04 The Empowerment of the New Person

      In the previous chapters, I have tried to paint a picture of the kind of person that God has called and empowered us to be, and the kind of life that he has destined us for.  However, the realization of this in and through the believer is intrinsically connected to the person of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus was very clear on this point.  Before his ascension, he told his disciples to wait until they had received the Holy Spirit and were empowered by him (Luke 24:49).  Then they would be effective witnesses for Christ (Acts 1:8).  Then Christ’s victory on the cross and his reign and dominion would come into effect, and be manifested in and through believers as they live in the power of the Spirit, walk in victory and minister Christ’s victory over his enemies (Acts 2:34).  Until the time that they received the Holy Spirit, the disciples were fearful and hid themselves behind closed doors (John 20:19).  But when the Holy Spirit came upon them, they became like Jesus and began to operate on the same plane of victory and power as he did.

      Peter, in his famous sermon on the day of Pentecost, tells us that Jesus, having been exalted to the right hand of God, ‘has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear…  “The Lord said to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet’”’ (Acts 2:33-35).  The Scriptures are clear on this point: that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to establish God’s kingdom in people’s lives. One part of establishing God’s kingdom has to do with subduing his enemies under Christ’s feet (2 Cor. 10:3-6, Eph. 6:10-12, Heb.3:14-15) and, since we are seated with Christ, then consequently these enemies are to be subdued under our feet also (Rom. 16:20).  It is only through the Holy Spirit’s ministry and his power that heaven’s order and way of life can be established on earth.

      For many years I thought that to be a witness meant going out and telling people about Jesus.  But I realized eventually that the disciples could have done that already without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.  It was then that the word ‘witness’ took on a completely new meaning for me.  When the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples and worked in and through them, the fruit that would be manifested would be the fruit of the kingdom, and this fruit would witness about Christ and his victory.  So the world would see and experience God’s powerful salvation, not merely through preaching only, but also through the deeds that are the product of a transformed heart and through the works of the Holy Spirit, such as signs and wonders.


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