Teaching disciples how to partner with the Holy Spirit in ministry is one of the most important parts of the disciple-making process.
During the forty days after his resurrection, Jesus told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promised outpouring of his Spirit.
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)
After Jesus ascended to heaven, he poured out his Spirit upon the church on Pentecost to launch the church age, initiate the Great Commission, and to fulfill his promise to empower his disciples to be his witnesses.
This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. Acts 2:32–33 (NKJV)
Jesus, the Word of God in human form, God’s own Son, partnered with the Holy Spirit to carry out 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 work in harmony with God’s Spirit.
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)
If God’s only begotten Son depended on the Spirit to carry out his assignment, how much more do we need the Holy Spirit’s guidance and power to represent Christ and fulfill the Great Commission!
The Bible teaches that all believers live or abide in God’s Spirit.
Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16 (NKJV)
However, it is one thing to live in the Spirit and quite another to “walk” in step with the Spirit.
Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Galatians 5:25 (NLT)
The Holy Spirit lives inside every born-again person. It is important that we gain confidence in this enormous truth, which will enable us to trust in God’s transforming power within. When it comes to ministry, however, we must learn how to partner with him. Many people call this having God’s “anointing,” which simply means that the Holy Spirit is “upon” us in a tangible way.
The baptism in the Spirit is a gateway to effective empowerment for ministry.
(I cover this in other lessons in this series.) Once we receive the baptism in the Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in tongues, we need a daily refilling of the Spirit, because, as someone once said, we leak.
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)
This refilling is available to us via a daily engagement with the Spirit in worship, thanksgiving, and prayer, which ideally should include times of simply listening. The Bible calls this “waiting on God.”
Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! Psalm 27:14 (NKJV)
The Bible and the Spirit always agree. They speak with one voice. The Spirit wants us to be continually alert. We never know when and how he will speak to us. Sometimes it happens as we worship, read the Bible, and pray. It could happen in our sleep through a dream, or as we contemplate. It takes practice to discern his voice. He wants us to get very good at it.
Jesus promised us that his “sheep” can and do hear his voice.
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. John 10:27 (NKJV)
He wants us to believe this is the truth, even if we have not been able to properly hear him speak yet.
The Holy Spirit is our interface with God.
All followers of Christ can hear and communicate with God, but many do not know how or even believe they can. The Spirit will speak to us as we read and meditate on the scriptures. We can “hear” him in our own thoughts and heart, too. Sometimes his voice is so “quiet” that we must get quiet to discern it.
And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:12–13 (NLT)
At other times he breaks through unmistakably with a clear message.
When we are first learning how to detect his voice, we will probably need help from more seasoned disciples who can act as a “sounding board” for us to ask feedback on what we think God is telling us.
God is willing to work with us to give us more confidence that what we discern is indeed his voice. This happens when we are willing to “take a chance” and step out in faith.
He can and does speak to us through other people in sermons, counseling, and simple conversation, but it always takes practice to discern God’s will.
There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. 12 You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. 13 For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. 14 Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong. Hebrews 5:11–14 (NLT)
Lastly, circumstances can indicate what God is saying, but this too must be properly discerned. Sometimes we must press forward despite adverse circumstances. At other times, we should realize that God is closing a door. Once again, we may need to ask for help in discerning what God is saying. We can trust the Lord to make it plain to us and others.
Once we begin to discern what the Holy Spirit is saying to us, the next step is to gain confidence so that we can routinely and instantly obey his gentle promptings.
When we hear God, but disobey, it hinders our ability to hear, at least in the short run. As Henry Blackaby taught in his groundbreaking 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 to obey him?
Once we gain faith and experience in hearing and obeying the Holy Spirit, God wants us to develop proficiency in how to operate in the gifts of the Spirit.
Jesus’ ministry would have been very different had he not done this on a regular basis.
The gifts of the Spirit are provided to bless others and open their hearts to the Jesus and the gospel. For the uninitiated, operating in the gifts can be daunting, but it is not much different from learning to hear his voice. Once we discern God’s voice, it seamlessly transitions to operating in the gifts of the Spirit. In fact, we may discover that the Spirit of God has long been prompting us in the prophetic realm without our being aware. Once we become active partners, we might be surprised how fast he can develop us, but it requires faith and courage.
In conclusion, a huge part of the disciple-making process is to teach followers of Christ how to hear, obey, and partner with the Holy Spirit in every aspect of life, including ministry and the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
