But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and in Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (Acts 1:8 NKJV)
Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. I still have many things to you, but you cannot bear them now.
“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take what is Mine and declarer it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take Mine and declare it to you. (John 16:7-15NKJV)
From conception to ascension to glory, the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus on this earth was totally dependent upon the person and power of the eternal Spirit of God.
The Lord Jesus knew the Holy Spirit and His omnipotent power from eternity past as part of the Godhead. The Lord also knew the person and power of the Holy Spirit well in His earthly life and ministry. He was sent to earth by the counsel of the Father and the Holy Spirit. (Isaiah 48:16). His coming and mission was foretold by the Holy Spirit through the prophets (Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7, 53:2-12,).
His miraculous conscription in the womb of a virgin was the work of the Holy Spirit (Mt. 1:18-20; Luke 1:32-35). As, a baby, He was nourished spiritual and also physically guarded and protected by the Holy Spirit (Mt.2: 1-23, Luke 2:40, 50-52). For His earthly ministry He was anointed by the Holy Spirit and labored, and also endured great persecution and suffering, even the suffering on the cross of Calvary by the power of the Spirit (Acts 10:30; Luke 4:18-19; Mt. 12:28; Luke 11:20) He was resurrected or raised from the dead by the power of the Spirit (Romans 8:11).
When He commanded the disciples to stay in the Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit to them from heaven, He was ready to be taken to glory. In the last three and a half years the disciples were with Him, they witnessed the amazing works of the Holy Spirit through the life and ministry of their master, the Lord Jesus. The mission He came to do was done, which was redemption of mankind. This finished work of Christ had to be declared to the world by the person and power of the Holy Spirit through the followers of Christ Jesus.
As God the Father trusted God the Son and sent Him to do the work of redemption, God the Son trusted God the Holy Spirit to declare to the world what God the Son had done for humanity or mankind. The Lord Jesus did not want what He did on Calvary to be merely history or religion, but life because He is life; abundant life (John 10:10, 11:25; I John 1:1-3).
God does not trust nor depend on man’s ability or wisdom to do His divine work in this world, but in His Holy Spirit. That is why He said, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” Zech. 4:6 (NJKV). The works of the Lord from A to Z are done by His Spirit. I know it is too hard for so many talented and naturally gifted people to receive or believe this, but that is the truth. That is why He commanded the apostles to receive the power from the Holy Spirit by receiving Him upon their lives.
When the blessed the Lord Jesus said, ‘‘YOU SHALL RECEIVE POWER WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS COME UPON YOU…,”
He was saying when the Holy Spirit takes charge or controls your life He will impart power for the work that I have called you to do. The Holy Spirit cannot empower the life, He does not control or take charge.
Amazing! That is exactly what we read in Acts 2. First they positioned themselves by obeying the Lord’s command, staying in Jerusalem for those ten days. The number ten refers “responsibility”. Therefore, they waited for the promise of the Lord being in the right place, in one accord praying. We need to be responsible and do our part as the apostles did.
When the blessed Holy Spirit came, first He filled the house where they were assembled. Then He imparted His power to them. Amazingly, that is exactly what the Holy Spirit wants to do with us today. First, He wants control our lives so that He can then impart His power into our lives.
From the early 1940s to late 1980s, the emphasis among Spirit-filled churches was on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, instead of on the Holy Spirit, the giver of the gifts. In the 90s, the emphasis was on the anointing or the power, instead of on the anointer. To seek the anointing or the power without personal relationship and surrender to the Spirit of God is like going to draw some water out of the river and going home. When you are done with that water, you must go again to draw some more. That is not what the Lord Jesus intended for you and I regarding the Holy Spirit and His power or anointing, but to allow the Holy Spirit to take control or take in charge of our lives and allow Him to flow continually or unceasingly through us the life and power of God to touch and change lives. It is like to be owned by the river, be with the river and own the river always. That is like to have unlimited divine power and resources (John 3:34).
I believe the time has come now is to seek the giver of the gifts instead of the gifts and to seek to have intimate personal relationship with the anointer rather than to seek the anointing. It grieves the heart of God to see and hear His children seeking what He can give instead of seeking Him and all that He has for them.
Let Holy Spirit come upon you. Let Him control and guide your life continually. By doing so you will receive and experience more than His gifts or anointing. You will enter to the realm of God and experience His presence, glory and His mighty works. Amen? Praise the Lord!