GROWING IMPACT IN MINISTRY THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT
Acts 1:8; 19:2.
You may already have the Spirit of God, but it is what you do with the Spirit that makes you have a greater, growing impact in ministry. The seventy elders received part of the spirit of God upon Moses, but there is no record of what they did with that Spirit; however, Joshua received the Spirit and did exploits with what he received. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8). The apostles received the Holy Ghost after they had been saved, sanctified and united. After they received the Holy Ghost, they went to Jerusalem and Judaea but did not go to Samaria and the uttermost part of the earth until persecution and the Spirit drove them there. “He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.” (Acts 19:2). The disciples in Ephesus were cool and cold, steadfast in doctrine but inactive and not evangelizing, lived without fire or fervency, and drive or passion. What we do after we receive the Holy Spirit will tell the world that we have received the Holy Spirit in reality. You will have a growing impact in your country and outside your country in Jesus Name.
- RECEIVE, RESIST NOT, THE HOLY SPIRIT
Acts 1:8; John 20:22-23; Acts 2:38-39; John 7:37-39; Acts 8:14-17; 10:44-47; 19:2.
If you will receive the Holy Spirit, you cannot resist Him at the same time. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8). When the Holy Ghost comes, He does not differentiate between men and women or between the young and the old; everyone expecting will receive. If you are available when the Holy Ghost comes, His power will come upon you. Before the Holy Ghost comes, you may be fearful of religious leaders, but when the Holy Ghost comes, you are bold and courageous and manifest the power of God without any restriction or fear of man. When the power of the Holy Spirit comes, you will go everywhere God wants you to go as a witness for Him, and while you go everywhere, the power will keep increasing in your life. God wants us to receive the Holy Spirit; God gives, and we receive. “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” (Acts 2:38-39). When the Holy Ghost comes upon you, all fear will flee from your life, and you will stand in the Lord in places where you once cringed and compromised. When we receive the power, we must do things that will show that we have received the power, and we must avoid things that will limit or quench the power.
A – Abandon not the Spirit – Romans 8:9,14-16. Just as you will not abandon a visitor or guest to do other things, when the Holy Ghost comes with power and authority, you must not abandon Him. We must not abandon the Spirit but rely upon Him when preaching or praying.
B – Blaspheme not the Spirit – Mark 3:29. The Pharisees blasphemed in saying that Jesus did the things He did by Beelzebub, but we must not do that.
C – Contradict not the Spirit – 2 Chronicles 18:22-23. The Spirit says you can; when you say you can’t, you contradict the Spirit. Believe that you can do what God says you can do, you have what God says you have, and you are where God says you are.
D – Despise not the Spirit – Hebrews 10:29. Don’t despise a person filled with the Holy Spirit because of their grammar; if you do, you despise the One working through him. When you look down on ministers who have personal problems because you know their history, you despise the Spirit of God in them. Abimelech did not despise Abraham when Abraham came to pray for the women in his family who were barren, even though Abraham himself did not have a child yet.
E – Exchange not the Spirit – 1 Corinthians 2:12. As a minister, don’t exchange the Holy Spirit with the Spirit of the world.
F – Forsake not the Spirit – 1 Samuel 10:9-10; 16:14. Do not frustrate the Holy Spirit.
G – Grieve not the Spirit – Ephesians 4:30-32. The Holy Spirit is the nourisher and provider who will bless your life; don’t grieve Him. Anything you will do or say that will make the Holy Spirit grieved and withdraw, don’t do or say it.
H – Harden not heart against the Spirit – Nehemiah 9:20,26,29-30. I – Intercede not without the Spirit – Romans 8:26-27.
When you receive the Spirit, you embrace the Spirit, you love the Spirit, move on in the Spirit and don’t allow any separation between you and the Spirit of God.
- RAISE, RUIN NOT, THE HARVESTED SOULS
Jeremiah 5:24; Proverbs 10:5; Jeremiah 8:20-22; Matthew 9:36-38; Luke 11:13-26; John 4:35-38; Ezekiel 34:4-10; Acts 20:26-28.
As a person of destiny, you came to this world to accomplish something; your life will amount to something. “Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.” (Jeremiah 5:24).
