whom God shall have his opportunity. ,,
Dr. A. J. Gordon thus illustrates the inheri-
tance of spiritual powerthat has become ours by
the ascensionofJesus:
My children, I have provided yet for your needs;
but your condition is one of poverty compared with
what it may become. By the death of a kinsman in
my native country I have become heir to an immense
estate. If you will only submit cheerfully to my leav-
ing you and crossing the sea and entering into my
inheritance, I will send you back a thousand times
more than you could have by my remaining with you.

Dr. Cortland Myers thus illustrates the privi-
lege that is ours of utilizing God’s dynamo of
spiritual power:
Bent with age, weak,and almost helpless, she stands
at the cornerof the streetThe steeltracks and cop-
per wires stretchout in front of her. She watches for
the car. It comes in sight and rushes through the
street, pushed on by an unseen force. She can have
no relation to that; it has apparently no relationto
her, only to frighten her or make her marvel at the
mystery. This is not true. She walks out towardthe
fast-moving wonder of our modern age and lifts her
feeble old hand, and instantly the car stops. She ex-
pected it to stop. What! An old, crippled woman
stop an electric-car!Certainly. The whole mechan-
ism of that systemof trolley-cars was built for her
and around her. She has been dealing with one of
the most stupendous forces in Gods great world and
made it a part of her life. Understand it? No. Use
it? Yes. She steps in the car, and in comfort and
almost an incredibly short space oftime she has ar-
rived at her destination, then lifts her finger, and the
world of electricityis at her command. She has ac-

complished all this in the presence ofa greatmystery
and without a sneerfrom the scientific world. Trans-
fer this to the prayer world and give the old saint her
chance.
Barnabas “ was a goodman, and full of the
Holy Spirit and of faith; and much people was
added unto the Lord ” (Acts n : 24). “ Be not
drunken with wine, wherein is riot, but be filled
with the Spirit ” (Eph. 5 : 18).
Witnessing For Christ
Acts 1:8
R.A. Redford
Ye shall be my witnesses.
I. The world through its whole extent NEEDS SUCHA TESTIMONY. The
facts which can be testified without the powerof God's Spirit cannot speak the
whole of the Father's mind concerning man.
II. WITNESSINGFOR CHRIST THE MISSION OF ALL CHRISTIANS.
Apostles only first because nearestto Jesus himself; chosenby him, not
because above others in merits. Witnessing must be as universal in the
characterand life as the work of the Spirit. All speaks ofthe same Divine

fountain from which all flows. The hope of the Church and of the world is in
the waking up of the witnessing spirit. "Martyrs we should all be in heart, if
not in suffering. Apostolic" in the best sense - "sentout.
III. OUR LIFE-WORK SHOULD BE THE OUTCOME OF DIVINE
GRACE. Ye shall receive power." "The Holy Ghostshall come upon you;"
then, being so endued from on high, "ye shall be my witnesses."Spiritual life
the foundation of all other life. We should be able to know that the time is
come for greatwork, for we should be consciousofthe gifts of God. By no
mere conventionalforms let us be led away. "Powerthe greatwant of the
Church - spiritual power; not wealth, or organization, or external attractions,
but that which comes upon us from above. Are we working without it? Is our
witnessing unto condemnation? - R.
Praying for Holy Spirit Power — Matthew 28 & Acts 1
LGParkhurst
April 21 in GeneralDiscussion
In the International Bible Lessonfor April 28, Jesus talkedtwice about the
Holy Spirit.
First, Jesus commandedHis disciples to baptize new disciples of Jesus in the
name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and to teachthem to obey
everything Jesus has commanded His disciples. This means those who do the
baptizing according to Jesus’commands are obeying Jesus. It also means that
new disciples who are baptized according to Jesus’commands are also
obeying Jesus, and by their baptism they are showing that they want to obey
all of Jesus’commands. Therefore, a true desire to obey Jesus is foundational

