The theme of the Holy Spirit keeps coming up time and again as we look at the history of the mission that Jesus left us of taking His gospel to the whole world. In the book of Acts, each expansion of the church was accompanied with a fresh move of the Holy Spirit. As we look through the centuries, we see people like St. Patrick who instilled an awareness for the necessity of the Holy Spirit in his followers and whole movements, such as the Pietistic Movement, that were characterized by an awareness of the presence of the Holy Spirit. From the very mission mandate itself through the first-century apostles to the twenty-first-century Pentecostals and charismatics, the move of the Holy Spirit is an unmistakable thread woven right into the fabric of missions.
Vinson Synan, Regent University professor and historian of the Pentecostal Movement, estimates that more than one fourth of the world’s Christians are Pentecostal or charismatic. He said that, of the almost two billion people who profess the Christian faith, over half a billion of them are charismatic or Pentecostal. It has been estimated that twenty-three percent of Christians in America have experienced the Pentecostal gifts of the Holy Spirit. Among Catholics, it is estimated that about half a million practice speaking in tongues and that almost ten million have had this experience since the Charismatic Movement began within the Catholic Church in the 1970s. Synan points to South Korea as an example of how the faith has impacted a whole nation. Thirty percent of the population is Christian, making Christianity the largest faith group in the nation, and about sixty percent of all Korean Christians are Pentecostal.
The worldwide impact of the Pentecostal Movement is an indication that we are living in the end times since the Bible prophesies that a worldwide inundation of the Holy Spirit’s presence is a sign of the generation that is to close out human history as we know it.
And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. (Acts 2:17-18, also Joel 2:28-29)
Since we also know that one of the most significant signs of the end time is that the gospel will be preached to all nations (Matthew 24:14), we can equate these two prophetic signs and see that they will occur together in the end times. Not only is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit prophetically associated with worldwide evangelism, there actually seems to be a cause-and-effect relationship.
Unfortunately, there is still resistance among many denominational mission groups. I remember one couple who were in seminary with me. Even though they had prepared themselves fully for an appointment by their denominational missions board, they were rejected because they practiced speaking in tongues. I also remember hearing of one evangelical mission leader who requested prayer concerning the explosive growth of a “cult” group in his area: the culprit – the Assemblies of God! One very large denominational mission board has long held a strong stance against charismatics serving under their authority on the field. Their present regulation for missionaries who speak in tongues is almost identical to their statement concerning homosexuality. However, there are winds of change even there. When requests were made that the denomination include a statement on speaking in tongues in their statement of faith, criticism of the anti-tongues position was accompanied with predictions of a mass exodus, especially among black congregations, if the denomination banned speaking in tongues.
As we have already noted, Jesus had four different relationships with the Holy Spirit. He was born of the Spirit (Matthew 1:20), He was filled with the Spirit and led by the Spirit (Luke 4:1), and He was empowered by the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:14). We, too, need to have the Holy Spirit working in our lives in all these dimensions. According to the conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus in John chapter three, we must be born of the Spirit to enter the kingdom of heaven. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is such a necessity that Jesus made the requirement like having an American Express card, telling His disciples not to leave home without it. (Luke 24:49) In Romans chapter eight verse fourteen, Paul insisted that being led by the Spirit is a hallmark characteristic of being a child of God. Jesus felt that being empowered by the Holy Spirit was so important that He made it the topic of His last conversation with His followers. (Acts 1:8)
In John 16:7, Jesus said that it was expedient for us that He should go away because – unless He left – the Holy Spirit could not come. The word “expedient” means fitting or proper. In other words, it was a good thing for Jesus to leave, and the reason that it was good for Him to leave was so that the Holy Spirit could come. What is the advantage of having the Holy Spirit? As we are already aware, the first thing that Jesus said was that He would work in conviction or cross-examination. (John 16:8) Cross examination is when the attorney asks questions about the same event in a way as to elicit a whole new set of answers and a whole new way of looking at the issue. This is what Jesus did when He wrote in the sand as the woman was being tried for adultery. The power of having our lives cross examined by the Spirit is that we are always ensured that we are seeing all the issues from God’s eternal perspective rather than only through our limited viewpoint. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9) The wonderful promise is that God has given us the Holy Spirit as a constant proofreader to point out our mistakes before they become serious errors.
