The Work of the Holy Spirit - 2

Birthing and Sustaining The Church Of Jesus Christ.

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think , according to the power that worketh in us.
Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout the ages, world without end . Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21.

Before the advent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, the early disciples were huddled together in the Upper room in Jerusalem.
One hundred and twenty men and women: faithful but bewildered, unsure of their future as followers of Christ in a very hostile environment.
They needed comfort and reassurance but at that point in time, all they could do was pray and believe that something would happen. That the Promised One would come to their rescue ,soon!
The Promised One did come soon and IN A BIG WAY. Acts 2:1-13.
The Holy Spirit, the Promise of the Father , the Spirit of Jesus came suddenly, with the sound of a mighty rushing wind and appeared as tongues of fire on each of the disciples' heads!
What a sight! Indeed what a dramatic sight to behold , as each of them rattled away in some strange lingo or the other! With tongues of fire on their heads!
They were so enraptured that none of them could ask each other:
"What is this? Are you alright? When did you learn to speak Elamitic and Libyan languages? Oh come off it, man !I cannot understand a word you are saying!"
They had been promised and they had expected a visitation but surely, not in that dramatic way!
Oftentimes we know and we believe that something great would happen in our lives to give us the breakthrough we desire because we believe our God answers our prayers. However,even in great levels of faith,our understanding and expectations are limited by our puny human minds.
We can hardly comprehend the spectacular blessings which God has in store for us in our personal lives and in our ministerial callings.
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen ,nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
1 Corinthians 2:9
May we receive the grace to wait on the Lord and to be at the right place at the right time to receive the miracles ordained for us. Amen.

The disciples, after this dramatic experience, were pleasantly shocked.
As they were comforted , emboldened ,reassured and revitalised .
Their lives and their ministries never remained the same again.
They began,immediately, to do great exploits as they were led by the Spirit.The Upper room and indeed the city of Jerusalem became too small a stage for them.
Those who knew them were surprised to see the wonderful change in them .
They and their message were catapulted into the international scene as recorded in the book of the Acts of the Apostles.
The Spirit of God will make me and you a wonder to many as we yield ourselves to be used by him. He shall put testimonies in the mouth of others concerning his miracles in our lives in Jesus' name. Amen.

The Church a.k.a. the Body or the Bride of Christ was born by the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.
Since then ,the Church has been nurtured and sustained; not by human wisdom or efforts but by the power and the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
As the early church grew , the Spirit ensured the spread and the impact of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by confirming the word preached with signs and wonders , wrought by the Spirit through the disciples. Acts 5: 12-16.
When persecutions of the early Christians began, the disciples were scattered abroad . As they dispersed , seeking refuge in foreign lands, they went into every part of the world with the Good News! Acts 8:1-8 , 14: 1-7.
As the followers of Jesus Christ were arrested and hurled before kings and rulers, the Holy Spirit gave them wisdom and boldness to speak before kings and rulers, thereby spreading the gospel, even into the palaces of the high and mighty.
When the early Christians were thrown into dungeons and thrown to lions to be devoured alive, before cheering crowds:for "their crime of preaching in that name", they were strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The more they were persecuted and killed in their thousands, the more they were determined to the very end to bear the glorious Light of the Only Way , the Truth and the Life.
That same power of the Holy Spirit which enabled men and women of old to be willing to pay the price is still available, even today and always to enable us to:
"Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father , and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost". Matthew 28:19.
May the power of the Holy Spirit launch every one of us who has the desire to do exploits for the Lord Jesus ,in a big way, far exceeding our human expectations.
May our ministries and churches break forth from every Upper Room and every little corner of the earth , our comfort zones, in which we have been confined for too long . Amen.