Why we need to be Spirit-filled

The Holy Spirit turned a woodworker into a miracle worker (Luke 4:18-19). With that empowering, humble fisherfolk became the global church’s founding leadership team. Then 120 frightened people became like lions for Jesus (Acts 2). Three thousand new believers in Christ were won in a single day – and churches were planted all around the then-known world.

Without the Holy Spirit the Christian faith is just a bunch of well-meaning people trying to get their act together, and church can be so boring.

But with the Spirit’s power lives are transformed, people are healed, and the good news about Jesus spreads ever y where (Luke 4:14, Acts 1:8).

Being filled with the Holy Spirit 

When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are given a fresh enthusiasm to tell others about what we’ve experienced. We want to share our story ‒ “You’ll never guess what happened to me…” Bible reading comes alive. Prayer moves into a new dimension. Worship is transformed by the anointing of the Spirit.

The apostle P au l wrote about both the experience of praying in the Spirit and singing in the Spirit (1 Corinthians 14:15).

If you want to be more effective in prayer, worship and witnessing for Jesus, then ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit.

Our Bibles record how all this started on the Day of Pentecost just a few weeks after Jesus had been crucified and risen again, and just ten days or so after his ascension back to heaven.

So, what must that have been like for the first followers of Jesus?

story continues…