We should also remember that Paul spoke of the Spirit only four times in the first seven chapters of Romans, but twenty times in chapter eight alone. He ended chapter seven in defeat, but moved into chapter eight in great victory. The progression of the book in chapters one through five set the theological stage for salvation, chapter six gave the salvation experience, and chapter seven described the attempt to live one’s post-salvation existence in one’s own human power. This chapter is full of the first person pronoun, “I.” Some Bible scholars try to suggest that Paul may have had an “eye” problem; this theory cannot be proven, but it is certain from this chapter that he definitely had an “I” problem. In chapter eight, Paul gave his victorious answer to his dilemma through the power of the Holy Spirit. He concluded in chapters nine through sixteen by giving practical applications of these truths to our Christian lives.
As early as verse six of chapter seven, Paul suggested that our ability to live a victorious Christian life was through the power of the Holy Spirit. But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. However, it wasn’t until the first couple verses of chapter eight that he spelled out how the Holy Spirit would help us live above the controlling power of sin. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. In Galatians 5:16-25, he makes it even plainer, This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh…If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. What a promise! It doesn’t matter whether you speak in tongues if you still lie in English or whether you fall out in the Spirit if you still stand in the way of sinners when you get up! The Holy Spirit is here to help us overcome our weaknesses in prayer (Romans 8:26) and to strengthen and empower us (I Corinthians 14:4, Jude 20, Acts 1:8).
As we mentioned in another context, Jesus called the Holy Spirit the Spirit of truth. (John 14:17, 15:26, 16:13) Remember how he paraphrased the prophet Isaiah, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him (I Corinthians 2:9), and then immediately added, But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God (verse 10). Even the great prophet Isaiah didn’t have a clue as to all the victories we can experience when we are led by the Holy Spirit’s wisdom and revelation – the truth of Christ.
Probably the next most important advantage of having the Holy Spirit in our lives is that we can manifest the fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23) These qualities help us show forth the personality of God to a godless generation. Just as a fruit tree laden with luscious fruit attracts all living things from bacteria to bumblebees to humans, so a spiritually ripe life attracts the attention of even the most skeptical of our society. If we lift up Jesus through our lives, we will certainly attract notice. (John 12:32) In the same way that we are not attracted to an apple tree until it has fruit on it, people are not attracted to us until we start to bear the fruit of the spirit.
Another really important aspect is that He gives us assurance in our prayers and decisions. (Romans 8:26-28) The Holy Spirit enhances our ability to recall the promises and instructions of the Lord – powerful tools that help us deal with our daily struggles and decisions. (John 16:26) He is also called the “Comforter,” a title signifying that He will give us the tranquility necessary to live peaceably and make calm decisions. (John 16:7-11) Additionally, He gives us boldness in our witnessing and lives in general. (Acts 4:31) On the top of the list, as far as I’m concerned, is His guidance – especially in life’s important decisions, but in our daily lives as well. (John 16:13) Of course, we must not overlook the fact that His main objective is to glorify Jesus. (John 16:14) It is the Holy Spirit who sees that the love of God is implanted into our hearts (Romans 5:5) and that the kingdom of God is birthed inside us (Romans 14:17). The Holy Spirit declares the fact that we have been adopted by God. (Romans 8:16)
One marked difference in the life of a Spirit-filled believer is that he is given the ability to operate in the gifts of the Spirit – the gifts of revelation, the gifts of power, and the gifts of inspiration – that we have previously discussed. (I Corinthians 12:8-10) Through the manifestation of these supernatural abilities, we are able to demonstrate to the unbelieving world around us that God is still very much alive.
But by now, you must be wondering if I’ve forgotten that I’m addressing the issue of effecting a world-wide harvest of souls for the kingdom of God. No, I haven’t forgotten – and I think that just one simple statement will help bring all that we just covered back into focus in the context of missions: missions is not just about the mandate; it’s also about the man. The power of the Holy Spirit in our lives makes us into the people we need to be in order for us to be the missionaries God wants us to be.
