Acts Of The Apostles 1:7-8 NLT

You can't be a nobody AND believe in Jesus at the same time, it's impossible.

Acts of the Apostles 1:7-8 NLT

[7] He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. [8] But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

This was after Jesus had spent three years with the disciples, teaching them and guiding them for three years. He taught them everything he thought they needed to know. He spent everyday with them leading by example, performing miracles, raising the dead, healing disease, comforting the hurt, forgiving the sinners, giving sermons, teaching them all kinds of truth, trying to show them the right way, always. Patiently. Gently. With grace and mercy. Always trying to nug them in the right direction.

Then he said this to them after 3 years. After having been shocked by the crucifixion. The state of total disarray, panic, not understanding what's going on, but now the resurrection has come and this is what he says to them, he says,

'Now look, you go sit down in the city of Jerusalem, sit down in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.'

He's trying to tell them in Acts 1:7-8 that, "you may have heard all this, you may have seen all this, you may have witnessed all the things I have done, but you're still not ready to do the work I have called you to do, not until the 'spirit of God' indwells you.

Now in the Old testament the Holy Spirit would come down on God's servants and it would come and it would go, but on Pentecost it came down onto this Earth so that it indwelled all believers on this Earth so that from that point on every single person who is a child of God is indwelled by a person of the trinity called the Holy Spirit.

Some people, all they get out of the Bible is knowledge. They go to Sunday school, the teacher teaches a lesson and that's it.

But who's the teacher? The Holy Spirit. Who's the equipper? The Holy Spirit. Who gives interpretation of the word of God? The Holy Spirit.

Listen, it is the power of the Holy Spirit within you. That's why he told them "you're not ready until the spirit of God comes upon you," and then, it is the authority of the Spirit, the power of the Spirit, the unction of the Spirit that is what teaches through the Sunday school teacher, the pastor, the evangelist, sings through a musician, you name it.

God intends for all of us to do our work in his power and his energy in his strength and by his authority. What is done apart from the holy spirit is flesh, its mans own human effort. We can never carry out spiritual work, God's work, and the flesh in our own energy apart from the Holy Spirit. That is one of the prime reasons he sent the Holy Spirit.

You may be a pastor and think "well, I study and I pray and God gives me a message and I just get up and do it" and you ignore the Holy Spirit. You're not relying upon him for wisdom, you're not relying upon him for courage, you're not relying upon him for inspiration, you're not relying upon him for motivation, you're not relying upon him for interpretation, you're not relying upon him for power, you're not relying upon him for authority. You cannot do what God has called you to do the way He intendeds for you to do it apart from the Holy Spirit.

That's who He is, that's why He came, and there is no substitute for the Holy Spirit. You can't put enough PhDs, ThDs, RfDs, or any other kind of D behind anybody's name and make them adequate to do the work that God has called them to do. You cannot do it.

Romans 8:26 NLT

[26] And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.

"at a critical moment in my life I was praying one night and the Lord spoke to my heart and he said crystal clear I'll never forget it, "whatever you accomplish in life you will have to accomplish on your knees in prayer, not by education, not by talents, not by might, not buy gifts, but by calling out to me, by crying out to me, it has to be on your knees" because God knew that that meant for me 'total dependence on the Holy Spirit.'" -Dr. Charles Stanley.

Listen when you and I are praying He is involved. One of his responsibilities is here in Romans 8:26, the Holy Spirit prays for us with us, and through us, he intercedes for us because we don't even know what to pray for sometimes. Have you ever been on your knees and crying out to God, and you don't know what to ask, you just know they're in trouble you don't even know what to say you just ask "God help them." You just say "Lord I trust your work in their life" whether you're praying for yourself or someone else, the Spirit of God is taking your prayers and He interprets it personally and perfectly before the Father because He knows our heart. The trinity knows everything at all times in every given circumstance and he works on your behalf. You are a part of that trinity, you are what makes it complete, that spirit that dwells within you makes you a somebody. Somebody with purpose and with reason.

John 15:26 NLT

[26] “But I will send you the Advocate —the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me.

The Holy Spirit is conviction. It will convict you to lead a life apart from others. It will convict you to abandon the darkness and to embrace the light. It will guide you and teach you how to become a light. The Holy Spirit is a person. He is a Helper, an Advocate. Someone on your side rooting for you at all times, always there to comfort you, always there to hear your cries, always there to lend a helping hand in any way he can.

We need to walk in the spirit.

We need to understand this

To walk in the Spirit, or by the spirit, is to live moment by moment in dependency on him, sensitive to his voice, and in obedience to him.

Those three things:

Dependence

Sensitive

Obedience

Everyday of our life, moment by moment, as a believer we are to walk aware of the spirit of God in our life. That is the Christian life.

May God bless you, always. 🤍