Lynne Little Ministries - Higher Realm
This podcast features a wide-ranging concentration of subjects from Christian apologetics, to mankind's relationship with God and His with us, and exploring our roles within the contemporary church as well as society at large. We facilitate open dialogue with straightforward examinations of foundational Christian beliefs. Special focus will include recovering from, and moving forward through, any type of profound loss from the Christian perspective.
Lynne Little Ministries - Higher Realm
Part Four - The Forgotten Power Source
Have you ever wondered why the miraculous works described throughout the Bible seem absent in modern Christian life? You're not alone. This profound question from a disillusioned Gen Z believer sparked our deep dive into the often-overlooked ministry of the Holy Spirit.
In this fourth episode of our series, we continue our exploration of the Holy Spirit's role by examining two powerful designations: "the Spirit of God" and "the Spirit of the Lord." Moving beyond mere terminology, we uncover ten distinct characteristics of how God's Spirit operated throughout the Old Testament, revealing patterns that continue into the present day.
Through biblical examples like Saul's transformation, David's anointing, and Gideon's empowerment, we discover how the Spirit transforms ordinary people, defines their destiny, provides supernatural guidance, offers timely encouragement, reveals hidden things, convicts of sin, imparts wisdom, empowers beyond natural ability, prepares for future challenges, and manifests in overtly supernatural ways. Each characteristic demonstrates that what the Spirit does reflects who He is.
The most compelling revelation? If the Spirit could accomplish such mighty works by merely coming "upon" people in Old Testament times, how much more can He do now that He dwells within believers through Christ? This insight challenges us to reconsider what's possible in our Christian experience today. The supernatural shouldn't be viewed as radical or exceptional—it should be our normal expectation.
Whether you're feeling spiritually stagnant, questioning the practical reality of your faith, or simply hungry for more of God's power in your life, this episode provides both theological foundation and practical hope. Join us as we rediscover the Holy Spirit as our forgotten power source and learn how to experience the "greater works" Jesus promised His followers would perform.
Ready to move beyond stories to experience supernatural reality? Subscribe now and share this episode with someone who needs to rediscover the power available to every believer.
You are listening to Higher Realm with Lynne Little. Our program highlights biblical strategies for moving through life's difficulties and finding your path to healing. We tackle issues particular to those who have experienced painful loss in any form. Lynne is the founder and president of Lynne Little Ministries and the author of Missing Lisa: A Parent Grieves and Finding God in Death and Life: A Passage Through Grief. Now here's Lynne.
Speaker 2:Hello and welcome to the fourth episode in our series on the present-day ministry of the Holy Spirit. For those of you who have just joined us, we invite you to listen to the first three podcasts in this series in order to gain a little more background and context to help you going forward. But before we begin, a segue. Some of my listeners are wondering why I chose to explore this particular topic in depth. The answer is simple. The decision was prompted by a recent conversation with a very close friend. She mentioned that her Gen Z daughter had become increasingly disillusioned with the Christian life. The daughter cited her reasons for this, but one reason seemed to sum up the conflict. And here's what she said Mom, I've spent years in church and in Christian school. I was taught story after story, from the Old to the New Testaments, about the miraculous works of God, and yet I have never seen or heard anything even close to a miracle in my life or the lives of my friends. So what happened to the power? It's worth considering the challenge posed here, isn't it? And the New Testament mentions greater works. Jesus talked about them, but where are they? And how can we have confidence in achieving greater works when even the lesser works are not being carried out? Could it be that we have overlooked the Holy Spirit as our power source and if so, how do we remedy this? This series, then, constitutes an inquiry into that solution. So back to our study.
Speaker 2:Last week, we discussed three names or titles of the Holy Spirit and their descriptions and meanings. The first was simply the Spirit, the second the Holy Spirit and the third the Holy Spirit of Promise. Today, we'll address the last two terms or names for the Holy Spirit mentioned in the prior episode. These are the Spirit of God and the Spirit of the Lord. These designations are also sometimes referred to throughout Scripture as the Spirit of Jehovah or the Spirit of the Living God or the Spirit of Christ, but because these terms are similar, we will replace them with the terms of today's discussion. Also, throughout this podcast, we'll be using the terms the Spirit of God and the Spirit of the Lord interchangeably.
