Focus: The Precious Holy Spirit! (Pt.2)

Text: Mic.3:8

"But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin."

The blood saves us. The word sanctifies us. The name secures us. The Spirit strengthens us.

To be full of the Spirit means to be full of power. Micah was full of power by the Spirit. Jesus Christ was full of the Holy Spirit, and He "returned in the power of the Spirit." Peter told the church to choose men who were "full of the Holy Ghost." Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit and of power. Barnabas was full of the Holy Spirit. Do you know what would happen when every one in the church is full of the Spirit and loaded with power? A church full of the flesh would do no miracles and manifest no glory.

On the day of Pentecost, every one in the upper room was filled with the Spirit, and a little later as the whole church came together to pray, Luke tells us that they were all filled with the Spirit. When Ananias prayed for Paul, he was filled with the Spirit, and in Acts 13, it is also recorded that he was filled with the Spirit. 

People of the Spirit are people of power. Those who are possessed by the Spirit are indeed possessors of power.

Paul prayed for the church to come to know "what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power" (Eph.1:19). The Christian religion is a religion of divine power. Of what good is a saltless, lightless, and powerless church? Flashy churches are everywhere around us, but Christ wants a holy, healthy and powerful church - a Spirit-galvanized, Spirit-mobilized, Spirit-empowered, Spirit-energized, and Spirit-directed church.

Paul says to us, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might" (Eph.6:10). In the final analysis, we need the strength of the Holy Spirit, and to be spiritually strong requires being filled with the Holy Spirit. God has given us the Spirit of power.

Paul says, "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, THROUGH THE POWER OF THE HOLY GHOST" (Rom.15:13). O how we are in great need of the Spirit's power! We cannot do a thing for God without the power of the Spirit. We need to cry out to God for the anointing of the Spirit. Every generation of the church needs a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit. We can do anything and everything only by the enabling of God, and Christ strengthens us by the Spirit. He tells us that the Spirit would be in us and with us, and also, the Spirit comes upon us as well as being over us.

Ask yourself, what are you full of? Are you filled with and full of the Spirit or are you full of the flesh - full of yourself? The precious Holy Spirit is here with us. He has been here since the day of Pentecost, and has no plan of leaving anytime soon until His work on earth is done, and the final part of that work is to bring the church home to God. We are deeply in urgent need of the precious Holy Spirit to strengthen and use us for His glory.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter