September 30
Bible Reading: Acts 19:1-7
Acts 19:2, “And they said, ‘No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
Biblical Christianity is not merely a religion where individuals strive to earn God’s favor through specific actions or behaviors. Instead, it is a dynamic relationship characterized by walking in the Spirit, where believers are led and empowered to achieve things beyond their own capabilities, all for the glory of God.
In His farewell address, Jesus reassured His disciples with news of the Holy Spirit’s arrival. Jesus emphasized that His departure would ultimately benefit the disciples, as it would pave the way for the Spirit’s arrival (John 16:7). The Holy Spirit would mediate Jesus’ presence, working both in and through the disciples (John 16:14-15). His presence and transformative power would be so profound that Jesus described it as “rivers of living water” flowing from the hearts of believers (John 7:38-39).
Jesus left His disciples with a mandate to bear witness to Him to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). However, fulfilling this mission was contingent on the empowerment of the promised Holy Spirit. The early church, as described in the book of Acts, exemplified this empowerment, boldly spreading the gospel and turning the world upside-down for good (Acts 17:6).
In his travels, the Apostle Paul encountered disciples who had not yet received the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-2). Despite their professed faith, they were unaware of the Spirit’s existence. Paul discerned that while they were engaging in Christian practices, they were doing so without the Spirit’s leading and empowerment. This scenario is not unique to them; it serves as a reminder that every true believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but the crucial question for the believer in Christ is: Are you yielded to the Spirit’s influence? The question is not “Do you have the Spirit?” but “Does the Spirit have you?” and to what extent is He free to work in our lives according to His wisdom, love, and power (Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:16)?
The question for the genuine believer is not “Do you have the Spirit?” but “Does the Spirit have you?”
THE COMFORTER HAS COME
O spread the tidings ’round
Wherever man is found,
Wherever human hearts and human woes abound;
Let every Christian tongue proclaim the joyful sound:
The Comforter has come!
Refrain:
The Comforter has come, the Comforter has come!
The Holy Ghost from heaven, the Father’s promise given;
O spread the tidings ’round wherever man is found:
The Comforter has come!
The long, long night is past, the morning breaks at last,
And hushed the dreadful wail and fury of the blast,
As o’er the golden hills the day advances fast!
The Comforter has come! [Refrain]
Lo, the great King of kings with healing in His wings,
To every captive soul a full deliverance brings;
And through the vacant cells the song of triumph rings;
The Comforter has come! [Refrain]
O boundless Love divine! how shall this tongue of mine
To wondering mortals tell the matchless grace divine:
That I, a child of hell, should in His image shine!
The Comforter has come! [Refrain]
LookingtoJesus 