Holy Spirit and Church Growth

The Holy Spirit is the third person of Trinity.  Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three persons of Godhead.  They are one in three persons.  As attributes of Father and Son are: Omniscient, Omnipresent and Omnipotent so is the Spirit of God. The three are involved in all works together.  Lead role is taken by one of them.  The Creation, the lead role is God the Father, known as Jehovah.  The Redemption of humanity, the lead role is Lord Jesus Christ who died on the cross of Calvary, buried and rose again.  The Holy Spirit, has the lead role in convicting people of sin, pointing them towards Lord Jesus Christ, sanctifying them and preparing the Church for His Coming.  

1. Empowered to Grow, Go and Glow

The Spirit of God empowers the Church as a community to Grow, Go and Glow. On the Day of Pentecost the Spirit was poured on all the 120 disciples who were gathered together.(Acts 2)  That was the birthday of the Church.  The Spirit of God will continue to work until Lord comes again, through the Global and Universal Church. The Church grows in number by people outside the church coming in to become the disciple of Lord Jesus Christ.  The Church grows in spiritual wisdom, strength, power of God, and gifts.  The Church moves to unreached areas and invite more people to Christ.  The Church glows, shines as light to the world.  

2. Empowered to believe 

Satan has blinded all human beings, that they are unable to see or perceive Lord Jesus Christ and the glorious gospel. (II Corinthians 4:4)   The Spirit of God works to open the eyes of the blinded unbelievers.  The Holy Spirit is intensively involved in the salvation of individuals. As person is convicted that s/he is a sinner only through the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit also points a sinner to Lord Jesus Christ who completed the redemption on the Cross of Calvary for the salvation. Without the work of the Holy Spirit – no one couldbecome a disciple.  Hence, Paul writes: No one can say:  Jesus is Lord, without the Holy Spirit.  (I Corinthians 12:3)  

3. Empowered to witness

The Holy Spirit empowers the disciples to become witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.  (Acts 1:8) The statement clearly speaks of power or strength with a purpose to witness.  It is not to display strength or power like Samson did in the Old Testament, but enable, equip and embolden to witness.  Most times, a believer needs boldness, strength, wisdom to witness for Lord Jesus Christ.  Witness could be killed as a martyr.  That means to witness is willingness to die for the truth. Millions of believers through out the history of the church have been witnesses and a considerable number of them paid the cost of witness by their lives.  

4. Empowered to love

The disciples are filled with the Love of God through the Holy Spirit.  (Romans 5:5)  The bitterness, revengeful attitude, vengeance, resentment, hardness, stubbornness in heart is removed and his love percolates the heart. Through this empowerment it is possible to fulfil God’s commandment: Love your neighbour as yourself.  (Mark 12:31)  In the world, where vengeance is considered as normal, forgiveness is radical.  This is possible only by empowerment of the Spirit of God.  

Kuldeep Singh was born in a Rajput family in Rajasthan. Along with his job as Customs officer, he was a volunteer with a right-wing organization teaching and training young people in physical drill, to make them proud about their culture, heritage and ancient religion. In the same village, one family was serving as a missionary.  Kuldeep Singh was angry about this development, the first day he met K.J. John, he gave him a tight slap. After two days, he slapped again, and two more time within a matter of ten days.  He slapped him again for the fifth time, that very day he fell sick. His nose was bleeding and was unable to eat or drink anything.  The investigation result was his left lung had become useless eaten by tuberculosis.  Doctor assured him that he should be alright by taking medicine.  However, for seventeen days, he was unable to eat or drink, nose bleeding did not stop.  He died in the hospital around 3 AM.  His body was brought home and placed on a mat as corpse is not laid on a cot.  John used to get up around 5 AM for prayer.  One person said: “Your enemy (Kuldeep) is dead.”  John replied: “I have no enemies.”  He rushed to Kuldeep home and started praying tears rolling down his cheeks, after getting permission from his wife.  In few minutes, people noticed movements in Kuldeep’s left index finger, then the next finger.  In few minutes he was alive. The very next Sunday he started attending worship service by John and became a follower of Lord Jesus Christ and now serves as a pastor.  

5. Empowered to Evangelize 

The same love of God compels believers to be actively involved in mission of reaching the world.   (II Corinthians 5:14) The love of God transforms a person from being self-centered to be others-centered.  Without this transformation, mission is impossible.  Evangelism is doing good to others who are perishing.  Personal evangelism, literature evangelism, mass evangelism, social work evangelism, prayer evangelism, social media evangelism…are done with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.  

6. Empowered to Go

The Spirit of God set apart Barnabas and Paul for extensive mission throughout the Roman Empire.  (Acts 13:1-2)  The Church at Antioch was able to commission them as missionaries.  The Church in Jerusalem did not commission missionaries.  Philip from Jerusalem went to Samaria on his own, during the scattering of disciples due to persecution.  (Acts 8)  Philip was not commissioned as a missionary by the Jerusalem church.  

7. Empowered to intercede

The Spirit of God empowers a believer to intercede.  In the Old Testament, the priests had the privilege of intercession as their ministry. They interceded for the twelve tribes of Israel.  In the New Testament all believers are called as kings and priests.(I Peter 2:9) Hence it is mandated to intercede for others: the church and those unsaved and unreached. With human understanding a believer cannot pray for all things that need to be asked for.  There are numerous things around the world that should be interceded for.  The Spirit of God helps believers to intercede, especially to send harvesters into His harvest. (Romans 8:26; Matthew 9:38)

8. Empowered with Gifts

The Holy Spirit provides the gifts for his children according to Paul. The gifts are given for the edification and growth of the Church.  It is not given to individuals to become popular or rich. “For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.”  (I Corinthians 12:8-11)  Some gifts are for reaching out to those who do not know Christ.  When mighty things are manifest as a signnon-believers may have an opportunity to know the Almighty True God.  The spiritual gifts also minister to believers in counselling, advising, directing, and rebuking.  The list of Gifts are not listed on a menu card for the believers to choose, but is bestowed upon the believers according to God’s will.  God knows the person, the context in which s/he will minister;accordingly, he provides the gift. For example, a bible translator is empowered by the Holy Spirit to learn a new language, write grammar of that language to translate the Scripture.  

9. Empowered with Fruit 

The blessed person is one who meditates the Word of God Day and night, is like a tree besides the streams.  The tree is evergreen and provide fruit in its season. (Psalms 1:1-3) Fruit is not for tree to self-consumption but for others. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22,23) The Spirit of God builds individuals and community with the Fruit of the Spirit. The Fruit of Spirit is evidenced in all aspects of life.  For example, Fruit of Spirit words would be:  Loving words, joyful words, peaceful words, patient words, kind words, good words, faith words, gentle words, self-control words. It could be applied to relationships, leadership…etc. 

10. Empowered to Serve 

The Holy Spirit empowers a person to serve.  Serving the under privileged, poor, marginalized, sick, suffering…is not easy.  With human strength it is impossible to serve among them.  Missionary doctors like Paul Brand and Graham Staines, lived and worked among the lepers.  Their compassion and love to serve the poor is extra-ordinary.  After tsunami, there was a medical team that served surrounding the Nagapattinam area in 2005.  The team was from USA.  On the last day before their departure the city Rotary Club honoured them.  The President of Rotary club said:  “We have heard about love and compassion of Christ.  These days, we saw in action.  The doctors touched, knelt down to clean the wounds, bandage and spoke kindly with them.  Which many local doctors refuse to do.”  

Challenge

The Holy Spirit enables, equips, and empowers the people of God so that they become useful instruments of God.  Through them many come into His kingdom.