This Month's Newsletter

Part 2: The Greatest need in the church today " The Holy Spirit"

Pastor Don Nicely's Newsletter for February 2009

The Holy Spirit & the church

God’s greatest desire for His church is that the Holy Spirit be the leader of the church. Why not, since the Holy Spirit is the founder of the church on the day of the Pentecost. Also it was the Holy Spirit that maintained and guided the church throughout the book of Acts as well as throughout history. When the Spirit is given the rightful place in Christ’s body the church will become a powerhouse for God changing the world as the early church did. It was said of the disciples that they turned the whole world upside-down. How they did it was by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Today the Holy Spirit is preparing the church; 1 Corinthians 12:23 (NKJV)¹³Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

His desire is that there be a oneness in the body. A unity of the brethren that will be a sweet smell to those around them. Not that all the sudden the Baptist will change to the Pentecostal doctrine, but that within every body of believers there is a oneness of unity all working together to accomplish the same purpose which would be to call all men to salvation. The people who respond to the call and accept Christ as their savior all become members of God’s family and His church. It doesn’t matter what color skin or what social status in life God has placed us in as long as we are of the human race we qualify for the great gift of God; Romans 10:13 (NKJV)¹³For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."

1 Corinthians 12:13 also states that we have all been made to drink into one spirit. Church customs and human rituals mean very little to God. He just wants us to be one big happy family. Now although we are all of the same Spirit each church has its own personality.

Ephesians 2:20-22 (NKJV)²⁰having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, ²¹in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, ²²in whom you also are being built together for a swelling place of God in the Spirit.

The church must first build on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Jesus being the chief cornerstone. But Matthew 16:28 tells us that Christ’s church was built on the fact that he is the Christ and the rock of the church.

Matthew 16:18 (NKJV)¹⁸And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

In order for God’s church to be held together properly it must be built on holiness.

Ephesians 5:25-27 (NKJV)²⁵Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, ²⁶that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

And it must contain a four-fold fellowship.
1 John 1:7 (NKJV)⁷But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

The Holy Spirit also is releasing His power in the church through two different mediums. First it’s His praying power and then it’s our preaching power. Look at Luke 24:49 and notice the importance of the word tarry. Notice how the word tarry is the means by which the power would come into their lives. Yet today since the power of the Holy Spirit is already been given we no longer have to tarry for it but instead all we have to do is receive it by faith and allow it to operate in our lives. The Holy Spirit is a complete gentleman and will never impose something on us that we are not sure of. So we must really want to receive that power today to receive it.

Luke 24:49 (KJV)⁴⁹And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from high.

Or wait for the power before you do the work that you need to do. That’s the reason why so little is getting done for the kingdom today. People are doing spiritual work without spiritual power. The real power in prayer is seen in Acts 4:31 as the disciples tarried and prayed for boldness to proclaim the gospel to their enemies as well as families.

Acts 4:31 (NKJV)³¹And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

It’s amazing the transformation that Peter went through by praying for boldness. He went from denying Christ to save his own skin to preaching boldly on the day of Pentecost without any concern of repercussion, all in just a few weeks. That’s the difference that the Holy Spirit can make in an individuals life if they will just let him.

Why don’t you ask God for boldness right now! Ask him to put you in His body right where He wants you to be. His is able to stabilize us in this shaky world if we will just let Him. It has been said that the success of the early was a three-fold action with each doing their part. Jesus went up-The Holy Spirit came down and the disciples went out. That’s what God wants us to do. Go out and get others to come in.

Continued Next Month