for disciples of Jesus whenthey pray for Holy Spirit power. Jesus may not be
too interestedin giving Holy Spirit power to someone who has resolved not to
obey His commands. True Christians are not perfect, but the direction of their
lives is toward following Jesus, and they want to follow Jesus as closelyas they
can according to the Bible with the Holy Spirit’s help. Jesus is very interested
in giving Holy Spirit power to those who truly want to obey him all day every
day. Do we want to obey Jesus with the Holy Spirit’s help according to the
Bible?
Second, Jesus saidthat His disciples would receive Holy Spirit powerwhen
the Holy Spirit came upon them so they could be His witnesses. Do we want to
be Jesus’witnesses? Do we wantto tell others about Jesus? Do we want to
show we are Christians by His love working in us and blessing others? Jesus
will show eachof His disciples how He wants them to witness for him. It may
be through prayer for others. It may be through prayer for Bible teachers and
preachers. It may be praying for church leaders, evangelists, andmissionaries
around the world. Praying for Holy Spirit power should include our giving
Jesus goodreasonsfor why we want Holy Spirit power. We might ask Jesus
for Holy Spirit power to pray for others and for powerto help others in need
with the resourcesHe gives us. We might ask Jesus for Holy Spirit power so
we can better understand the Bible as we quietly study alone or seek the help
of Bible teachers. We might pray for Holy Spirit powerto help us discern the
truth when we hear the Bible taught or read Bible studies. We might ask the
Holy Spirit to help all Bible teachers whenthey teach—so they will truly teach
the Bible. We might ask for Holy Spirit powerto help us pray, work, and give
of our money, time, and talents in financial support and in other ways to help
those who witness for Jesus Christ as the Lord leads us. We might pray for
Holy Spirit power because Godis calling us to teachthe Bible or enter the
mission field or serve Christ in some other public arena. I am sure you can
think of other reasons fordisciples to begin praying for Holy Spirit power;
but notice, in some way a true desire to spread the goodnews about Jesus
Christ is always a foundational part of and reasonfor praying for Holy Spirit
power."

Holy Spirit Power- Poemby Cynthia BuhainBaello
Always learning but never knowing
The things they so often say,
Having form but not empowering-
The Spirit absent when they pray.
You see the Substance of the Word
Is not just idle words we send,
It has the Powerof the Lord
Cutting through the hearts of men.
Without the Presenceofthe Savior,
In the hearts of those who study,
There is no Guide in all their labor,
Their searchfor Truth will be so empty.
Voluminous words won't touch another
But space and time it will occupy.
For only God bestows His Power
On a man's word, devoid of lies.

You wonder then, why do some have it?
Their words like flames fly out to you,
The messageburns, your soul to meet
Your mind and heart it will undo.
For the workings of the Holy Spirit,
The Powerof that Resurrection,
Transcends the plane of tales and myth,
And breaks the chains of false perception.
Desire His Presence,letHim fill you-
And humbly ask for His anointing,
His gifts will pour out, birth in you
Love, Joy, Peace,and Long-Suffering.
Your barren previous life will be
Active, growing, ever joyful-
His Powerguides your step you see
He'll make you whole, oh so fruitful!
You'll see the Word in a new perspective,
And you'll understand the God you seek.
His Word will live and be so active

That knowledge makes youhumble, meek.
BIBLEHUB.COM RESOURCES
The gift of power
J. Le Huray.
At first sight this promise seems to be Christ's response to a universal craving.
There is nothing which so awakens man's ambition as power. It is sweeterto
him than bread to the hungry, or home to the wanderer, or sunrise to the
benighted; of all the Divine attributes this is the one he most intensely and
incessantlycovets. The old classic fable of Prometheus, who made a figure and
shaped it after the beauty of a man, and then animated it with fire which he
had dared to stealfrom heaven, is only the thinly-veiled recordof man's fierce
ambition to create. Powerlessto create, he seekscontrol. He has summoned
almost every knownelement and force in nature to his service, and compelled
them to do for him what he cannotdo for himself. He has blastedthe rock
unshakenby the ages, and hurled its ponderous masses into the air as easily as
a child throws up its tennis ball. He has tunnelled the mountain and bridged
the river to make way for his flying locomotive. He has engirdled the earth
with a belt of wire, and through it swifter than thought flashed his messages
from pole to pole. From the masterful schoolboyto the statesmanon the
topmost ladder, and the monarch of a hundred isles, this passionfor poweris
all pervading. The very apostles, to whom these words were addressed, were
in this, as in other respects, "menof like passions with ourselves." Observe,
this love of powermay be as legitimate as it is natural. Its quality

