Holy Spirit

For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.

—Ephesians 4:4-6 NLT

Key Thought
Unity is more than just getting along. At the core of maintaining unity and keeping the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3), there is ONE core reality. Paul emphasizes this core reality by using "one" seven times. These seven immutable...

 

Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.

—1 Corinthians 12:13 NLT

Key Thought
Rather than offering my insight on this passage, the amplified paraphrasing of this passage in Eugene Peterson's The Message is quite to the point: "By means of [Jesus'] one Spirit, we all said good-bye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each used to...

 

Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

—Ephesians 4:3 NLT

Key Thought
When we open the book of Acts, we hear Jesus promise twice in the first few verses to send the Holy Spirit to empower the early disciples as they go to all nations to share the good news of Jesus. As we read further, we see the Holy Spirit at work to break down every barrier — geographical, cultural, racial, economic, political, and social — to make the...

 

[Epaphras is] the one who told us how thoroughly love had been worked into your lives by the Spirit.

—Colossians 1:8 MESSAGE

Key Thought
Epaphras had told Paul about the Colossians' growth in Jesus. One vital element of this growth was their love for each other. Paul recognized that the power of the Holy Spirit is what had inspired, empowered, and worked this love into the fabric of their daily lives. The Spirit empowers God's character to be formed in us (Romans 5:1-5). We...

 

The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you.

—2 Corinthians 13:14 MESSAGE

Key Thought
While most translations of this verse say "fellowship of the Holy Spirit," I find the phrase "the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit" to be powerful and exciting. We are brought into close fellowship with God and each other through "the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit." Think...

 

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, "being in a...

 

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 Holy Spirit's...

 

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 pours love into...

 

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 Holy Spirit...

 

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 time with...