Her words landed on my screen, “I don’t know how people do life without Jesus.” My eyes filled with tears of gratitude as I absorbed the truth of her observation. I knew in the depths of my being what an absolute wreck I’d be without Him holding and helping me.
Jesus told us…“you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you” (Acts 1:8). So, when life falls apart, when our bodies misbehave or our hopes get dashed, believers aren’t left empty-handed; Christ in us means we have all we need to persevere in faith. When the Father asks us to pray or speak, to serve or heal, Holy Spirit dwelling in us means we can step up in obedience, trusting God’s heart – because His Spirit is our source of power.
Holy Spirit may be our power source, but we know after a summer-deep-dive into the Third Person of the Trinity that He is more than a rechargeable battery, more than a genie in a bottle. He is the Spirit of God who refines and renews and restores, who brings life and peace to the children of God. It is His voice and presence that convicts and comforts us; it’s His divine goodness that nudges us toward truth and righteousness.
In all of this, Holy Spirit is the power abiding in each of us, sourcing and enabling this life we have in Christ.
Supernatural Power in the Every Days
In the moments before He ascended to heaven, Jesus spoke words of truth and instruction to His closest followers, “…stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven” (Luke 24:49 NLT).
Jesus knew that His believers would not have what they needed to lead and speak and teach, that they wouldn’t have “authority, power, council, or love” enough to do all that He asked of them – not without His Spirit in them.1 So He called them to wait for Holy Spirit’s arrival. And those first followers of Jesus discovered what He already knew: “that Holy Spirit is the key – a supernatural encounter that links the Father-heart of Jesus to the spirit [to the person] in pursuit of it.”1
In other words, with Holy Spirit’s presence comes power. Not just any power but the same power that resurrected Jesus from the dead (Ephesians 1:20) – God’s exceedingly great power given to those who believe in Him (v.19).
Paul described this Spirit-sourced power with a Greek word, huperballó, that he only used five times in all of his letters. He saved this emphatic expression for times like this as a way to help us grasp just how powerful Holy Spirit is in us.
The various translations of Ephesians 1:19 use adjectives such as ‘boundless’, ‘incomparable’, ‘immeasurable and surpassing’ for huperballó in an attempt to capture the indescribable. It is this word that Paul chose as the one that…
“underscores resurrection-power applied to everyday discipleship. It is not a distant attribute but an operative force directed ‘to us,’ ensuring that God’s purposes cannot be thwarted by human weakness or hostile powers.”2
This is the power dwelling in us since the moment we said ‘yes’ to Jesus. And yet, more than half of American Christians see Holy Spirit as a mere “symbol of God’s power or presence” rather than as “a living entity” in them.1 Too many of us choose to see God’s Spirit as a cute dove sticker or stained glass window despite our regular repetition of the Apostle’s Creed, affirming “I believe in the Holy Spirit.”
Perhaps when we cannot fully wrap our minds around the mystery of Holy Spirit, we find comfort in thinking of Him as vaguely symbolic. Or maybe we’ve grown so skeptical of anything related to ‘Holy Spirit’ that we’ve restricted Him as “nothing more than a ticket to heaven.”1
But in doing so, we’ve put limits on our experience of God. By tucking Him safely into a box that we can ‘understand’ or feel ‘comfortable’ with, we’ve confined our experience of Christ to that of head-knowledge or rule-following or even complacent acknowledgment. In our striving for information about the Father, Son, and Spirit, we’ve missed the full impact of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, ascension, and gift of the Spirit.
Without embracing Holy Spirit for all He is, we. live. powerless. And that means we’re not living out the gospel as Jesus intended.
If we only see Holy Spirit as reserved for the few who love going deep or who might be a little ‘weird’, we fail to receive our full inheritance as followers of Jesus – the portion we’re meant to have in the here and now (Ephesians 1:13-14).1 The part that empowers us to live as Christ’s body on earth (vv.22-23).
“To access the power and fullness of this gift, however, is a choice.”