is determined by its motive. Still powermay be beneficentas wellas baneful.
Now, mark the power with which Christ promises to endow His disciples.
1. Notphysical power. Notlike that possessedby Samsonwhen he carried
upon his back the gates of Gaza, or with the jaw-bone of an ass slew the
Philistines heaps upon heaps. It had nothing at all to do with bone, and
muscle, and sinew. Men have sometimes forgottenthis. They once thought
that they could resistthe spreadof the gospelby physical means. The very
efforts which men have employed to suppress the truth have been made the
means of exalting it to supremacy. Just as the blast which rocks the giant oak
makes it strike its roots deeper and wider in the earth; or, just as the tempest
which beats down the tree carries its winged seeds overland and sea to distant
continents, there to take rootand become trees themselves, so persecutionhas
this twofold tendency — it makes the persecutedcling closerthan ever to the
truth for which they are assailed, and prompts them to spread it more widely
abroad than ever. On the other hand, brute force canno more help the gospel
than hinder it. Persecutionnever made saints ver. If you want to infuse new
life into a tree you do not smite it with an axe, but expose it to the genial
breath of spring. The weapons oftheir warfare were not to be carnal.
2. Norwas it the powerof logic. The disciples were to convert souls, and mere
argument cannot do this. You have all seensheetlightnings; they flash, they
dazzle, but they do not kill. And arguments, after all, are only sheetlightnings,
dazzling, enlightening, but seldom or never killing in the sense in which Paul
says he was killed.
3. Norwas it the powerof eloquence, thoughthat is not to be despised. Oh,
yes! there is a tremendous power in words. They breathe, they burn, they fly
about the world chargedwith electric fire and force; but there is one thing
they cannot do — they cannot regenerate a soul. You may electrify a corpse.

By bringing it into contactwith a battery you may make it imitate the living;
but it is after all only the semblance, not the reality of life.
4. It was spiritual power — the power of the Holy Ghost. "We can do all
things through Christ which strengtheneth us." In other words, it was the
powerof a living union with a living God. NeedI say that this promise of
Christ is as much ours as it was the apostles'? Ithas been fulfilled, but not
exhausted. There is an essentialdifference betweenthe two. "A postage stamp
once used can be used no longer; but it is not so with a bank note. The note
may be old and torn, stained and soiled;it may have been cut in halves and
pasted togetheragain. It does not matter; whoeverholds it can present it and
demand its equivalent in sterling gold. So is it with a Divine promise. It may
pass from lip to lip, and from age to age, and be fulfilled a thousand times;
still you may present it and plead it before God in the assuranceofsuccess."
The light of the sun may fail, the waters of the oceanmay be dried up, but the
riches of Christ's fulness are the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever. And we
need this promised power as much as the apostles did. Nothing else can supply
its place. It is to the Church what steam is to the machinery. Suppose you are
examining the propelling powers of the Majestic or the Teutonic — the two
most magnificent specimens of naval architecture the world has ever seen.
You look down into the engine-room on the polished levers, and cranks, and
shafts, and the innumerable wheels made to revolve there; and you go home
amazed at the inventive powerwhich they represent. And yet in reality you
have seenno power. There must be put into that machinery a power, a hidden
power, and then, and not till then, will those wheels revolve majestically, and
the vesselspeedoverthe waterlightly and swiftly as a bird with outspread
wings. Who amongstus dare assertthat the Church's successesare equal to
her opportunities? Why, then, is it we are making so little impression on the
world? Is it not because we are too much under its influence? The fabled giant
Animus was invincible so long as he was in direct communication with his
mother earth. Overthrown by the wrestler, the moment he touched the
ground out of which he was born his strength revived. Hercules discoveredthe
secretof his invigoration, and, lifting him from the earth, crushed him in the
air. We are in the same danger from the world, and to escape itwe must get

