Acts 1:4–8 NKJV

And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to WAIT FOR THE PROMISE OF THE FATHER, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, BUT YOU SHALL BE BAPTIZED WITH THE HOLY SPIRITnot many days from now.” Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. BUT YOU SHALL RECEIVE POWER WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS COME UPON YOU; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Acts 2:1–11 NLT

On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or TONGUES OF FIRE APPEARED AND SETTLED ON EACH OF THEM. AND EVERYONE PRESENT WAS FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND BEGAN SPEAKING IN OTHER LANGUAGES, AS THE HOLY SPIRIT GAVE THEM THIS ABILITY.At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers. They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages!…WE ALL HEAR THESE PEOPLE SPEAKING IN OUR OWN LANGUAGES ABOUT THE WONDERFUL THINGS GOD HAS DONE!”

2 CORINTHIANS 4:6–10 NIV

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. BUT WE HAVE THIS TREASURE IN JARS OF CLAY TO SHOW THAT THIS ALL- SURPASSING POWER IS FROM GOD AND NOT FROM US.We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

ACTS 4:33 NKJV

And with GREAT POWER the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.

ZECHARIAH 4:6–7 NLT

Then He said to me, “This is what the LORD says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, BUT BY MY SPIRIT, SAYS THE LORD OF HEAVEN’S ARMIES. NOTHING, not even a mighty mountain, WILL STAND IN ZERUBBABEL’S WAY; it will become a level plain before him! And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place, the people will shout: ‘May God bless it! May God bless it!’”

I Corinthians 4:20 NKJV

FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS NOT IN WORD BUT IN POWER.

ISAIAH 40:25–31 LEB

“AND TO WHOM YOU WILL COMPARE ME, AND AM I EQUAL?” SAYS THE HOLY ONE.Lift your eyes up on high, and see! Who created these? The one who brings out their host by number. He calls all them by name. Because He is great of power and mighty of power, no man is missing. Why do you say, Jacob, and you speak, Israel, “My way is hidden from Yahweh, and my judgment is passed over by my God?” Have you not known, or have you not heard? YAHWEH IS THE GOD OF ETERNITY, the Creator of the ends of the earth! HE IS NOT FAINT, AND HE DOES NOT GROW WEARY!There is no searching His understanding. HE GIVES POWER TO THE WEARY, AND HE INCREASES POWER FOR THE POWERLESS. Even young people will be faint and grow weary, and the young will stumble, exhausted. BUT THOSE WHO WAIT FOR YAHWEH SHALL RENEW THEIR STRENGTH. They shall go up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not grow weary; they shall walk and not be faint.

JOHN 14:15–18 NKJV

If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that HE MAY ABIDE WITH YOU FOREVER—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you KNOW Him, for He DWELLS with you and WILL BE IN YOU. I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU ORPHANS; I WILL COME TO YOU.

Exhortation: Awake To The Holy Spirit

No Other But The Holy Spirit Makes All Things Possible

ONLY ONE PERSON can save us, revive the Church, and turn the heart of every tongue, tribe, and nation back to Jesus. He alone can bring a nation to its knees to acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord. God’s will is done on earth and His work is finished by His power. There is no substitute for Him. No flesh, power, authority, organization, method, or influence can take His place. HE IS THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD.

The Church must awaken to the truth that it is not man’s ingenuity, invention, or innovation that can bring transformation and salvation to man. It is the Holy Spirit, the Almighty God, as Zechariah 4:6 NIV proclaims, “‘NOT BY MIGHT NOR BY POWER, BUT BY MY SPIRIT,’ SAYS THE LORD ALMIGHTY.” The Holy Spirit, the third Person in the Holy Trinity, is utterly essential to the birth, existence, and ministry of the Church.

