Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. But we don’t need to write to you about the importance of loving each other, for God himself has taught you to love one another. – (1 Thessalonians 4:8-9)

God keeps on giving us the vitally empowering presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

One of the great blessings about this presence is that God pours love into our hearts through the Spirit (Rom. 5:5). Along with the great example of God’s love in sending Jesus (John 3:16-17), the Father uses the Spirit to teach us to know how to love each other.

This is part of the Spirit’s fruit (Gal. 5:22) as well as the work of the Spirit to bring us into fellowship (2 Cor. 13:14), that holds us together in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3-4), and fills us as we submit to one another (Eph. 5:17-21). Loving each other is not only a command, it is also part of God’s continuing work in us through the Holy Spirit.

Prayer : Dear God, I confess that I do not always love others as I should. I ask you to make me more like Jesus in my love for others. I am thankful for the presence of the Holy Spirit to help me see those whom I need to show your love and to empower me to love them when it is difficult. In Jesus’ name I pray for this grace. Amen.

Samuel took his flask of oil and anointed him, with his brothers standing around watching. The Spirit of God entered David like a rush of wind, God vitally empowering him for the rest of his life. – (1 Samuel 16:13)

Throughout the Old Testament, God’s Spirit would come on leaders for a time and empower them in special ways.

David was led and empowered by the Spirit for his whole life, although his sinful time with Bathsheba made him question whether God would remove the Spirit and his leadership because of his sin (Ps. 51:10-11). The remarkable things about the Holy Spirit under the new covenant is that the Holy Spirit comes upon all Jesus’ true followers: men and women, young and old, leaders or followers (Acts 2:1-39; 5:32; Rom. 8:9).

We have this “vitally empowering” gift living inside us, to guide us, convict us, empower us, equip us, intercede for us, and  to transform us. What a precious gift! Prayer : Thank you, Father, for such an incredible gift. As I continue on this year-long journey to learn more about your Spirit, I want to yield my life more and more to the influence of the Spirit’s work. I want to reflect Jesus more completely. I want to honor you more perfectly. I ask that this “vitally empowering” presence of your Spirit do what needs to be done in me to honor you. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Samuel took his flask of oil and anointed him, with his brothers standing around watching. The Spirit of God entered David like Arush of wind, God vitally empowering him for the rest of his life. – (1 Samuel 16:13). Throughout the Old Testament, God’s Spirit would come on leaders for a time and empower them in special ways. David was led and empowered by the Spirit for his whole life, although his sin full time with Bathsheba made him question whether God would remove the Spirit and his leadership because of his sin (Ps. 51:10-11).

There markable things about the Holy Spirit under the new covenant is that the Holy Spirit comes upon all Jesus’ true followers: men and women, young and old, leaders or followers (Acts 2:1-39; 5:32; Rom.8:9).

We have this “vitally empowering” gift living inside us, to guide us, convict us, empower us, equip us, intercede for us, and to transform us. What a precious gift!

Prayer : Thank you, Father, for such an incredible gift. As I continue on this year-long journey to learn more about your Spirit, I want to yield my life more and more to the influence of the Spirit’s work.I want to reflect Jesus more completely. I want to honor you more perfectly. I ask that this “vitally empowering” presence of your Spirit do what needs to be done in me to honor you. In Jesus’  name pray. Amen.

They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum. – (Romans 15:19)

We claim to preach it. We want to live in light of its message. We are commissioned to share it.

Getting the gospel right is vital to the Christian faith. Calling something “the gospel” that is most definitely not the gospel could be devastating. Saying something is not “the gospel” that is in fact part of the gospel could likewise be detrimental to our faith.

We should not be satisfied in either the kingdom camp or the atonement camp. Perhaps we can all be happy campers if we join with others in proclaiming a “both-and” gospel instead of an “either-or.”

The proclamation of Jesus was empowered by the miracles and signs that accompanied the message (Heb. 2:3-4).

Acts shows this happening, first among Jews and then through Paul among non-Jews. Paul’s message was accompanied by the same kinds of miracles and signs as accompanied the message of Peter and the other apostles. This demonstrated that the message to the Gentiles was every bit as authoritative as the message to the Jews. This is important for two reasons:

First, the message itself was validated; and second, those who received this message and became followers of Jesus were validated.

The Holy Spirit is the source of the message, the power behind the message, and the power validating the message by works of power. The Holy Spirit ensures the validity of the message we declare and the acceptance of all peoples who respond to it.

Prayer : O God, I recognize that you are the glorious Father who every person on earth needs to know. I thank you for the power of the Holy Spirit in the message of Jesus. I thank you for the power of the Holy Spirit resting on those who declare this message and uniting people from all over the world through this message. And I pray that you continue to work with power through the Holy Spirit to validate this message and bring conviction in the lives of those who need to respond to it. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.