Carolyn Moore1
God never forces Himself on us. But He longs that we would fully embrace the gift of His Spirit in us. That we’d see Him as the means of centering our lives on Christ, of revealing everything we need to know about the Father and the Son, of encountering God more fully.1 Holy Spirit in us enables us to “experience the supernatural presence and power of Christ in daily life.”1 It moves us toward obedience with trust; it frees us to experience full forgiveness and grace; it enables us to choose to live in the goodness of God rather than as powerless victims.
Thus empowered by Holy Spirit, we experience everyday moments of holy perseverance, practical disciplines, and fear-removing faith – because with Him, we live in love, with self-control, and…with power (2 Timothy 1:7).
Miraculous Power in the Not-So-Ordinary Ways
We know that Jesus is our role model, having lived the life of a man who relied on the power of the Spirit in Him to do miraculous works in the people around Him (Acts 10:38). And that’s our hope! If Jesus had only ever served supernaturally from His own divinity, we would have no way of doing “the works” He did much less “even great things” than Him (John 14:12). In other words, Jesus showed us how to live like Him in the world – by the power of the Spirit in us!
When we look to Jesus’ ministry, we see how the Spirit-driven ‘workings of power’ have two purposes. First, the miracles of signs and wonders help to bring people to believe in Jesus for the first time.3 They also serve to “build up or set free those who already follow Jesus.”3
For instance, when Jesus miraculously caused hundreds of fish to fill Simon’s nets, Simon had the evidence he needed to know that Jesus was the Messiah he’d been waiting for. He fell to his knees and declared his faith (Luke 5:8-11). And when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, numerous people who witnessed this miracle put their faith in Christ (John 11:49).
When Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana and fed five thousand people in Galilee, His power over nature effectively encouraged and deepened the faith of His disciples (John 2:11, 6:1–14). And when Jesus quieted the storm at sea and cast out the demon from the boy His disciples couldn’t help, He freed His own followers from fear and unbelief (Mark 4:41, 9:14-29).
To read the rest of the New Testament is to witness followers of Jesus performing similar miracles, for the same purposes and outcomes. All of which model for us what life in the Spirit looks like – and how lives are changed with every miracle. They show us what it is to live empowered by the Spirit, and they assure us that “God’s various expressions of power are in action everywhere” and that “God himself is behind it all” (1 Corinthians 12:10 MSG).
Many of the awe-inspiring wonders in the New Testament became, and still remain, signs that point to Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah. They effectively drive “home the weight of the message” Jesus came to bring.3
Holy Spirit “translates the sure promises of Jesus into physical, tangible experiences.”4 Even now, the supernatural reality of a miracle gives people something to grab hold of – a sign that points to a promise.4 However, the signs, the miracles themselves, are not the promise; Jesus is. And the salvation He brings.
So as we desire to grow in our understanding, experience, and use of the Spirit-sourced power within us, we want to anchor ourselves in these kinds of truths. Miracles are God-given; we can greatly desire them. But miracles are simply signs of the greater substance of faith. They are signs that point to God’s Kingdom, but they are not the Kingdom itself.4
The best examples to illustrate this differentiation are the resurrections of Lazarus and Jesus. Lazarus, a regular man who died and was resuscitated by Christ, and who eventually died again, became a sign of hope to everyone who watched him walk out of his tomb. An embodied sign that pointed ahead with great nearness to the breaking-in of God’s Kingdom: the death and resurrection of Jesus.
So when Jesus awakened in His tomb, having defeated death, and stepped out to greet Mary and the other women, He became our forever hope. A hope that will never die. And this is the substance of our faith.
Holy Spirit, An Indwelling Empowerment
As we’ve studied Scripture all summer, scouring its pages for Holy Spirit, we’ve been shown visible manifestations of the Spirit as wind and fire and water – both as imagery to help us better understand Holy Spirit and as demonstrations of His power!
Jesus Himself introduced His Spirit to us “as the indwelling empowerment we need” (Acts 1:8).5 So, whether we look to Holy Spirit and His huperballó power for our everyday needs or for extraordinary miracles, we can trust this power is available to us. Then we invite the hovering Spirit of God to work in us and through us with the same power He had at creation, choosing to receive His empowerment with humble faith.
Friends, we are not powerless in this life. We don’t have to live at the mercy of every emotion and experience, blown about hopelessly by every gust of wind. We have Jesus, His Spirit in us, giving us every ounce of energy and strength, every morsel of wisdom and hope that we need not only to make it through this life but to bring Holy Spirit power into it all.
