Praying For Holy Spirit Power

In Acts 8, not long after Pentecost, Peter and John were sent by the apostles to Samaria where people had accepted the word of God and had been baptised in the name of Jesus. When they arrived, they placed their hands on them (presumably also praying) and they received the Holy Spirit.

Two questions:

1.     Why was praying that they receive the Holy Spirit a priority?

2.     How did they know that they had received the Holy Spirit?

In Acts 19, Paul went to Ephesus where there were disciples. He asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

“No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

“Then what baptism did you receive?”, Paul asked.

It transpired that they had receive John’s baptism. They had repented. Fantastic! But they didn’t seem to know that John was simply preparing the way for Jesus. There was more than just repentance. Paul then baptised them in the name of Jesus. When he placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.

In this instance, we know how they knew the Holy Spirit had come upon them. They spoke in tongues and prophesied. But why did Paul ask them if they had received the Holy Spirit?

I can think of two possibilities:

1.     It is very important, and he was checking.

2.     He sensed that something was wrong. Maybe they hadn’t received the Holy Spirit.

How could he tell? How is a church that has received the Holy Spirit different from one that has not?

I think the answer is: power. Jesus said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you”.

We have been looking at prayers in the New Testament. What were the apostles prayer priorities? Sometimes we pray little prayers about our physical needs. They prayed big prayer about spiritual things. And the Holy Spirit was front and centre. They wanted churches empowered by the Holy Spirit.

But, again, how could Paul tell if the Holy Spirit was present? What does power look like? There are two aspects: the power of God working in us and the power of God working through us. The power of God working in us brings about transformation in our lives, changing us. Think of the fruit of the Spirit – and note that it is the fruit of the Spirit; God changing our character: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

The power of God working through us enables us to be part of changes in other people’s lives. Think of the gifts of the Spirit – and note that they are gifts of the Spirit: healing, teaching, a word of knowledge, hospitality… abilities we do not have naturally but we can have supernaturally because of the power of the Holy Spirit.

The apostles prayed for revelation, holiness, knowledge of God’s will, joy, peace, hope, for Christ to dwell in the believers, unity… and so much more.

It is no wonder Peter and John and Paul prayed that those churches in Samaria and Ephesus would receive the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit they would be just another community organisation. Without the Holy Spirit they would be mere humans, powerless, not growing, not becoming more like Jesus, not displaying an alternative way of life, ineffective, achieving nothing. The apostles did not want human clubs; they wanted God-empowered churches. They wanted God to be present and active.

1 Corinthians 14:25 talks about an enquirer coming into a Christian gathering and falling down and worshipping God, exclaiming “God is really among you”.

So, let’s look at a couple of NT prayers. Firstly, Ephesians 3:14-21. READ

Paul had two prayer requests. The first one was that they would be strengthened with power through His Spirit in their inner being. He wants the Holy Spirit to be at the very core of their being. In fact, he paraphrases it as Christ dwelling in their hearts. This was the church he prayed for in Acts 19. Here he is praying that prayer again. May the Holy Spirit be in your inner being; may Christ dwell in your heart.

It is one thing to have a vague, general sense that God is with us. It is another thing to be indwelt by God.

Where is the Holy Spirit for you?

·       A million miles away?

·       In other people’s lives but not yours?

·       Alongside you?

·       In you? In your inner being?

Paul’s second prayer request was that the Ephesians who already knew the love of God – who were rooted and grounded in love – would grasp the breadth, length, height and depth. The breadth, length, height and depth of what? Most of our translations say “of the love of Christ” because that is in the next verse, but the text doesn’t actually say that. Maybe it means may the Holy Spirit give you understanding of everything there is to know about God. However, the context is about the love of Christ, so it is reasonable to think that Paul wants them to know how big, how amazing, is the love of Christ for them. We wouldn’t know about the love for God if the Holy Spirit didn’t open our eyes to it. We would not understand God’s grace without the Holy Spirit showing us.

This is a paradox: he wants them to know what is unknowable: “may you know this love that surpasses knowledge”. The love of God for us is so amazing it is beyond comprehension, but may it be their experience. May it be real and overwhelming for them.

But why did Paul pray this? That they may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. The purpose of praying that the Holy Spirit would be in their inner being, the purpose of praying that they grasp the magnitude of the love of Christ, is that they be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Does it mean we become gods? No, it means we become increasingly Christ-like – people filled with God. Paul uses a similar phrase a few verses later when he talks about the church being built up until we become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

This is a big, ambitious prayer. May our family, and friends, and brothers and sisters at church receive the Holy Spirit dwelling in their inner being, that is, Jesus Christ living in their hearts. May we all be God-filled people. We sometime say, ‘I’m only human”. No, Christians can be God-filled humans – Holy Spirit-led, Holy Spirit-empowered, Holy Spirit-taught humans. The apostles prayed for the supernatural. They wanted these Christians to be people in whom the Holy Spirit lived, at the very core of their being.

Let’s also pray that our family, friends and brothers and sisters at church have a Holy Spirit revelation of the magnitude of the love of Christ – a love so big it cannot be fully known, and yet it can be known.

And let’s pray that those same people, knowing they are loved, may grow to be like Jesus.

Paul brackets this prayer with statements about the ability and the willingness of God to answer. God will give out of His glorious riches. He has abundant resources. He is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or even imagine, according to His power that is at work within us. What a big God!

The other prayer is Colossians 1:9-14. READ.

Paul prays for one thing. That one thing will have one result. That one result has four aspects.

We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives. May you have Holy Spirit-given understanding of the will of God.

All of these prayers come back to the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who gives us understanding and heals and who makes us like Jesus and teaches us and gives us courage. Everything! Everything we receive from God is through the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit is God with us.

Why does He want them to know God’s will? So that they may live a life worthy of the Lord and pleasing to Him. Wow, is that not a great thing to pray for for ourselves and everyone around us?

What does that life look like?

1.     Bear fruit in every good work.

2.     Growing in the knowledge of God. Knowing Him better.

3.     Being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might. In this instance it is the power to endure with patience.

4.     Giving thanks to God… the God who has given us an inheritance in His Kingdom and who has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of His Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

These are big, big prayers to a big, big God. These are spiritually ambitious prayers. This is not just “Please keep my family safe”. This is, “Lord, please fill my children with your Holy Spirit. Please may my family grasp how incredibly big is Your love for us. Please we all at church have a Holy Spirit-given understanding of your will so that we live lives that please You; bearing fruit, knowing You better, strengthened with all power, and thankful.

It is possible for churches to operate without God. That is why Peter and John, and Paul asked the Samaritans and the Ephesians, “Have you receive the Holy Spirit?”. I am on a Presbytery task group promoting spiritual renewal and growth. We want to share stories of what God is doing in the churches in this region, but it is common for people to tell us about a programme they have run or a decision the elders have made, or a new person employed. No, what has God been doing? Sometimes there is silence.

The apostles wanted God-things to happen. They wanted Holy Spirit-things to happen.

1630