Teaching disciples how to hear, obey, and partner with the Holy Spirit is one of the most important parts of the disciple making process.
The Bible teaches that God poured out his Spirit upon the church on Pentecost to launch the church age, initiate the Great Commission, and to fulfill Jesus’ promise to empower his disciples to be his witnesses.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (NLT)
The risen and ascended Lord of the harvest knows that his church must have his power to accomplish his mission, and this power is only available in and through his Spirit.
Jesus, the incarnated Logos, God’s own Son, understood from the beginning of his ministry that he personally completely depended on the power and operation of the Holy Spirit to fulfill his ministry.
The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, Luke 4:18 (NLT)
Jesus demonstrated what it looks like to be dependent upon God.
So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. John 5:19 (NLT) We desperately need the Holy Spirit’s guidance and power simply to engage life on a daily basis. How much more do we need him to carry out the Great Commission!
Paul said it is one thing to live in the Spirit and quite another to “walk” in the Spirit. (Galatians 5:25) The Holy Spirit lives in every born again person, but that is not the same thing as “walking” in partnership with him and being “anointed” by the Spirit for ministry.
The baptism in the Spirit is the gateway to effective empowerment for ministry. (This is too large a topic to cover adequately in this short article, but if you want to read more about this amazing promise and gift of the Father, click here.)
Once we receive the baptism in the Spirit, we need a daily re-filling of the Spirit, because, as someone put it, we leak. This is available through a daily re-engagement with the Spirit through worship, thanksgiving, and prayer, which must include times of simply listening. He also connects with us as we read the Bible.
The Bible and the Spirit are in agreement. They speak with one voice.
Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:18-20 (NLT)
Jesus promised us that his “sheep” can and do hear his voice. (John 10:27) The voice of Christ is mediated by the indwelling Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is our interface with God.
All followers of Christ are able to hear and communicate with God, but many do not know how or even believe they can.
Teaching followers of Christ how to hear the voice of the Spirit is a top priority in the disciple making process. (For more on this, click here.)
Once we begin to discern what the Holy Spirit is saying to us, the next step is to gain confidence, so that we routinely obey. When we hear God, but disobey, it effectively shuts down our ability to hear. God is not playing games. As Henry Blackaby taught in his ground breaking series, Experiencing God, when God speaks, it places us in a crisis of belief. Are we willing to make the necessary adjustments to overcome our fear and resistance in order to obey him?
I do not think that it is hyperbole to say that teaching followers of Christ to take the plunge into obedience to the Spirit is THE top priority in disciple making. (Click here to read more.)
Once disciples gain faith and experience in hearing and obeying the Holy Spirit, we should help them develop another very important “skill” – learning how to operate in the gifts of the Spirit as the Spirit directs. Jesus’ ministry would have been very different had he not used the gifts of the Spirit on a regular basis.
God wants us to follow Christ’s example and use the gifts of the Spirit to bless people and open their hearts to the gospel. (You can read more by clicking here.)
When we share the gospel, teach the Bible, and counsel others, disciples are to rely upon the Spirit for revelation and the ability to share with a power and authority that impacts lives. Some people call this the “anointing,” which is simply a succinct way to describe the operation of the Spirit in and through his people. In conclusion, a huge part of the disciple making process is to teach disciples how to hear, obey, and partner with the Holy Spirit in every aspect of life, including ministry and the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