In a previous chapter, we noticed that the twelve men who followed Jesus were almost always called “disciples” in the gospels, but became “apostles” in the book of Acts. This name change signified the radical change that occurred in their lives when they were empowered by the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. But this wasn’t the end of the story, for the Holy Spirit kept showing up and empowering more and more believers. (Acts 4:31, 8:17, 9:17, 10:44, 19:6) Of course, this continued outpouring of the Spirit was no surprise since Peter had promised it in his very first sermon on the Day of Pentecost, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh…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 2:17-39) Are you called of God? If so, you can also be anointed and become an apostle as well as a disciple. Since the words “apostle” and “missionary” both mean “a sent one,” it is obvious that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a real necessity in the life of a sent out missionary. We have a job to do, but we can’t do it without the Holy Spirit.
In order to understand what the Bible says about this supernatural phenomenon, let’s start in Hebrews – a book which doesn’t even mention speaking tongues: For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. (Hebrews 5:12) The Greek wording used in this verse literally means to learn ones ABCs. We can learn our ABCs concerning speaking in tongues by seeing that the gift is Available for us, that it has many Benefits, and that there are Conditions for its use.
In Luke 11:11-13, we find the very words of Jesus Himself, telling us that the gift of the Holy Spirit (including speaking with tongues) is a present that the Heavenly Father will willing give to His children. In Mark 16:17, Jesus added that this gift was readily available to all who would believe. Notice that the promise wasn’t to pastors, elders, saints, or people in any specific time period; it was to all who would believe. Remember Peter’s declaration on the Day of Pentecost that this gift of the Holy Spirit was for the people present, their children, and to all that are afar off – even as many as the Lord our God shall call. (Acts 2:39)
As wonderful as the gift of speaking in tongues may be, there are certain conditions set forth for proper use of this gift. Paul said in I Corinthians 14:15 that we should pray in the understanding as well as in the Spirit. In terms of the public use of tongues in a service, we must remember that we don’t have to give a message in every service. In I Corinthians 14:19, Paul stressed the importance of speaking understandable messages in a known tongue rather than supernatural messages in tongues in a church service. First Corinthians 14:26 asks a question, How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation? and then gives the answer, Let all things be done unto edifying. Many people feel that they must speak out any time they sense the presence of the Holy Spirit; however, I Corinthians 14:32 clearly teaches that the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. In other words, we can decide if we are going to speak out or remain silent. The scripture also teaches that there should not be any message given unless there is an interpreter present. (I Corinthians 14:28) The interpreter also functions under a supernatural gift just as the one who speaks in tongues.
With the proper understanding of and the proper use of the power and qualities of the Holy Spirit, we can go forth as missionaries, sent out not only by our supporters but also by the personal touch of God Himself! Many Christians speak of trying to witness or minister as getting out of their “comfort zone.” However, it is important to remember what Jesus said in John 14:26 – the Holy Spirit is our Comforter – and what David said in Psalm 139:7 – that there is nowhere we can go to get away from the Holy Spirit. If the Comforter goes with us everywhere we go, then it is impossible to be outside our “comfort zone”! This may seem like a novel way of thinking about things, but the truth is that Jesus expressed the same truth when He gave us the Great Commission. One common characteristic in each of these four different encounters is that a divine presence is promised as we respond to His mandate. Matthew 28:20 states, Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Mark 16:20 records, And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Luke 24:49 says, Behold I send the promise of my Father upon you. Acts 1:8 confirms that it is after they were to receive the Holy Ghost that they would have the power to be witnesses. The entire Trinity has promised to be involved with the believer who responds to the call upon his life. Jesus committed Himself to be with us; the Father has extended a promise of filling us with His Spirit; and the Holy Spirit has obligated Himself to empowering our witness. The Trinity’s presence in the ministry of a called witness results in signs and wonders that confirm the words of that witness.