WHERE IS THE CHURCH’S THIRST FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT? WHERE IS THE DEPENDENCY ON THE HOLY SPIRIT? One of the most significant errors of the Church is marginalizing the person of the Holy Spirit. Have we forgotten how to thirst for Him and seek Him with all our hearts? Are we caught up with pursuing His power, anointing, and miracles but neglecting His person and presence? Have we been enthralled more by what He can do through us than who He is to us? Is the Church lacking in their thirst for Him, which we so desperately need, especially for such a time as this? Maybe we have replaced thirsting for Him with pursuits for many other things—power, influence, effectiveness, worldly success, and man’s acknowledgment. Have we pivoted from trusting the Holy Spirit to trusting in talents, giftings, training, strategies, networking, and the right connections? None of these are bad. They are all good, but they cannot replace the preeminence of the Holy Spirit in the Church. It is time to repent in contrition and brokenness for our spiritual negligence and presumption against the Holy Spirit. THERE IS ONLY ONE RIVER AND ONE SOURCE OF LIFE, THE HOLY SPIRIT (Isaiah 44:3, John 7:38).

The Holy Spirit Is To Be Loved, Honored, Feared, And Obeyed

God, the Father, Jesus Christ, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three Persons in one Godhead. They are co-existent, co-equal, and co-eternal. They are the same in Their divine nature, power, authority, and lordship over all. The Holy Spirit is not a representative of God, He is God Almighty. He is not just a force or power, He is the all-powerful God, and neither is He an agent on God’s mission. He is the Lord God and Sovereign overall—just as the Father and the Son are. The Holy Trinity all exist, function, and move together in perfect unity. As we love, honor, and tremble at the presence of God the Father and the Son, so should we with the Holy Spirit.

From Genesis to Revelation, the Holy Trinity is in perfect unison and identicalness in person. There is no variance in Their will, purpose, and power. We are to seek to know, love, and relate to the Holy Spirit just as we do with Jesus Christ. The Church must not marginalize the Holy Spirit in any way.

We understand more about who the Holy Spirit is by learning how God the Father and the Son relate to the Holy Spirit. They protect the Person of the Holy Spirit and severely warn of not sinning against Him. In fact, God will forgive all sins except the sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

• “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.” —Matthew 12:31 NKJV
• “Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.”
  —Matthew 12:32 NKJV
• “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” —Ephesians 4:30 NIV
• “Yet they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit. So He [God] turned and became their enemy and He Himself fought against them.” —Isaiah 63:10 NIV

If God puts such a weight on how we ought to relate to the Holy Spirit, the Church must awake to give the Holy Spirit the utmost honor, priority, preeminence, and devotion. God, the Father and the Son, love, respect, and fiercely protect the Holy Spirit against human rebellion, stubbornness, vexation, and blasphemy.

The Church must not turn to the Holy Spirit and just pray for power, anointing, and giftings. WE MUST NO LONGER SEEK HIM JUST FOR WHAT HE CAN DO BUT FOR WHO HE IS.

The Holy Spirit And Jesus Christ, The Son Of Man

The Holy Spirit was Jesus Christ’s inseparable Helper, Comforter, Advocate, and Companion in His earthly ministry as the Son of Man. Christ, in His humanity, had the utmost need for the Holy Spirit. He was Spirit- conceived, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, and Spirit-empowered to wholly obey and serve His Father as the Lamb slain to redeem the world. Christ did nothing on His own concerning the Father’s will but was always trusting and entirely dependent on the Holy Spirit for all things. As a man, Jesus was not omniscient, omnipotent, or omnipresent. He believed, trusted, and depended on the One who was, the Holy Spirit. He could only be in one place at one time. His power was limited like any other man. He was not all-knowing, as He had to depend on the Holy Spirit for revelation and understanding. He did that which was told, revealed, and shown to Him by His Father through the Holy Spirit. WITHOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT, IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR JESUS, AS THE SON OF MAN, TO BE ABLE TO OFFER HIMSELF UP AS A SACRIFICE FOR THE REDEMPTION OF ALL MEN.The Holy Spirit testifies in Hebrews 9:14 NKJV, “How much more shall the blood of Christ, WHO THROUGH THE ETERNAL SPIRIT OFFERED HIMSELF WITHOUT SPOT TO GOD, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” Acts 10:38 NKJV states that the Holy Spirit anointed Jesus Christ for good works. “How God ANOINTED Jesus of Nazareth WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND WITH POWER, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” Isaiah 42:1 NLT testifies that Jesus was strengthened by the Holy Spirit, “Look at My Servant, WHOM I STRENGTHEN.He is My Chosen One, who pleases Me. I HAVE PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM. He will bring justice to the nations.” Luke 4:17–19 NKJV details the Holy Spirit’s anointing upon Jesus Christ for ministry.