Speaker 2:I'd like to start by referring to several Old Testament accounts mentioning these designations and, interestingly, as we will see, in all of these examples the Spirit of God manifests in a decidedly supernatural manner and for a specific purpose. The word manifest simply means to display or show plainly, to make evident or to demonstrate. The tasks and missions in these examples were only fulfilled through the agency of the Holy Spirit, so he was the one manifesting them. Now why take the time to look backward? As we study the different terms, we're going to begin to see patterns emerge regarding the ways in which the Spirit of God interfaces with mankind. As the series progresses, we'll notice similarities in both Testaments in how the Spirit of the Lord works through his people.
Speaker 2:We will argue that while the Book of Acts appears revolutionary, it may not have been as radical as it seemed at the time. Nor should it seem radical to us in the present day. Now, in revisiting these Old Testament stories, we perhaps have a tendency to lionize these heroes and heroines, forgetting that in most cases they were really just ordinary people who had events happen to them and almost in some cases, in spite of them. Certainly, most weren't well-educated or even well-off necessarily, what they did was to simply allow themselves to be placed in these situations or obey the tasks that God had ordained. This should encourage us to take the limits off, as we acknowledge that it's God that works in us, to "will and to do his good pleasure, as is stated in Philippians 2, verse 13. Our assignments from the Lord cannot be done under our own power alone. They are impossible to perform through our natural abilities. Christ's command to lay hands on the sick and see them recover comes to mind. In any case, in upcoming episodes we will discuss the Spirit of the Lord's work through the disciples in the New Testament, for this is crucial information for everyone in our era and today. As we examine some Old Testament examples, it should help us to grasp the scope of the Spirit's continuous work through time.
Speaker 2:Now, interestingly, each example of the Spirit of God's works through mankind highlight a particular characteristic of the Spirit of God. Perhaps the most important point to keep in mind as we study is that what he does is who he is. His actions define him. Now, for you, note-takers, we will discuss ten of these characteristics, although of course, there are many more to explore. So the first one we'll examine is how the Spirit of the Lord Transforms.
Speaker 2:In 1 Samuel 10.6, Samuel the prophet makes this declaration to Saul before he became the first king of Israel. "the Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you and you will prophesy with him and you will be changed into a different person. Here we see the transformation of Saul's character through the Holy Spirit. And when we read the different accounts of King Saul's life we recognize that that change did not emanate from Saul's own design or effort. So transformation of a person's character is uniquely the Spirit's doing.
Speaker 2:A second example highlights how the Spirit of the Lord ushers in Destiny and Purpose. We might also refer to this as a calling. The anointing of David as king in the following text illustrates the concept of a change in destiny. 1 Samuel 16, 13 reads, " Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him. He's referring to David in the presence of his brothers. And from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Here the Holy Spirit changed a shepherd boy's destiny to that of a king. An individual's mission or purpose is defined through the Spirit's intervention.
Speaker 2:The third point is the Spirit provides Guidance. In 2 Chronicles 15, verse 1,. "The Spirit of God came upon Azariah, son of Oded, to guide King Asa in his time of need. This type of guidance happened often in the Old Testament, when the Holy Spirit spoke supernaturally through the prophets and in some cases foretelling future events and, of course, in our situations, guidance is always available to those who seek it.
Speaker 2:Four the Spirit of God gives Encouragement. Second Chronicles, 20, verse 14, reads "Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jehaziel as he stood in the assembly. He said Listen, king Jehoshaphat, and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem, this is what the Lord says to you. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army, for the battle is not yours but God's. To King Jehoshaphat, whose army was vastly outnumbered by their adversaries, this encouragement was a lifesaver and timely. It gave the Israelites the strength and the courage to go into battle.
Speaker 2:Point five the Spirit of the Lord also Reveals, as vividly described in Ezekiel 11, verses 2 through 6. In this account, the Spirit revealed to the prophet Ezekiel the thoughts of 25 leaders of the people, and this is what he said. "The Lord said to me, son of man, these are the men who are plotting evil and giving wicked advice in this city. They say haven't our houses been recently rebuilt? This city is a pot and we're the meat in it. Now, in using this metaphor, like a pot is protecting the meat from the fire, the city fathers presumed they were safe in their brand new houses. They were safe in their brand new houses and they were telling everyone else that the city was safe. To continue in verse 4,. Therefore, prophesy against them. Prophesy, son of man. Then the Spirit of the Lord came on me and he told me to say this this is what the Lord says. That is what you were saying, oh, leaders in Israel, but I know what's going through your mind. And you have killed many people in this city and filled its streets with the dead. So the Spirit revealed their terrible acts that they had no idea anybody was privy to. It's a lesson that nothing is ever hidden from the Spirit of the Lord.
