“How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, and grieved Him in the desert! Yes, again and again they tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember His power: The day when He redeemed them from the enemy, when He worked His signs in Egypt, and His wonders in the field of Zoan.”
PSALM 78:40-43
The Holy Spirit has no substitute. He is the life in the preacher and the power in the sermon, the divine magnet that attracts souls to the Church. The Spirit of God is His own advertiser; if we will let Him take His place in the Church and build it, the gates of hell will not prevail against it. We will see growth.
THE LESS HOLY SPIRIT OPERATION WE HAVE, THE MORE CAKE and coffee we need to keep the church going. Nothing against coffee or cake, but the truth remains that the Holy Spirit has no substitute. His presence and works speak for themselves.
The Holy Spirit makes evangelism possible. Without the Holy Spirit, the Great Commission is only an impossible dream. But with the impetus and involvement of the Holy Spirit, preaching the Gospel to all creation is not just wishful thinking. It is an attainable vision.
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE LAST CENTURY, HOLY SPIRIT manifestations dramatically increased just like in Acts 2. From America, it spread to Europe, to Asia and across the world. My question is, if in the last 100 years, 20 people on fire for God could bring 800 million souls to salvation, how many will those 800 million bring to salvation now? Not even the sky is the limit with God!
The Holy Spirit has taken residence in you and wants to move in your life with power. He wants to connect with every member of your being and with every faculty of your soul. Surrender–your tongue, your body, your mind, your will and even your eyes–and people will see Him in you.
YEARS AGO, MY MUSIC MINISTER AND I WERE SHOPPING FOR a new keyboard. It was noon as we entered a big music shop in Johannesburg, South Africa. The salesman took no notice of us as we tried out all the keyboards. Suddenly, the salesman appeared. He seemed to be in a state of shock as he said to me, with eyes wide open, “Sir, I can see Jesus in your eyes!” What? The Holy Spirit had entered that shop. We forgot all about the keyboard and had a revival instead. But when I was walking back to my car, I kept saying, “Lord, I will never understand. How can a total stranger walk up to me and say, ‘I can see Jesus in your eyes?’” Suddenly, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, “Jesus lives in your heart, and sometimes HE LIKES TO LOOK OUT OF THE WINDOWS.” I laughed and cried. What glorious truth! I got the point. Years later, I met the wife of the salesman who told me that her husband had followed Jesus for the rest of his life. Praise God.