Spirit Empowered Discipleship (Week 7)

Preacher: Stephen Scott

Worship:
Our worship song suggestion for this week is Here As In Heaven | Live | Elevation Worship. We need the presence of the Holy Spirit every day.

Check-in:
Are there any misconceptions regarding the Holy Spirit that were clarified for you through the message on Sunday? Was there anything else that stood out for you personally?

Synopsis of message:
On Sunday, Pastor Stephen shared about the importance of living and serving enabled and empowered by the Holy Spirit. As Jesus was about to ascend into Heaven, He told the disciples to not leave Jerusalem until the Father sent the gift He promised (the gift of the Holy Spirit) (Acts 1:4). The Holy Spirit empowered them to be effective witnesses and live out the great Commission (Acts 1:8). Being a disciple and making disciples is impossible without the power and companionship of the Holy Spirit. We do not have to invoke the Holy Spirit or wait for the Holy Spirit like the disciples did. We have already received the Holy Spirit when we believed in Jesus (Ephesians 1:13-14).

We should not do God’s work in our own strength. If we rely on our own strength, over time, what used to be a blessing will start to feel like a burden or religion. “Trying to do the Lord’s work in your own strength is the most confusing, exhausting, and tedious of all work”. (Corrie Ten Boom)

The Holy Spirit is not a power supply that we tap into when we need to. He is the one coming alongside us, supporting us, guiding us and advocating for us. “If we think of the Holy Spirit only as an impersonal power or influence, then our thought will constantly be, how can I get hold of and use the Holy Spirit; but if we think of Him in the biblical way as a divine Person, infinitely wise, infinitely holy, infinitely tender, then our thought will constantly be, ‘How can the Holy Spirit get hold of and use me?” (R. A. Torrey)
The Holy Spirit can only work within us when we give Him access to do so. When the Holy Spirit has greater access to us, we will be empowered to –

1. Live righteously. There is a tension/wrestle between our own sinful tendencies and doing what is right. The only way to navigate this is to yield ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. (Romans 7:14-15; Galatians 5:16-17)
2. Live supernaturally. The same power that raised Jesus from the grave now lives in us. It is possible to experience the power of God, working in us and through us. (Romans 8:11).
3. Live missionally. The more access we give the Holy Spirit, the less this life is about us but it’s about what the Holy Spirit can do for others through us.

Pastor Stephen ended the sermon with three prayers to pray daily:

1. Holy Spirit, show me. Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and show you which areas of your life you have limited His access to. (Psalm 139:23)
2. Holy Spirit, fill me.
3. Holy Spirit, use me. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what He wants you to do and for courage to be obedient.

Discussion Questions:

1. Consider a season where you have lived or served in your own strength. What did that look like? And how does it compare to living and serving enabled and empowered by the Spirit?
2. With the Holy Spirit within us, we can live supernaturally. What would you trust the Holy Spirit to accomplish in and through your life?
3. Think about the extent to which the person of the Holy Spirit has access to your life? How could you give Him greater access?

Check-out:
The challenge we have is to allow the Holy Spirit access to us. Take time to pray for the Holy Spirit to search, fill and use you.

Additional Resources:

• Seek First (YouVersion)
• The Power of The Holy Spirit (YouVersion)