Holy Spirit

If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care — then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends.

—Philippians 2:1-2 MESSAGE

Key Thought


We have so many blessings being in Jesus. One of those blessings is the fellowship we have based on the Holy Spirit. Paul calls this blessing...

 

And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

—Romans 5:5 NLT

Key Thought


It's hard to believe that there is an endless supply of anything! But the promise of this passage, even in its context of suffering and difficulty, is that we have an endless supply of love as the Holy Spirit fills our hearts with love. This love is as big as God and is supplied by the...

 

Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by [Paul's instructions] is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. But we don't need to write to you about the importance of loving each other, for God himself has taught you to love one another.

—1 Thessalonians 4:8-9 NLT

Key Thought


God keeps on giving us the vitally empowering presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. One of the great blessings about this presence is that God...

 

Samuel took his flask of oil and anointed [David], with his brothers standing around watching. The Spirit of God entered David like a rush of wind, God vitally empowering him for the rest of his life.

—1 Samuel 16:13 MESSAGE

Key Thought


Throughout the Old Testament, God's Spirit would come on leaders for a time and empower them in special ways. However, David was led and empowered by the Spirit for his whole life after he was anointed by Samuel, although his sinful...

 

[The Gentiles] were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God's Spirit. In this way, I [Paul] have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum.

—Romans 15:19 NLT

Key Thought


The proclamation of Jesus was confirmed by the miracles and signs that accompanied the message (Hebrews 2:3-4), as illustrated in the book of Acts, first among Jews and then primarily through Paul among non-Jews...

 

[Peter said,] "We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."

—Acts 5:32 NIV

Key Thought


The apostles, and some others, were witnesses of Jesus' presence after his resurrection from the dead. However, if we listen carefully to this statement of Peter, there is a great promise for those of us who live centuries after Jesus' resurrection. We have living in us a witness of Jesus' resurrection — the Holy Spirit...

 

[O]ur gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction.

—1 Thessalonians 1:5 NIV

Key Thought


When the gospel of Jesus is proclaimed, much more is happening than just the declaration in words of God's grace in Jesus. Not only did the Holy Spirit inspire the truth of God's message in Jesus that we find in the Scriptures, but the Spirit is also at work in the proclamation of that message today. The Holy Spirit is at...

 

I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.

—Romans 15:30 NIV

Key Thought


The Holy Spirit intercedes for us when we pray (Romans 8:26-27). The Holy Spirit pours love into our hearts to give us hope and endurance (Romans 5:5; Colossians 1:9-11). So it shouldn't surprise us that the love we have from the Holy Spirit moves us to pray for others in their struggles. Praying for...

 

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

—Ephesians 6:18-20 NIV

Key Thought


When we open the book of Acts, we see the power of the...

 

[The disciples praying after Peter and John were released from jail:] "Now, Lord, ... enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

—Acts 4:29-31 NIV

Key Thought


The early followers of Jesus were facing...