This week we will pray the lyrics of “This Is a Move”6 – its words becoming faith-filled pleas for more of Holy Spirit and His power in our lives. This is a prayer that builds our faith. Let us pray to our Father in heaven, claiming and seeking to believe that…
Mountains are still being moved
Strongholds are still being loosed
God, we believe it, yes, we can see that
Wonders are still what You do
We are here for You
Come and do what You do
Set our hearts on You
Come and do what You do
‘Cause we need a move
Bodies are still being raised
And giants are still being slayed
God, we believe it, and yes, we can see that
Wonders are still what You do
We are here for You
Come and do what You do
Set our hearts on You
Come and do what You do
‘Cause we need a move
We need a move
In Jesus’ name and by the power of Holy Spirit in us we pray, amen.
[Please remember that throughout this series, we want to move through information gathering to Holy Spirit experiencing. As such, I will be adding an ‘experience’ of Holy Spirit each week in our “Rhythms” section below. I hope you’ll jump down there to see how you might stretch yourself in the way of experiencing more of the Spirit in your life. You can trust I’m doing the same!!]
Resources: I love sharing with you the books, podcasts, articles, and anything else that has inspired, encouraged, or taught me. These are humble offerings with no expectations.
- 1 – Carolyn Moore in her book, Encounter the Spirit
- 2 – Biblehub for the word huperballó
- 3 – Jon Thompson in his book, Convergence^
- 4 – Tyler Staton in his book, The Familiar Stranger^
- 5 – Lisa Harper in her book, Believing Jesus^
- 6 – Brandon Lake’s song, “This Is a Move,” is a song we can make our prayer anytime, any day, any place. It’s also on our Holy Spirit Playlist on Spotify.
- My monthly newsletter, The Abiding Life, goes to email inboxes the first week of each month to those who have subscribed on my website. I also post them on Substack. My most recent edition can be found there, and you can subscribe for future newsletters on Substack, here.
- Many of you have found me on Substack. Thank you so much! And, if you’d like to listen to (rather than read) these weekly posts, you can do so on Substack. It’s easy to see and use the audio bar across the top of each post. While you’re on Substack, check out the ministry I’m blessed to be part of, the Devoted Collective. WE’VE RECENTLY BEGUN A DEEP DIVE STUDY OF THE GOSPEL OF JOHN, AND IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO JOIN US IN OUR GROUP ON FACEBOOK. YOU CAN PICK UP A COPY OF THE BOOK OR GET A PDF.
Rhythms: As my newsletter’s title infers, we seek to develop an abiding life in this space — a place where we can get informed but also be transformed as we learn to abide in God’s presence throughout our days. I like to think that developing rhythms is one way to aid us in our desire to become more Christlike.
- The rhythm we are employing for our summer Holy Spirit series falls in the category of a weekly experience. To experience the power of Holy Spirit in our lives and to share it with others, we must be willing to ask for it and receive it. Even if our faith is small and our fear threatens to win out, we ask. Seek. Knock. Then we wait with trust. We listen for His voice. We follow His lead. We keep choosing to believe that Holy Spirit power is in us, just waiting to be awakened and released. As we continue to seek and trust and obey, we will experience the power of the Spirit in us. And with each empowering revelation and moment, with each manifestation and miracle, we will grow in spiritual power. So, may we believe. May we walk with and in such power with humble confidence, always aware that these works of power are never meant for our glory — only God’s! May we see the effects such works of power have on our lives and the lives of others: faith and freedom, restoration and encouragement. Amen and amen!
- We’re all called to share the truth about who Jesus is. One way you can do that is by sharing this site and telling others your own stories of faith experiences. May we use our whole selves to tell others about our holy God!!
Featured Photo is a stained glass panel based on a Justin Behnke pattern
“All the Bits and Pieces” Photo by Zrng N Gharib on Unsplash.
^These are affiliate links, with which this ministry earns a wee little bit. XOXO
What a beautiful and thoughtful teaching on the Holy Spirit. No doubt inspired by Himself. Come Holy Spirit.
Yes! Come, Holy Spirit 🔥🔥