A Demonstration of the Spirit

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Scripture:

1Cor. 2:4 My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
1Cor. 2:5 so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.

Observation:

Paul had a great education and he knew how to prepare messages for the people to hear.  This Scripture does not intend to serve as an excuse for avoiding preparation for preaching, but it is a suggestion that even the greatest of preachers is to be dependent upon the demonstration of the Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is to infuse our work so that the presence of God is revealed in the spoken word and not the eloquence or the preparation of the speaker.

Application:

All followers of Jesus Christ should realize that there is a need for the demonstration of the Spirit within their lives and work.  If we believe in the priesthood of all believers, then we believe that all are called to a lifestyle that would reveal the work of God in and through them.  This means that all of our talents and abilities are dedicated to God and in doing so, we ask the Holy Spirit to be revealed in and through all that we do.

Paul was a very accomplished religious leader.  He had just about the finest education possible in his day and yet he knew that he would have to be dependent upon the working of the Holy Spirit in his life.  Some of the greatest preachers of all time have understood this very need.  Charles Spurgeon was a great preacher, and yet, he realized the need for the Holy Spirit to work through his preaching.  While he preached an entire group of people gathered in a separate area to pray.  This “boiler room” is what stoked the fire of the Holy Spirit that infused his preaching.  Therefore his preaching was with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power.

We cannot be dependent upon our own abilities and/or talents these days, but upon the working of God’s Holy Spirit infusing these talents.  There is a temptation to be dependent upon human wisdom and understanding, but there is no power in our humanity.  Only when the Holy Spirit pours in and through everything that we do will we begin to see a real movement upon God’s people.

Are we hungry today for an outpouring of the Spirit?  I believe that we are — but it’s only possible when God’s children rest upon the power of God.  No matter how smart or how capable an individual might be, there must be a dependence upon God.

Prayer:

Lord, may your Holy Spirit infuse all that I do today.  Amen.






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