MEMORY VERSE: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:” Romans 8:14-16
BIBLE PASSAGE: Romans 8:14-17; Ecclesiastes 9:8-10
INTRODUCTION
The life in Christ that glorifies Him can only be lived in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the earnest, the pledge (proof) of our adoption and inheritance. It is the presence of the Holy Spirit inside a believer that singles him or her out as a carrier of the Christ life. Life in the Spirit cannot be lived in the natural, but by those controlled fully by the Holy Spirit Rom. 8:14. Please note that whatever spirit resides in a person is what drives or leads such a person. If it is the spirit of Adam, the natural man that resides in a man, then he can only be led by the natural influences. Hence, it is of utmost importance to know what kind of life we are carrying. Is it the natural (Adamic) life? Or is it the spiritual (Christ) life? A vehicle can only be driven by the engine within. A miraculous life exchange, procured for us by Christ at the cross, is what deposits the Spirit of Christ into us. Have you been to Calvary for a definite life exchange? You can now if you are not sure. It is only when your adoption into God’s family has been confirmed that the counsel of Eccl. 9:8 can be relevant to you.
OUTLINES
- LIFE IN THE SPIRIT
2 MINISTERING IN THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
LIFE IN THE SPIRIT
At Home. The home front is the first place to test what spirit is dominant in your life. A husband or a wife may be very fervent in the church, or in other forms of Christian service; if he or she is not at peace with the spouse, then all the fervency outside is counted by heaven as hypocrisy, even though the brethren may be commending him or her as a great servant of God Eccl. 9:9. How sad it is today, that many children of ministers of the gospel walk away from the faith, giving the excuse of not seeing or touching Christ in their parents. Indeed, we will all individually give account of our actions on the last day. However, it will not be pleasing to God that the parents’ home life would contribute to a Christless eternity for their children. Beloved, if we would be serious with God, let us begin from the home – the spouse, and the children, because our God is not mocked.
In the Church. Sacrificial service to God in dedicated ministry callings follows our successful connection to God in Salvation Eccl. 9:8-9. Complete dedication to service is expected. Please do not judge success in ministry by the size of that labour. Focus on investing all the might and grace given to you into that supposedly small labour that you have been assigned to. What you need is the acceptance of God in your life, your home, and in His labour in your hand. “Little is much when God is in it”, says the songwriter
In the community. Please bear in mind that most of the colleagues and acquaintances in the community around us are carriers of the natural life, as opposed to the Christ life which a child of God carries. A believer should be a sample, a specimen of the true spiritual life in God – life in the Spirit. All eyes are watching, and all hearts are yearning for our manifestation Rom. 8:18-25; Eccl. 9:10. A Christian who is not diligent at work, and who gets into trouble with the authorities for bad behaviour, is not an ambassador of the realm of heaven here on earth. He or she needs to go back to Calvary in deep repentance, so that they can be renewed to be a true Spirit-led child of God, and a true specimen of heaven in the community.
MINISTERING IN THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
No man receives any tangible spiritual ministry, except it be given unto him from above 2 Cor. 2:12, 1 Thess. 1:5, 2 Cor. 12:12. We receive ministry from the Holy Spirit not by human appointment or a political ballot election. And no man takes the honour of spiritual service to himself, by appointing himself. However, when our appointment is Divine, He takes responsibility to grant us open and effectual doors of ministry. Doors so open that no man can close. We are then empowered by the Holy Spirit, who releases His Divine gifts under the administration of the Lord Jesus Christ; with God the Father working out the operational diversities of these gifts 1 Cor. 12:4-6.
Oh, how we long again to see the gospel preached, not in words only, but in the power of the Holy Spirit!
CONCLUSION
No man can live the Christian life in his own power. Only Christ, by the empowerment of His Spirit indwelling us; can live His own life in and then through us. The output of our inner life, life at home, at work, or in ministry, all depend on that foundation of Christ living His life in and through us.