Jesus made a promise to his followers, ‘you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ Acts 1:8 And this is exactly what happened! On the Jewish feast of Pentecost the Holy Spirit filled Jesus’ followers and everything changed. Their faith awoke. They shared about Jesus boldly. They were used to heal people. They experienced guidance. And more… What happened back then wasn’t a one-time event to kick-start Christianity. The Bible describes it as ‘the gift of the Father’, the gift of his own Spirit to dwell in those who are united to him through faith in Jesus. We aren’t meant simply to believe the right things about God, but to live in intimate unity with him because he dwells within us! Exactly HOW this all works is a great mystery, but the good news is that it DOES work!
Just some of the things the Bible tells us the Holy Spirit will do in us:
- Conform us to the image of Jesus (II Cor 3:18)
- Change our character – the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-25)
- Give us gifts to serve others and share the Gospel (I Cor 12, Rom12)
- Guide us (John 12:26)
- Empower us to worship (John 4:23)
- Unite us with other Christians (Eph 4:2-5)
Is the infilling of the Holy Spirit for you? Yes, all those who are united to Jesus are given his Spirit. The Bible urges us to open fully to the Father’s gift, to ‘be filled’ with the Spirit.
How can you be filled more completely with the Spirit? It is pretty simple – ask. Jesus said, ‘… how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those Luke 11:13)
- Ask God in faith to fill you with his Spirit
- Begin to respond to new things you experience which seem like the Spirit’s fresh action
- Seek other Christians who are trying to ‘walk in the Spirit’ for mutual support