RCCG SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON 1 – THE SPIRIT EMPOWERED LIFE

MEMORY VERSE: “Now if any man have not have the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.” Romans 8:9b

BIBLE PASSAGE: Romans 8:1-11

Welcome to another Sunday School year which starts today, we trust that the Lord will visit you through the various pages of the manual as we study scriptural principles together. God bless and keep you in the very centre of His will and purpose for your life Amen.

God is always seeking for those who are longing to have divine life through His Son – JESUS. The ideal candidate for God is the one who will not restrain or restrict the Holy Spirit from possessing them but seek to completely fulfil His Will. Such are willing to be channels for the release of His Life in purity and power. As the Lord is seeking children who will fulfil His purpose through the Power of The Holy Spirit, the devil is also seeking to work through any life that has not been brought under the control of the Spirit of God. A Spirt empowered life seeks to glorify Jesus; and is always controlled and made alive by the Holy Spirit Rom 8:11.

God is willing to release His Holy Spirit upon anyone who desires Him, the condition for receipt is to become truly born again 2 Tim. 2:19-22. You must hungrily seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit and be always thirsty for God’s Power. You must be humble to receive from Him through intentional prayers, faith in Him, and by the laying on of hands by the leaders who already have the Spirit of God in them Acts 1:8.

Jesus also recognised His need for the Holy Spirit as the Son of Man on earth. He therefore prepared, appropriated, and yielded Himself to The Power of the Holy Spirit; for Him to be equipped for His life and His work here on earth. His death on the cross and His resurrection gave access to the Holy Spirit to live in us as His children. ONLY those who LOOK at Jesus upon whom the Spirit descended and rested can partake of His Spirit Jn. 1:32-33. These ones are baptised into His death, burial, and resurrection Rom. 6:35, they are filled with His love for righteousness can receive the in-filling of His Spirit.

The Lord wants to bless the world through those who belong to Him. He wants to break open those who are His earthen vessels to enable the treasure within them to flow out 2 Cor. 4:5-7. By becoming the children of God, we have obtained the life of Jesus, but the Power of His life needs to be allowed to come forth. Reflecting on the story of the woman with the alabaster box Mk. 14:1-9, there is a need for us to be broken and released for His service, so the fragrance of the Life of Jesus can be released through us, to enable His Power to be at work in us wherever we are found 2 Cor. 2:14-15. Brokenness involves a submission of our human will to the will of the Holy Spirit so that we can be fruitful in God’s purpose. This reverses the fall of mankind in Gen. 3 and brings us back into harmony with God.

Evidence of the release of the Holy Spirit comes only upon those who love and obey God. Jesus received the Power of the Spirit as the reward of His obedience Acts 2:32-33. The Holy Spirit is the conscious presence of the glorified Jesus dwelling in our hearts. This can only be received when our souls are regenerated by the Holy Spirit.

A Spirit Empowered Life therefore:

1. Always finds out the mind and intention of the Spirit.

2. Allows the Spirit to deal with every barrier to a Spirit filled life.

3. Consistently grows in intensity in the lives of those serving God.

4. Allows God to shine through dark situations and circumstances, without blaming others.

5. Allows the power of cross of Jesus to manifest in all areas of their life.

6. Lives in total victory over sin, self, and Satan.

7. Glorifies JESUS anytime, and at all costs.

The presence of the Holy Spirit is the confirmation of the Gospel, and the seal of our Salvation. We need to ensure that our bond with the Power and the Presence of God is intact and that we are always giving space for fresh infilling. We are to live a life of brokenness daily to enable the Holy Spirit to strengthen us. We must continue to live and walk in the Spirit’s empowerment til Eternity.