Week Fifteen-Day Four: The Work of the Spirit

What does the Holy Spirit do? Yesterday we started this discussion by acknowledging that the Holy Spirit gives and sustains life. Let’s add another observation today.

The Holy Spirit gives power for service.

Here are a few Old Testament examples.

Joshua

“So the Lord said to Moses, ‘Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit and lay your hand on him.” Numbers 27:18

“Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses.” Deuteronomy 34:9

Othniel

“The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, so that he became Israel’s judge and went to war.” Judges 3:10

Jephthah

“Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah. He crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there he advanced against the Ammonites.” Judges 11:29

Saul

“When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came upon him in power and he burned with anger … during the last watch of the night they broke into the camp of the Ammonites and slaughtered them until the heat of the day.”

Notice in each case how the Holy Spirit empowered these individuals for the task ahead of them. Sometimes it seems as if the Spirit’s empowering is for a particular occasion. Sometimes it seems like there is an empowering for a lifetime of service in a particular way.

It’s also interesting to see the Old Testament prediction of the Spirit’s relationship to the Servant-Messiah. In particular, Isaiah speaks of the coming Messiah as a servant who would have a unique relationship with the Spirit. Listen to his explanation:

“The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord – and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.” Isaiah 11:2-3

What we see hinted at in the Old Testament, we find in full view in the New Testament. There, we first see the Spirit’s empowering work in and around Jesus. This relationship probably explains why the earliest followers were so willing to acknowledge him as a prophet. They did not understand fully at the beginning who and what he was, but they could see he a unique empowerment. For instance, take note of John the Baptist’s testimony: “I saw the Spirit descend as a dove and remained on him” (John 1:32). Really? How incredible must this experience have been, not only for Jesus, but for John as well.

Then Luke tells us that Jesus entered the desert “full of the Holy Spirit” (Luke 4:1). After this, throughout his ministry Jesus is filled with the Spirit as he performs various miracles.

There is an especially interesting incident recorded in Luke 8. Let’s read it.

Luke 8

As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. ⁴³ And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years,^[c] but no one could heal her. ⁴⁴ She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

⁴⁵ “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”

⁴⁶ But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”

⁴⁷ Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. ⁴⁸ Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

Of course, there is no specific mention of the Spirit here, but Jesus says some very interesting things about power, doesn’t he? What he says sounds … almost odd. I think this is an example of the power of the Spirit, and in this case it actually radiate out of Jesus. Notice also that the woman touched him. In fact, this is frequently the case. Do a word search sometime on “touch” in the Gospels. You will be amazed how many times Jesus touches people in the context of praying for them – especially when he prays for healing. Take a quick look back at our first reference and notice the connection between the empowerment of the Spirit in Joshua and the laying on of Moses’ hands.

This same pattern is also demonstrated in the lives of the earliest followers. It is seen in their preaching. Peter’s great sermon in Acts 4 is introduced with this: “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit said to them …” The connection between the Spirit and miracles is also evident in their lives. For example, this passage is found in Acts 6: “This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit … Now Stephen a man full of God’s grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people” (Acts 6:5, 8).

BEFORE YOU START YOUR DAY

1. Have you had an experience where you felt like the Holy Spirit was empowering you?What was the result of that experience?How did you experience it?
2. Pray for the empowerment of the Spirit today.Pray that His power would radiate out of you in your interactions with others.