There are places in the ministry that have been reserved for you, and you must not question why you are chosen for those tasks. When you take the opportunity of the appointed weeks of harvest that God has reserved for you, many good things will happen through you. “He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.” (Proverbs 10:5). God has appointed things for you to do; you will not sleep or run away, but you will stay at your duty post, gather the harvest, keep the harvest, and grow the harvest for the kingdom. “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.” (John 4:35-38). We are to look at the fields because, in the word of God, there are multiple events and activities for us. God has not limited or restricted you, and you will not be limited or restricted. As you go to the fields God has sent you, God will confirm the word in your mouth.
J – Journey not without the Spirit – Acts 16:6-7. Paul and his team were restrained from going to a certain place. Do not journey anywhere without the Spirit.
K – Keep nothing but by the Spirit – 2 Timothy 1:13-14. Whatever I cannot keep by the Spirit is not worth keeping. Whatever I cannot hold without the Spirit is not worth keeping. But the standard of the word, the work, and the Great Commission God has given us, we must keep by the Holy Spirit.
L – Lie not to the Spirit – Acts 5:3-4. Those who think that nothing can be done to change the number of years we live are mistaken. Hezekiah prolonged the number of his years by prayer; God will give you enough years to finish what He called you to do. Ananias and Saphira should not have died when they died; it was lying to the Spirit of God that cut short their life. Your life will not be cut short in Jesus Name.
M – Misuse not the Spirit – Acts 8:18-23. When the Spirit wants to do something great, dynamic, heavenly, and mighty in your life, don’t pull down the Spirit to the level of a messenger because He is God Himself. Don’t misuse the Spirit.
N – Neglect not the Spirit – 1 Timothy 4:14-16. You may struggle, try, and do your best, but when you ask the Holy Spirit to help you, He will help you to carry the load you could not carry by yourself. You and the Holy Spirit are more than the majority.
O – Obstruct not the Spirit – Luke 11:13-26. When God wants to do something, you must not run ahead to hinder the Holy Spirit, but you must cooperate with the Spirit. If all the church members do these, there will be a revival in every church.
P – Pervert not the Spirit – 1 John 4:2-6. Whatever the Spirit says, you must say it exactly the way He said it.
Q – Quench not the Spirit – 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22. When the Holy Spirit moves in an unprecedented way in our midst, we must not quench the Spirit. When something begins to stir in you, don’t quench the Spirit.
R – Resist not the Spirit – Acts 7:51,53. Allow the Spirit to move in whatever direction He wants to move. The Lord will be with you, and you will begin to preach like you never preached, pray like you never prayed, and sing like you never sang. The music of David relieved Saul of the evil spirits that tormented him; as you receive the Holy Spirit today, everything you do will be at a higher level.
- RENEW, REPRESS NOT, THE HUMBLE SPIRIT
Isaiah 57:15; Proverbs 29:23; 16:18-19; Matthew 18:1-4; James 4:6-10; 1 Peter 5:5-6; Phil 2:5-9; Matthew 23:12.
S – Strive not with the Spirit – Genesis 6:3. God’s Spirit will not always strive with man; therefore, don’t strive with the Spirit.
T – Tempt not the Spirit – Acts 5:9. Don’t tempt the Holy Spirit like Saphira connived with Ananias to tempt the Spirit.
U – Underestimate not the Spirit – Isaiah 63:11-15. Don’t underestimate the Holy Ghost in you because, through you, He will say what you have never said; He will accomplish what you have never accomplished. Don’t underestimate what the Spirit can do through you.
V – Vex not the Spirit – Isaiah 63:10.
W – Withdraw not from the Spirit – Psalm 139:7,23-24. It is exciting to have the Holy Spirit. Don’t withdraw from Him, and He will not withdraw from you.
X – ‘Xasperate not the Spirit – Galatians 5:17. Don’t tire out or wear out the Spirit, and don’t have any conflict with Him.
Y – Yield not to another spirit – 2 Corinthians 11:4.
Z – Zigzag no more from the Spirit – Jude 1:17-21. The Holy Spirit is coming to you; you must stay where He will find you. When the Holy Spirit comes, He will care for you, comfort you, revive you, and renew you and a new life will begin in you.
