Weekly Tip #6, Spring 2013
All throughout the book of Acts we see the working of the Holy Spirit everywhere. Starting in Acts 1:8, the writer (Luke) says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” The Holy Spirit was the power source for the disciples as they shared the gospel with boldness, performed miracles, saw many come to Jesus and be baptized, withstood persecution and imprisonment by the religious leaders.
Without the power and control of the Holy Spirit the disciples would have had no power or boldness to spread the good news of the gospel and establish the early church. This week I was struck by Acts 16:6-10 where we see how the Spirit gave the apostle Paul clear direction when and where to preach the gospel message. Today we may not experience the same visions and impressions that Paul had, but the Holy Spirit is clearly at work in and through us to help others see the light of the gospel in your mission field.
Don’t Leave Home Without It
Each day say a prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to give you His attitude, speak through you, thinking His thoughts, and work through you. We need to daily and moment by moment, yield our lives over to God under the influence of the Holy Spirit. It worked for the disciples and the early church and He is at work today in and through our lives. I want to encourage you to personally read the “Satisfied” booklet, which talks about the filling of the Holy Spirit. Here’s where you see the content.
This week, think about taking everyone in your ministry including your Bible studies, weekly meetings, and one-on-one, through the “Satisfied” booklet. Do you want to make sure you are experiencing the full power of God in your ministry each day? Make sure you are filled, controlled and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Need some help in how to make more sense of the Holy Spirit and how to share it with others? Check out this video clip.
Keep Looking Ahead
The summer is approaching faster then you realize. Keep in mind and talk weekly to anyone who might be interested in attending one of the many options for Summer Projects. Also, consider highlighting in your ministry one of the greatest events in all of Christianity, Easter, which is on March 31st this year. Plan on using this miraculous, historical event in which we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus. Make Him a central theme on your campus, high school or city. You might make the month of March a “Did Jesus rise from the dead?” month. Talk about this in your weekly meetings, Bible studies and do a ministry wide evangelistic strategy. Here are some ideas for Easter:
• Consider having a special meeting (or in your weekly meeting) where you talk about the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus.
• If you want to study ahead of time and hear an audio series and see a PowerPoint slide show on the resurrection, check out Josh McDowell’s site.
• Here is an article on “Body Count” that would be fun to read.
• Check out these Easter Posters with power messages.
Talk to you next week,
Ben
Cru Ministry, Orlando