Speaker 2:Number six the Spirit also Convicts of sin. In Micah 3, verses 7 and 8, of sin the prophet Micah makes these assertions against the false prophets in Israel. "The seers will be ashamed and the diviners disgraced. They will all cover their faces because there's no answer from God. But as for me, I'm filled with power and the Spirit of the Lord, with justice and might to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin. In the Old Testament, as we see demonstrated here, conviction of sin often came through a prophetic word by the Spirit of God.
Speaker 2:Point seven the Spirit of the Lord imparts Wisdom. God appointed a number of judges for Israel. They were leaders and teachers, often with military authority. There were 12 named judges just in the book of Judges alone. Now, in that appointment, they also received wisdom to carry out their duties. In Judges 3.10, it states that ..." the Spirit of the Lord came on him so that he became Israel's judge. Othniel, the judge referred to in this passage was given wisdom from God commensurate with his responsibilities. The Spirit always gives more than enough that you need gives more than enough that you need.
Speaker 2:Point eight the Spirit of the Lord Empowers. Judges 6.34 reads "Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Gideon and he blew a trumpet summoning the Abizarites to follow him in a call to battle to defeat the Midianites. The story of Gideon should encourage all of us because, as a self-avowed coward, gideon received courage and strength from the Lord sufficient to lead Israel into battle.
Speaker 2:Point nine, The Spirit of the Lord Prepares us. Judges 14.6 describes this account. "The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon Samson so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands, as he might have torn a young goat, but he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done. Here the Spirit was preparing Samson for his later exploits in defeating the Philistines. This concept is illustrated in the Biblical narrative of King David also who, while serving as a shepherd, successfully protected his flocks by defeating a lion and a bear. This was preparation for his conflict with Goliath. The Holy Spirit of God works to prepare us for tasks that we will be called to do.
Speaker 2:And finally, point 10, he ushers in Supernatural events. 1 Kings 18.12 says, "I don't know where the Spirit of the Lord may carry you when I leave you. If I go and tell Ahab and he doesn't find you, he will kill me. Obadiah here is claiming that Elijah, the prophet, is physically moved where the Holy Spirit wills, is physically moved where the Holy Spirit wills, even to the point that eventually Elijah was taken up to heaven in a fiery chariot.
Speaker 2:Imagine the great demonstrations of the supernatural inherent in the Spirit of God, where he can physically move a person from place to place! So let's recap the 10 points.
Speaker 2:Number one he transforms. Two he defines our purpose and destiny. Three he provides guidance. Guidance. Four gives encouragement. Five brings revelation, six convicts of sin. Seven imparts wisdom, eight empowers us, nine prepares us and ten moves in supernatural ways.
Speaker 2:So, having now looked at some of these examples, what can we conclude? Well, first, that the Spirit of the Lord's powers are limitless. Second, that he assists his people in many marvelous ways. And, third, that he empowers individuals mightily when he rested upon them. Now, how much more can the Spirit do when he dwells within his children? Would it be an exaggeration to say the sky's the limit, which raises the question can this be our reality in the here and now?
Speaker 2:As always, the first step to receiving this wonderful relationship with the Holy Spirit is to invite Jesus to come into your life. He has made it so very easy to do just that. In Romans 10, 9, and 10, paul states that salvation comes through both believing in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. Pray with me right now and believe the words with your heart. Lord Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross to take the punishment for my sins. I believe you rose again on the third day. I ask you to come into my heart. Forgive me of my sins. I receive you today as my Lord and Savior In your precious name, amen. If you prayed that prayer, drop us a line. Lynnlittleministries at gmailcom. As always, we welcome your questions and comments.
Lynne Little:Until next week. God bless you. For books, resources or to make a tax-deductible donation, go to lynnlittleorg.