And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE HAS ANOINTED ME TO PREACH the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to HEAL the broken-hearted, to PROCLAIM LIBERTY to the captives and RECOVERY OF SIGHT to the blind, to SET AT LIBERTY those who are oppressed; to PROCLAIM the acceptable year of the LORD.”

In verse 21, Jesus said, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

The Church Must Thirst, Seek And Love The Holy Spirit

Do not just seek the Holy Spirit’s power, anointing, and miracles; seek Him—to know, experience, and encounter Him personally, affectionately, intimately, and devotedly. We must have an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit, our Lord, Comforter, Helper, Confidant, and Advocate. Unless the Church learns to pivot from only seeking His power, anointing, and gifts to seeking Him personally to know and love Him and be in holy intimacy with Him, we will not be able to walk in God’s will. We will also be unable to complete our God-given assignment and be all God has called us to be in these last days. THE HOLY SPIRIT MUST BE THE CENTER OF OUR FAITH, LIFE, AND MINISTRY. He is the One who teaches us to know God and reveals the Father’s will. The Holy Spirit speaks in Galatians 4:6–7 NKJV:

And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out “ABBA, FATHER!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Without the Holy Spirit, we cannot be born again. Through the Holy Spirit, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are children of God and not slaves. We are also co-heirs with Jesus Christ our Lord. The Holy Spirit is also the seal of our salvation, and He indwells and communicates with us—Spirit to born-again spirit. There is no surer witness of truth than such a witness. There is no other way to be able to have this relationship with God than to be strengthened in the power of the Holy Spirit.

• “Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.”—Ephesians 2:18 NLT
• “Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?”—Galatians 3:3 NKJV
• “Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”–Galatians 3:5 NKJV

Awake To Hear, Trust, And Obey The Holy Spirit

The days we are living in are evil, fierce, and dangerous. These are tricky, deceptive, and spiritually corrosive days we are facing. The only Person who has all the wisdom, understanding, power, and anointing to indwell us and enable us to powerfully, victoriously, and wisely walk through these days is the Holy Spirit. The instruction of God to His seven churches in the Book of Revelation remains the same for the Church today—he who has an ear, let him hear what the Holy Spirit says to the churches. We are to hear the Holy Spirit and obey.

• “To the church of Ephesus–‘HE WHO HAS AN EAR, LET HIM HEAR WHAT THE SPIRIT SAYS TO THE CHURCHES. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’”–Revelation 2:7 ESV
• “To the church of Smyrna–‘HE WHO HAS AN EAR, LET HIM HEAR WHAT THE SPIRIT SAYS TO THE CHURCHES. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’”—Revelation 2:11 ESV
• “To the church of Pergamum–‘HE WHO HAS AN EAR, LET HIM HEAR WHAT THE SPIRIT SAYS TO THE CHURCHES. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’”—Revelation 2:17 ESV
• “To the church of Thyatira–‘The one who conquers and who keeps My works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I Myself have received authority from My Father. And I will give him the morning star. HE WHO HAS AN EAR, LET HIM HEAR WHAT THE SPIRIT SAYS TO THE CHURCHES.’”—Revelation 2:26–29 ESV
• “To the church of Sardis–‘The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. HE WHO HAS AN EAR, LET HIM HEAR WHAT THE SPIRIT SAYS TO THE CHURCHES.’”—Revelation 3:5–6 ESV
• “To the church of Philadelphia–‘The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from My God out of heaven, and My own new name. HE WHO HAS AN EAR, LET HIM HEAR WHAT THE SPIRIT SAYS TO THE CHURCHES.’”
  —Revelation 3:11–13 ESV
• “To the church of Laodicea–‘The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with Me on My throne, as I also conquered and sat down with My Father on His throne. HE WHO HAS AN EAR, LET HIM HEAR WHAT THE SPIRIT SAYS TO THE CHURCHES.’”
  —Revelation 3:21–22 ESV

How Can the Church Be Awakened to the Holy Spirit?

Live in the Holy Spirit and be filled with His power:

“‘I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it,’ says the LORD.” —Ezekiel 37:14 NKJV

Trust and obey the Holy Spirit always:

“I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.” —Ezekiel 36:27 NKJV

Depend on the Holy Spirit, Whose power makes all things possible:

“And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.’” —Luke 1:35 NKJV