Be Filled With The Spirit

These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.” Acts

The followers of Jesus have gathered together to pray! They are not just saying their prayers because it is the Christian thing to do. They are not just going through the motions, but are praying with a purpose! Their purpose is to receive the promise of the Holy Spirit. It was indeed a promise that was given to them from Christ the night before he died. He reassured them once more of his promise after his resurrection, just before his ascension. The promise was that when he went away he would pray to the Father and send the Holy Spirit. We know that the “Promises of God are in him yes, and in him amen!” (2 Corinthians 1:20) But they still had to pray for it!

It seems that our prayer meetings are more effective when we have a single purpose for which we are praying. Sometimes we have so many requests that are brought to our attention that we find it hard to give each of them the rightful attention that they deserve. Each of them are very meaningful to those who give them and when there are so many it can make us easily feel overwhelmed. But when we have that one unified purpose for prayer, it just brings us into a oneness that creates an atmosphere for God to work and move in.

Their purpose and singleness of heart here in our text was that they prayed for the coming and infilling of the Holy Spirit. This is how the church began and this is how the church must continue. Kingdom work cannot be done with carnal hands!God’s work in this world cannot be accomplished through fleshly means. God is a Spirt and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24) So we must always remember that the church is not an organization, like a social club, but a living organism that gets its life and breath from God. That’s why Jesus, before his ascension, breathed upon the disciples and said “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” (John 20:22)

The Church began in the Spirit and it must continue in the Spirit! The task that is set before us today in our culture is one that can seem overwhelming and somewhat intimidating. But it can be done…it must be done! When Zerubbabel, the Governor of Judah, felt overwhelmed and discouraged at the task and opposition he faced when rebuilding the Temple, God sent the Prophet Zechariah to remind him how it will be done. “Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of host.” (Zechariah 4:6) In this post COVID19 era, we too have been given the task of building back up the church again. We will also have our oppositions and obstacles to overcome, but these strongholds can be brought down through the work of the Spirit.

Let your prayer time today be one of purpose. Not what you purpose, but for what God has purposed for you and desires to do in you and through by filling you with the Holy Spirit!

Pastor Robby