By His Spirit (week 3 of 4) | Andy Elmes | 21st May 2023

Family Church Online

Pastor Andy continues with week 3 of his 4 part series By My Spirit. Andy focuses this week on the Holy Spirit being within us, in us and on us, being the same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus at the ascension. Using a motor as an analogy he illustrates that not only do we now have a new car, a new driver but also a new engine giving us power like never before. Ps Andy’s message look at how the Holy Spirit gives us the ability to do things we cannot do in our strength, he looks at scripture where Paul even delights in his weaknesses in order that he is strong in Christ (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

Ps Andy refers to Luke 24 and Acts 1, both of these verses being statements made by Jesus after his resurrection and just prior to his Ascension. Jesus was telling His disciples they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them, then being witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria and even to the ends of the Earth. Clearly, Jesus is demonstrating that He has substantial plans for them, through their lives. He was asking them to receive His Spirit, allowing it to reside, rule and reign within them….then they would be limitless in what you could do. It's the same for us! In the same way God had a plan for the first church, He's got a Plan for the church today because we're the same church but the Holy Spirit comes into our lives to lead us but also empower us and give us divine or supernatural ability. At the boundary of our own ability, God’s ability through the Holy Spirit in us begins to act.

When the understanding or the revelation that we are now filled with God's own Spirit fully settles in our minds, we will begin to do things we didn't think we would - like forgiving what you couldn’t; loving those we couldn’t and so on. God doesn't ask us to do things in our own strength alone. The first footstep may be ours to take, but the other footsteps that cause us to arrive where He is asking us to go are provided by Him. There is a two-fold benefit for us - number one, it’s great for us, number two, it's also good for others because God has called us to minister His life to others. We are people who can be led by the Spirit in our daily lives. We are people who are empowered by the Spirit in our lives, and for the benefit of others. Let this be so.