In our last episode, I mentioned that I attended quite a number of crusades. Besides the amazing healing ministry that I witnessed, I was blown away by how powerful simple worship songs sang by simple men and women would minister to me whereas on many other occasions, I would meet vocally gifted musicians who did amazing runs and had terrific song arrangement but somehow never moved me an inch.
As a worship leader I have the distinct privilege of ushering people into God’s presence whether they are gathered for a church service or watching my videos on Youtube. Now, I know there may be more talented musicians than I am but the one thing I am always so cautious about is to release music that has no impact.
The Holy Spirit was the sole source of power for the entire ministry of Jesus. Until the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus at the Jordan River after John’s baptism, He never preached or performed a miracle. He waited for the Holy Spirit to come upon Him. In Acts 10:38, Peter, speaking to the crowd of people gathered in the house of Cornelius, described the ministry of Jesus:
38...God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and...he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. (Niv) The source and power of the ministry of Jesus on earth was the Holy Spirit. We have pointed out already that God is revealed as a triune God—three persons in one God—Father, Son, and Spirit. In this one verse, all three are captured. This is the secret and the source of the ministry of Jesus——The HolySpirit.
Even after the resurrection, Jesus still depended on the Holy Spirit. This is a remarkable fact. In Acts 1:1-2, Luke starts with these words: In my former book [the gospel of Luke], Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. (NIV) Holy Spirit throughout His ministry, He also promised that His disciples would receive the same Holy Spirit that had empowered and inspired Him. In John 7:37-39, we read: On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If a man is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” 39By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. (Niv)
Here is a tremendously dramatic contrast. We are first presented with a thirsty man: “If any man thirst.” Then, through the incoming and indwelling of the Holy Spirit, this same man who had been thirsty and without sufficiency for himself becomes a channel for “streams of living water.” He is no longer in need, but a source of supply through the Holy Spirit. For every believer, the Holy Spirit is to be a limitless resource.
