Acts 1:8 (Amplified) says, "But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea, and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth."
The Holy Spirit is much more in our lives than we've ever allowed Him to be. Most Christians know that He is there, but sadly, the Holy Spirit has no place in their lives. Acts 2:16 (Amplified) says that, "(After the Holy Spirit had fallen on the Upper Room), Peter stood up and said, But (instead) this is (the beginning of) what was spoken through the Prophet Joel."
Many believe that the Holy Spirit was sent by the Father to start the Church, while others believe that He was sent for only the early Church age. Some Christians even say, "Now that we have the Bible, there is no need for the Holy Spirit in the Church." So many things have been said and taught about the Holy Spirit's place in ministry. Some have even gone so far as declaring that "God no longer heals, delivers or performs supernatural things because they are no longer needed to make the Church function." However, I read in Hebrews 13:8 (Amplified) that, "Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is (always) the same, yesterday, today, (yes) and forever (to the ages)."
If Jesus ministered and sent the Holy Spirit to do the same work He did, then everything the Holy Spirit ever did, He continues to do. Jesus is always the same, but we have changed. Without the Holy Spirit, we are powerless to do the ministry and without Him, we are just the same as we were.
Paul said in Acts 20:22-23 (Amplified), "And now, you see, I am going to Jerusalem, bound by the (Holy) Spirit and obligated and compelled by the (convictions of my own) spirit, not knowing what will befall me there, Except that the Holy Spirit clearly and emphatically affirms to me in city after city that imprisonment and suffering await me." The Holy Spirit was the One Who was showing Paul what he would have to face for his part in the Gospel.
Paul was never in the dark concerning his part in the ministry because the Holy Spirit was leading him. It seems like most of us have no idea what we're called to do or where we are to go, because we don't acknowledge the Holy Spirit's ministry. Paul was forbidden, by the Holy Spirit, to go to a certain place in Acts 16:6-7 (Amplified) which says, "And Paul and Silas passed through the territory of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Word in (the province of) Asia. And when they came opposite Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them."
We get ourselves into trouble by not listening to the "Spirit of Jesus" or the Holy Spirit. Most of us would have gone on into the territory of Phrgia and Galatia despite the warning. Paul did eventually go into these places and build churches, but not at that time. Only when the Holy Spirit had given them direction, could they be able to be effective.
The Holy Spirit always leads us into ministry and never drives us into it. It seems strange to us that the Holy Spirit would forbid us to go into a place and proclaim Jesus, but He did here. What would have happened to Paul if he hadn't listened? We will never know, but the Holy Spirit forbade him for a reason. I wonder how many missionaries would never have died if they had listened to His voice. The Holy Spirit is to be our Guide and as such, He knows the way in and the way out. Without a guide, it could be easy to get lost in a strange place.
Many Christians have left the place in the Body where the Holy Spirit had fit them to, only to find themselves in a place they weren't fitted to. This has been harmful for some and others may have missed what God called them to do for lesser things. This doesn't mean that they're not saved or that they don't belong to the Father, but like any other body, the parts need to be in the correct place in order to work properly. If you've ever had a hip or shoulder out of joint, then you can imagine what this can do to the rest of the body.
God is bringing the parts of His Body into the place they belong, in these last days. It's going to cause some discomfort in the Body as things are being moved around, but it's going to be glorious when it's complete. We move from church to church seeking where we should be, but He is the One who "fitly joins us together." This is His work and His ministry in the earth today, for the Body.
Ephesians 4:16 (Amplified) says, "For because of Him the whole body (the Church, in all its various parts) closely joined and firmly knit together by the joints and ligaments with which it is supplied, when each part (with power adapted to its need) is working properly (in all its functions) grow to full maturity, building itself up in love."
Through the Holy Spirit, the Father is now "joining" His Body together as He wills. As this Body is joined properly, it will begin to stand erect in the fullness and the stature of Christ. The whole world is near to seeing the glory of the Lord in a way they've never seen before. The Body will stand strong as long as we allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us.
We are the generation that will write the last chapter of the Church age for all the world to see. Jesus will be exalted through his Body, in great power and signs. We see the Church in its infancy in Acts, but now we stand as one mature Body. We're no longer infants or children, but stand in the fullness and stature of the Lord. It's been two thousand years of growth and maturity for the Church, but now is the time of the coming of the Lord!
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