nearer to the source of our spiritual strength. Away from Christ she is like an
army without ammunition and cut off from its base of operations. Nearto
Him she will breathe the air, and walk in the light, and wield the might of
heaven. She shall receive power — powerto overcome the world, the flesh,
and the devil. And does not the Church need more power to deal with the
manifold evils and enemies by which she is surrounded? There is scepticism.
We live in an age of doubt — doubt all the more dangerous because it is
courteous rather than coarse.Well, then, another evil with which, as
Churches, we have to contend is indifference to spiritual truth. Men are
absorbedin material pursuits and enjoyments. It is sometimes argued that the
Church is trying to do too much; that she is unequal to the work she is
undertaking; that Christian service is already so overgrownthat, like a man
with a large frame and a feeble heart, we are staggering under the weight of
the tasks we have undertaken; that the spiritual powerof the Church is
unequal to the vast and varied machinery it has to keepin motion. This is,
doubtless, true when the resourceswhichthe Church possessin itself are
alone considered;but add Christ to them, and then the disproportion is
turned the other way. "All power" — powerof every kind and without limit
— is given unto Him, There cannotbe too much work when there is so much
Divine powerto sustain it. When the tide is out the estuary seems fartoo wide
for the tiny stream which crawls through the centre; but when the tide comes
in the whole expanse is coveredand the water rushes right up to the
greensward. Brethren, do we desire this power? Then let us ask for it.
Remember that it has its source outside the Church and human life
altogether. "Ye shall receive power" — receive it as a gift; not generate it
from within; not attain it by straining presentpowers or enlarging present
capacity. Sometimes we forgetthis, and talk about getting up a revival. You
might as welltalk about getting up a thunder shower. Having this power, let
us use it. The disciples receivedit that they might be "witnessesunto Christ."
Divinely bestowedpoweralways brings responsibility; it is always given for
use. Keep any of God's gifts for your own selfish purposes, and they will
speedily get the cankerand the rot.
(J. Le Huray.)

The Lord's last promise to the apostles
W. Hudson.
Christ's last words are a promise and declare the vocationof all Christians of
every station and class. Theyare all called to testify to Christ, but they are not
all equally qualified for the duty. The text shows —
I. THAT THERE IS A CONDITION OF ATTACHMENT TO CHRIST IN
WHICH DUE FITNESS FOR THIS VOCATION DOES NOT EXIST. The
apostles were in this condition. They had personalacquaintance with Christ,
believed in Him, had knowledge ofthe facts, and had natural ability. Still
these did not confer the testifying "power." So with many Christians now.
They know, believe, desire, are eloquent, etc., but lack the mystic energy in the
absence ofwhich sermons fail to convert.
II. THAT DUE FITNESSFOR THE GREAT VOCATION COMES BY A
DIVINE BESTOWAL. "After that the Holy Ghost is come." The bestowal
came in a miraculous manner but in answerto prayer. Thereupon the apostles
were constrainedto de what the Lord had commanded. So nowadays. When
God has given specialability, and adds an influence which constrains to its
exercise, no wonder that striking results follow.
III. THAT THIS POWER SHOULD BE EXERCISED WHEN AND WHERE
IT IS RECEIVED. Theywere to wait at Jerusalemuntil they receiveda
Divine gift, and there employ it. Had they been permitted to seek their own
pleasure they would have chosenanother place. So we must begin where and
when God blesses us, howeverdisagreeablethe effort may be.
IV. THE MANNER OF SPREADINGTHE GOSPEL. Here we have a plan of
the acts of the apostles.

1. Jerusalem(Acts 3:1-6:7).
2. All Judaea (Acts 6:8-8:3).
3. Samaria, which had long been "White unto harvest" (Acts 8:4-40).
4. The uttermost part of the earth (9 to close).This view suggests the
importance of evangelising cities. If Paris were made Christian how great
would be the blessing to Europe; if London how easythe conversion of the
world.
(W. Hudson.)
The callto apostleship
C. H. Parkhurst, D. D.
This verse is of interest as involving the condition of all success,whichin every
line of occupationis made out of powerconvergedupon an object. Means in
our hand, an end in our eye, resources andpurposes, are the alpha and omega
of success. Ourfailures, therefore, are due sometimes to our attempting too
much, but our saddestfailures are due to the indecision of our aim. Men,
especiallyin the higher relations of life, are unproductive, not because they
are feeble, but because they are purposeless. A purpose lying athwart the
track of a man's energies is what a burning glass is lying across the path of the
sunbeam, a means of tensionand the pledge of result. At this solemn moment,
then, in which Christ turns over mankind into the hands of the eleven, His last
service is to tell them of the power which shall be wrought in them by the Holy
Ghost, and what they shall do with it. Christ had spent three years and a half

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