purpose

… but wait for what the Father promised, ‘which,’ He said, ‘you heard from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. Acts 1.4,5 

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses… Acts 1.8 

The Power of the Spirit in Ministry 

As Jesus entered public ministry, Luke made it very clear that the power of the Holy Spirit was upon Jesus’ ministry. He fulfilled His purpose on earth and the Holy Spirit produced the results of His ministry according to God’s purposes. 

When Jesus departed the earth, He pledged to the apostles and early Christians that they would have the same power: The Holy Spirit would cover them. As a result, they would minister with boldness and power and God would produce the results according to His purpose. 

Through the power of the Spirit, the Lord was adding to their number day by day those were being saved. Acts 2.47 

Jesus set a pattern for us to follow. Surrender your ministry and service to God and ask the Spirit of God to produce results. It doesn’t matter if you are teaching children in Sunday School, serving lunch to the homeless, working as a greeter at your church, or preaching to thousands. Ask that the power of the Spirit, through your service to God, produce results.

The Power of the Spirit in YOUR Ministry! 

We are all called to minister and serve in the name of the Lord. What is your ministry?  

Last time, I introduced two ways in which you can serve and minister: 

• You bless people with the good news of the gospel, with kindness and compassion and with works of service as you are going about your daily life. You care, you listen, you encourage, you confront and challenge, etc., as you go through life. This is LIFE Ministry. 
• You follow a calling in a particular area of ministry for which God has gifted you. There is structure to it. You have allocated specific times and duties to this ministry. Because God has gifted you in this ministry, you enjoy and receive blessings from doing it. This is your Ministry CALLING 

If I can do it, anyone can do it! 

About four years ago, under the mentorship of my pastor, I began spending extended time with God in His Word and prayer daily: Reading, Reflecting and Writing. This daily time with God fueled my Life Ministry, as described above. My kindness and compassion for people grew. I was more aware and sensitive to daily opportunities to serve others. My Life Ministry grew. 

But I didn’t have a specific Ministry Calling that I was involved with and devoted to. Once again, my pastor mentored me in this area. He preached a sermon on Personal Ministry that pierced my soul and convicted me, head to toe. 

I evaluated my ministry passions and my gifting. I consulted with my wife and other accountability friends in my life. I determined I loved to study the Bible, to write and to teach. So, I began small by sending out emails summarizing my daily time with God in His Word to family and a few friends. As time passed, I felt led by God and encouraged by others to expand my ministry reach one step at a time.  

What about you? 

My encouragement to you is to:

1. Spend daily time with God. This is your fuel for living a life of worship toward God and service to others. 
2. As you go through your day, look for opportunities to serve others through word and deed. Practice the presence of Jesus and He will direct your steps. This is your Life Ministry. 
3. Evaluate your ministry passions and gifting. Consult with those close to you who will pray and support you in this journey. Determine your gifting and calling and begin serving in a focused area of ministry. Start small and let it grow as God leads you. This is your Ministry Calling. 

Father, You have given Your Spirit to cover our ministries and produce the results that You chose to accomplish through us. What do you require of us? Your Word tells us that we should do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God. We cannot manufacture the power of Your Spirit. It is Your work to cover us with Your Spirit. We know that You often chose to cover us when we are walking humbly with You. Help us Lord to walk humbly with You as we live and serve, to Your glory and for Your honor. Amen! 

Why did Jesus come to earth? 

I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly. John 10.10b 

… the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a random for many. Matthew 20.28 

I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Luke 5.32 

For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. Luke 19.10 

… Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners … I Timothy 1.15 

Jesus kept it simple for us to understand His mission on earth. But how did He go about fulfilling His mission and how should we fulfill our mission on earth as well? 

The Power of the Spirit: The Defining Mark of Jesus’ Ministry 

His ministry was marked by the Power of the Spirit. What does that mean? We know it doesn’t mean that Jesus had more of the Spirit. He had all the Spirit He could have all the time.  

Maybe what it means is that the Power of the Spirit is impacting the recipients of His ministry. 

Here’s an example 

I have a ministry of teaching God’s Word. I write and I speak. My mission is to encourage Christians to discover the beauty of spending daily time with God in His Word and in prayer. My hope is that people will be changed and God will be honored. 

As I write and speak, I seek to be faithful and diligent and well prepared. I give time, effort and passion to my ministry. God blesses me and gives me joy in this ministry. It is hard work sometimes, but it’s not a drudgery.  

So, I do my best to write clearly with insight and occasional wit. I edit accordingly and then prayerfully submit it to print/blog. But here’s the main point:  

I am well aware that the breadth and depth of the impact of my ministry has little to do with me. 

The impact of my service to God is not about how I market and promote my ministry; how clever my writing is or how good my stories might be. God reminds me often in various ways that I’m mediocre in my writing and speaking. What matters much more is my heart: do I minister and serve with humble diligence along with simple and sincere devotion to Christ? 

