Holy Spirit and Power #5

Holy Spirit Power Overview

In this fifth installment of his series on the Holy Spirit and Power, the pastor of New Testament Church delivers a scripturally rich and deeply pastoral message establishing that the Holy Spirit is not merely a symbol or impersonal force, but a distinct, living Person of the Godhead. Drawing from a Barna Group survey revealing that six out of ten self-identified American Christians do not believe the Holy Spirit is a real living entity, the message confronts the powerlessness that results from this misunderstanding. Through key passages including John 14:26, John 16:13, Romans 8:26, Ephesians 4:30, Acts 5:1-4, and Psalms 139:7-10, the pastor systematically proves that the Holy Spirit teaches, guides, comforts, intercedes, grieves, possesses a will, and bears the very attributes of God. He also explores the Holy Spirit’s distinct role in salvation, conviction of sin, and righteousness, and contrasts the Spirit’s relationship with believers in the Old Testament versus the fullness of His ministry available to believers today through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The message is both a theological foundation and a personal invitation to surrender entirely to the Holy Spirit’s leadership.

Holy Spirit Power Outline

• 0:00:00 – Opening Prayer and Worship: The service opens with fervent corporate prayer and extended worship, setting an atmosphere of humility and hunger for God’s presence.
• 0:18:00 – Tithing, Offering, and the Blessed Life: The pastor teaches from Psalm 1, connecting faithful giving with being like a tree planted by rivers of water that prospers in every season.
• 0:32:00 – Cultural and Spiritual Warnings for the Church: The pastor addresses the spirit of antichrist in government, the indoctrination of children in public schools, and the call for believers to stand firm on the biblical worldview.
• 0:47:00 – Barna Survey: The Church’s Crisis of Belief: A revealing Barna Group survey is cited showing that the majority of American Christians believe the Holy Spirit is only a symbol, leading to widespread spiritual powerlessness.
• 0:56:00 – The Holy Spirit as a Distinct Person of the Godhead: Using John 14:26, John 16:13, and Romans 8:26, the pastor demonstrates that the Holy Spirit teaches, guides, comforts, and intercedes as a personal being with intellect, emotions, and will.
• 1:06:00 – The Deity of the Holy Spirit Proven by Scripture: Acts 5:1-4 and Hebrews 10:15-17 are examined to show that lying to the Holy Spirit is lying to God, and that the Spirit bears the title of Jehovah and all divine attributes.
• 1:16:00 – The Holy Spirit’s Role in Salvation and Conviction: John 16:8-11 is unpacked to reveal how the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, making salvation impossible without His inward transforming work.
• 1:26:00 – Surrendering to the Holy Spirit: The pastor closes with a call to personal surrender, encouraging every believer to say ‘Holy Spirit, I am all yours,’ trusting Him as the source of strength, grace, and eternal witness.

Scripture References

Psalm 1:1-3, John 14:26, John 16:13, Romans 8:26, Ephesians 4:30, Acts 5:1-4, Hebrews 10:15-17, Psalms 139:7-10, 1 Corinthians 2:12, 1 Corinthians 12:11, Romans 12:1, John 16:8-11

Key Takeaways

• The Holy Spirit is not a symbol or impersonal force but a living Person of the Godhead, co-equal with God the Father and God the Son.
• Because the Holy Spirit is a real Person, He genuinely teaches, guides, comforts, and intercedes for believers according to Romans 8:26.
• Lying to the Holy Spirit is lying directly to God, as demonstrated in the account of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5.
• The fullness of the Holy Spirit’s ministry is available to every believer today because of the completed redemptive work of Jesus Christ.
• Without the Holy Spirit, no one can be saved, as conviction of sin and the revelation of righteousness come only through His inner work.
• Every believer has been uniquely gifted by the Holy Spirit according to His own will, and stewarding those gifts is an act of true worship.
• Standing against the spirit of this world is impossible without the power and fortitude that only the Holy Spirit provides.

Holy Spirit Power Notes

The Dangerous Myth of an Impersonal Spirit

A Barna Group survey discovered that 58 percent of American Christians strongly agree that the Holy Spirit is merely a symbol of God’s power, not a living being. The pastor identifies this as a root cause of the church’s powerlessness. When believers reduce the Holy Spirit to a concept or feeling, they effectively shut themselves off from His teaching, guidance, comfort, and intercession. Scripture, however, consistently uses personal pronouns and personal actions to describe Him. John 14:26 says He will teach and bring things to remembrance. John 16:13 says He will guide into all truth. These are not functions of an impersonal force; they are the acts of a Person.

Proof of Deity: Lying to the Spirit Is Lying to God

One of the most compelling proofs of the Holy Spirit’s deity appears in Acts 5:1-4, the account of Ananias and Sapphira. When Peter confronted Ananias for secretly keeping back part of the proceeds from a property sale, he did not say you lied to men or to the church. He said you lied to the Holy Spirit, and then immediately equated that act with lying to God. This direct identification of the Holy Spirit with Jehovah is not an isolated passage. Hebrews 10:15-17 also presents the Holy Spirit as the one who speaks the covenant words of God, establishing His divine authority and His personal witness to every believer.

Old Testament Versus New Testament Ministry of the Spirit

The pastor draws an important distinction between how the Holy Spirit related to people before and after the redemptive work of Christ. In the Old Testament, the Spirit came upon individuals for specific tasks and seasons, rarely remaining permanently. After Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to the Father, the Holy Spirit was given in His fullness to indwell every believer. This is not a minor theological footnote. It means that every born-again Christian today has access to a depth of relationship with the Holy Spirit that was unavailable to Old Testament saints. Believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise and called a royal priesthood and a holy generation.

The Holy Spirit’s Indispensable Role in Salvation

The pastor is emphatic that no one can be genuinely saved without the inner work of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit who brings conviction of sin, helping a person recognize that they fall short of God’s standard. It is the Spirit who reveals righteousness, showing that our own efforts at moral uprightness are insufficient and that we need the gift of God’s perfect righteousness. And it is the Spirit who brings the reality of judgment, making clear that the ruler of this world stands condemned and that every person must choose which kingdom they belong to. External religious activity without this inward transformation is not salvation.

Surrendering Your Grace to Serve Others

The pastor shares a personal story of being directed by God to work for a struggling man in financial and marital crisis, offering labor without pay. He acknowledges it was not his area of natural gifting, and uses this to illustrate that the Holy Spirit distributes graces individually as He wills according to 1 Corinthians 12:11. Believers are called not to condemn themselves for lacking gifts they were never given, nor to boast about gifts they do possess, because all grace originates with God. True worship, rooted in Romans 12:1, means using whatever grace the Spirit has placed on your life to actively serve others rather than simply attending a religious gathering.

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