Missions is not only about a mandate and a man; it is also about manifestation. The consistent biblical pattern of evangelism is that men of God under a mandate from Him are to manifest His supernatural power to their unbelieving generation. Miraculous acts at the hands of Daniel resulted in empire-wide decrees from the ruling monarchs themselves that the entire population must reverence the God of Daniel. (verses 4:1-37, 6:25-27) When Jesus sent His disciples out, He commanded them to accompany their proclamation of the kingdom with demonstration of its presence. Go preach saying, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. (Matthew 10:7-8) He added that even the citizens of Sodom would have repented had they been presented with a message confirmed with manifestations. (Matthew 10:15, 11:23-24, Mark 6:11, Luke 10:12) When He gave them the Great Commission, Jesus ordered the disciples to remain in Jerusalem until they were endued with the power of the Holy Spirit so that they would be able to confirm their message with signs and wonders. (Luke 24:49, Mark 16:17) The book of Acts records abundant examples of miraculous acts resulting in mass conversions: supernatural tongues on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:7-11), the healing of the lame man at the temple gate (Acts 3:1-9), miraculous healings and deliverances in Samaria (Acts 8:6-8), the raising of Dorcas from the dead (Acts 9:40-41), an angelic visit to Cornelius (Acts 10:3), and Paul’s miraculous protection from a venomous snake bite and the healing of Publius’ father on the island of Malta (Acts 28:3-9). In fact, the Apostle Paul declared that having signs and wonders in conjunction with his preaching was his modus operandi and that this combination of miracle and message had allowed him to fully saturate his targeted region. Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ…But now having no more place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come unto you. (Romans 15:19-23) In his letter to the Corinthian church, he emphasized that he had come to them with the power of God as well as with God’s powerful message. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. (I Corinthians 2:4) Perhaps his ministry in this particular city was distinctly marked with miraculous signs and wonders because it followed immediately upon the heels of a rather unfruitful ministry in Athens where Paul seemed to rely on his human intellect and philosophical arguments rather than the miracle ministry that characterized his evangelism in other venues.
However, we should not place all the credit for the effectiveness of ministry on signs and wonders alone. In I Thessalonians 1:5, Paul made one simple statement that reveals five distinct elements in his approach to ministry – five different ways to manifest the Lord. Amazingly, he failed to seemed to lose his focus on these aspects during his ministry in Athens.
For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.
The first key he mentioned was the Word. Here he is speaking of the gospel message that has been confirmed and proven through the scriptures and then presented within a biblical context. In this regard, we must remember that Jesus described two very important elements in His parable about sowing seed – the seed and the soil into which it was sown. When He explained the parable, Jesus told us what the seed was and spelled out the significance of each of the four soils. Paul had a true desire to see people saved and he made a deliberate attempt to relate the gospel to them in a way that they would find relative and palatable. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. (I Corinthians 9:22) Like the Greeks with the Trojan horse and David at the watercourses of Jerusalem (II Samuel 5:7-8), the apostle looked for a way to get inside his target audience’s defenses before he released his assault. In many cases, his subjects didn’t even know what had hit them until they were fully in the grasp of the gospel.