If so, God often blesses such a heart with the power of His Spirit to influence others.

Sure, I often have doubts. Does my ministry really matter? I struggle with insecurities, doubt and feelings of ineffectiveness. But I can’t shake the sense that God wants me to keep doing what I’m doing. He tells me to leave the results to Him. They may be big or they may be small. It doesn’t matter because it is all HIS results and not mine.

What really matters is whether the Power of the Spirit is upon the recipients of my written or spoken words. I need to give my best to God in my ministry because it is my service of worship to Him. I give my best to Him and by the Power of the Spirit, He uses it as He sees fit to use it. 

What About You? 

What about your ministry? All of you are called to ministry. Your ministry could be described in two ways:

1. You bless people with the good news of the gospel, with kindness and compassion and with works of service as you are going about your daily life. You care, you listen, you encourage, you confront and challenge, etc., as you go through life. This is LIFE Ministry. 
2. You follow a calling in a particular area of ministry for which God has gifted you. There is a structure to it. You have allocated specific times and duties to this ministry. Because God has gifted you in this ministry, you enjoy and receive blessings from doing it. This is your Ministry CALLING.

Both aspects of ministry are important. I believe you are most fulfilled in Your walk with God when you are involved in both. Daily time with God is the fuel for your efforts and passion in your ministry.  

Do your best to be prepared; be prayerful and be available. Serve in ministry as worship to God. Give Him your best to make it your spiritual service of worship, (Romans 12.2). But the real impact comes when the Power of the Spirit is upon your ministry.

How do I get the Power of the Spirit in my ministry?

We’ll dig deeper next time.

Father God, Your Son served faithfully in ministry during His time on earth. May we follow His example. He gave, He loved, He served and He endured. Strengthen us to do the same.  

May Your Spirit be upon us as we minister and give of ourselves in worship to You. And may Your Spirit multiple the effects of our ministries on others – in a way that is way beyond our meager strength and efforts. Amen! 

Jesus is doing what He was meant to do. He is fulfilling His purpose on earth. What about you?

It’s so easy to pass over key phrases when reading the Bible; especially, when reading the narratives, such as Luke. For example, what does it mean that Jesus returned … in the power of the Spirit?  

It’s easy to say ‘Duh, it means He’s Jesus and of course, the power of the Spirit is with Him. The power of the Spirit is with Jesus because they are the Trinity and they are always together, all the time. That’s it. Let’s move on.’ 

Of course, that’s true, but I believe there’s more to it. I don’t mean there’s got to be more from a mystical and secretive standpoint. I mean there’s a reason Luke uses this phrase. There is substantive meaning to the word structure of God’s Word. The words used in the Bible are not fillers. They carry meaning. That’s why I call this adventure we are on a journey of discovery. 

We are discovering God’s meaning in the Bible and how it can apply to our lives; how it can transform our lives.  

Let’s Look Closer at The Work of the Spirit 

When He was baptized, the Spirit descended upon Him as a dove. After His baptism, it is said that Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit…was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness … to be tempted by the devil. 

Jesus is venturing into full public ministry mode. He is fulfilling His mission; the reason He came to earth. Jesus is going about the region in the power of the Spirit. What does that mean? 

Does it mean: 

• He is going about speaking in tongues? 
• He is going about with a certain feeling inside Him? Feeling Inspired? Feeling Motivated? 
• Does He have extra power? Healing and Miracles? 

It certainly has nothing to do with tongues. There’s no indication it is affecting how He feels. Healing and miracles? Well, yes, that is most certainly a part of it. But I believe there’s more.  

What is this power that comes with the Spirit? Here it is: 

The Power of the Spirit = The Power of the Impact of Our Ministry 

The Spirit is always with Jesus. Yes, we know that. But here is my primary observation and premise: The power of the Spirit has been upon Jesus in a unique way since He went public and began to fulfill the calling of His ministry; the reason He is on earth. 

Main point: The work of the Spirit (in this case) surrounds His ministry of service and brings about the results and impact that God wants to accomplish. 

How Do We Know This is What it Means? 

So, in support of answering our main question today about the meaning of the Power of the Spirit, I found this passage in Isaiah. I believe it fully describes what it means that Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. 

Isaiah 11:2-5 

The Spirit of the Lord will rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 

And He will delight in the fear of the Lord, and He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His ears hear. 

But with righteousness He will judge the poor and decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth. And righteousness will be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist.  

This is a prophecy of the coming of Jesus as the Messiah to earth. It provides meaning to His visit to earth. More on this next time and more on the Power of the Spirit on our personal ministries.  

Father, thank you that You came to earth. You fulfilled Your mission and Your calling. You suffered and died that we might have life and have it abundantly. Thank you! Forgive us for taking you for granted at times. We often forget about you and go on living our own lives without much thought of You. But You are always with us, in good times and bad. You are faithful, even when we are faithless. Strengthen us to walk and talk with you often and to follow Your voice of truth. Amen!