Paul’s second key was power. All we need is a quick review of the book of Acts to see that his ministry was indeed accompanied with miraculous events. (Acts 13:11, 16:16-18, 19:11, 20:9-10, 28:3-6)
Next, Paul mentioned the Holy Ghost. In that the operation of the gifts seems to have been his topic in the previous category, we must interpret this reference to suggest a fuller meaning of the operation of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life. Turning to his letter to the Galatians, we see at least two areas where the Holy Spirit’s influence must be evidenced in a believer’s life and ministry. The first is in chapter five verses sixteen and eighteen: walking in and being led by the Spirit. Such Holy Spirit orchestrated movement is not only vitally important to the success of our personal lives and the productivity of our ministries; it may also mean the difference between life and death. As Paul mentioned in the Galatian passage, the fatally destructive works of the flesh will overcome us unless we walk in the Spirit. In addition to the example we have already examined in how the apostle was directed away from Asia toward a fertile ministry in Europe – an action that actually preserved the Christian faith from eradication by Islam when Mohamed’s forces decimated the churches in the Middle East and north Africa in the seventh century – through the Holy Spirit’s direction, it would be good to remember how the inner voice of the Holy Spirit warned Paul of the impending danger into which his ship was to sail. (Acts 27:10) The other Holy Spirit quality that Paul discusses in Galatians chapter five is the fruit of the Spirit listed in verses twenty-two and twenty-three. Just as no one cares for a barren tree that does not produce fruit, people will not be attracted to our lives or ministries unless we manifest the fruit of the Spirit. Paul followed with the quality of assurance. Even without an examination of some of the key biblical injunctions concerning assurance (Isaiah 32:17, Acts 17:31, Colossians 2:2, Hebrews 6:11, 10:22), we can recognize from the natural world that we never want to believe what someone is saying if we don’t feel that he really believes it himself. Paul was persuaded of the validity of his message (Romans 8:38, 14:14, II Timothy 1:12) and admonished his disciples to be fully persuaded concerning their faith (Romans 14:5).
Allow me to interject a little personal story at this point. A dear friend of mine in California was diagnosed as having an advanced case of the most aggressive strain of cancer. Her doctor was so concerned because of the rapid growth of this malignancy that he advised her to leave his office and go directly to the airport and book the first flight available to a certain clinic in Texas that was the only facility able to treat this form of cancer. He told her that the time she would waste going home to pack a suitcase would be critical considering the aggressive nature of her malady. The doctor was totally certain that his diagnosis was correct because he had had it confirmed by ninety doctors who worked under him at a major medical facility. Outside the doctor’s office, my friend’s husband asked if she wanted to go directly to the airport as she had been advised. Her response was that she first wanted to go to the church in accordance with James 5:14-15, Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up. Their pastor called all the elders of the church together for a special prayer meeting and laid hands on my friend; however, she could sense doubt behind their prayer “of faith.” One of them made the comment that when we get to heaven we will all be totally healed and have perfect bodies. That, of course, was a true report; but it was not a good report (Philippians 4:8) for a woman who was asking God to heal her while she was still here on earth! After leaving the church office, she told her husband that she could hear what they were saying with their lips but could also read what they were thinking by looking at their eyes, faces, and body language – and the two did not agree. She told him, “These people are not going to heal me; they are going to kill me! Please get me to a place where people really believe what they say!” When he promised to take her anywhere an airplane could fly, she asked to go to Indiana to be with my wife and me. They flew out on the next flight, and I arranged for special prayer by two great apostles – our pastor, Dr. Lester Sumrall, and the pastor of the world’s largest congregation, Dr. Yonggi Cho. She then spent the next three days in our home and received a constant diet of faith-filled words that came with confidence out of our hearts, not just words out of our heads. My wife and I did nothing but reinforce the promises of God’s Word concerning healing. When our friend did eventually make it to the clinic, the doctor refused to admit her because he couldn’t find even a trace of cancer in her body! Assurance made a life-and-death difference in her case. Remember that her doctor told her that she didn’t even have time to pack a suitcase? Well, that was over twenty-five years ago. Imagine how many suitcases she has packed in that quarter of a century!
Character is the fifth key that Paul used to open the city of Thessalonica to the gospel. In our Thessalonian passage, he called it his “manner of man.” To get a definition of this term, we can turn to his farewell to the Ephesian church where again he used this same expression and gave a rather lengthy explanation. The purity of his motives and the unselfishness of his service permeate the speech and testify to the quality of life he lived before the people. Who he was backed up what he said. As the old expression goes, he walked the walk as well as talked the talk. Another couplet reminds us that people don’t care how much you know unless they know how much you care. Our personal character is likely the most powerful force in communicating to the world we wish to win for Christ. After all, many more people will read our lives than will ever read our tracts.
And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews: And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house, testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ…Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God…Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears…I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel. Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. (Acts 20:18-34)
I guess this last statement brings us back to the three essentials in missions: mandate, man, and manifestation. With these three elements in proper order, we can win our world!!!
