Alright, we are so excited to be back with you again. My name is Wendy Blight. We are
in Week 3 of our online study for the book written by our sweet friend, Max Lucado,
"Help Is Here", teaching us all about the Holy Spirit. And Max, I, I'm just,
this has just been so much fun. We have two weeks down, and I'm so thankful we have two more to go.
Well, thank you. It's really a treat to be with you. I hope you know how deeply I appreciate the
wonderful work that you guys do, and the impact that you're having in the lives of so very,
very many people. And I'm, I'm honored to be able to be a part of your team every so often.
Oh, and we love it. And you know, whenever you have a new book, we are always so, so excited
because our women truly love I think the voice you write with -- your sincerity, your humility,
and especially your passion and love for God's Word -- it just pours out on every page. So,
I hope everyone listening will join this study and if you can't, for sure, get this book
because I'm telling you, this is going to hold a treasured place in my heart for a long time.
Alright, are you ready for another question, Max? Alright. So, we get these questions all the time,
and I'm the the biblical content specialist here, so it's my responsibility to answer these kind of
questions. So, now when I give my answer, I can know it came from an expert named Max Lucado,
and I can share that. So, here's the question, Max. We pray for God to move and we know He
moves through His Spirit, but how do we know it's the Holy Spirit who's active and moving
in our lives? That it's His activity and maybe not just, we did the hard work for it or coincidence
or fate? How can we really truly know the Holy Spirit is the one who's moving in our midst?
That's another outstanding question. It really is. I think a good starting place for this would be in
some of the final words that Jesus gave to His followers before He ascended into heaven. He, He
told them, He said, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be
witnesses to me in Jerusalem and in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts
Chapter 1 and verse 8). That phrase, "you shall receive power" -- power -- that's the gift of the
Holy Spirit. It's not the will of God that we slug wearily through life. Now, fatigue comes
with life -- we're all probably tired today -- but it doesn't need to stay. God wants to move us from
the "need this" to the "got this". He wants to move us from ever clamoring for something else,
to being content with what we have and trusting in His strength. And He does so by the power of
the Holy Spirit. I hope I'm not going to chase a rabbit here, but I do think it's important to
point out that in Scripture, the relationship between the presence of the Spirit and the
consequent power of the saint is consistent. This is a theme: "Because the Spirit of the Lord came
upon Othniel, he was able to judge Israel" (Judges 3 and verse 10). "When Saul received the Spirit,
[King Saul] he could prophesy, but when the Spirit departed, he was troubled." That's in 1 Samuel
Chapter 10, and then later verse 16. There's the story about Bezalel and he was described as a
uniquely skilled craftsman. Why? "Because he was filled with the Spirit of God" (Exodus 31). And,
"When the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah, he was able to stand before the people and proclaim
with conviction ..." That's 2 Chronicles 24. The greatest evidence of the power-giving presence of
the Spirit is the life of Jesus. Here's a familiar but important Scripture. Jesus said, "The Spirit
of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim the good news to the poor. He has
sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty
those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of our Lord's favor." Those are the words of Jesus
in Luke Chapter 4. So, thanks to the anointings of the Spirit, Jesus was able to do all these things:
He was able to proclaim, He was able to heal, He was able to release. Now we see why He refused to
send out His disciples if they did not have the same strength. That's why He told them,
"You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me
in Jerusalem and in all of Judea and Samaria, to the ends of the earth." So, the unseen presence of
the Spirit results in undeniable lives of power. The New Testament repeat, repeatedly links the
power within the saint with the presence of the Holy Spirit. Just a couple of examples.
I'm thinking of the word "and": "And John the Baptist, according to the prophecy, will be filled
with the Holy Spirit "and' turn many to the Lord." This is in Luke 1. Elizabeth was filled with the
Holy Spirit "and" proclaimed a blessing on Mary, on Mary. Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit
"and" he prophesied. On the day of Pentecost, the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit "and"
they spoke in other tongues. They were filled with the Holy Spirit "and" spoke the gospel
with boldness. "Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit "and" pronounced a rebuke upon a false
magician" (Acts Chapter 13). See, that word "and"? So, so many occasions, the conjunction "and" is
followed by an action. Sometimes it's followed by a capacity. There's a story of Stephen, "He was
a man full of the Holy Spirit "and" faith" (Acts Chapter 6). Barnabas was full of the Holy Spirit
"and" faith. The disciples are remembered as "full of the Holy Spirit "and" joy" (Acts 13: 52).
So, the point I'm trying to make is simply this: The Holy Spirit has a plan, He has an agenda, He's
up to something, and He has the power to help His followers fulfill it. So, how are we to understand
the Holy Spirit? And for somebody who's just beginning to pursue the Holy Spirit, where do we
start? Well, I think there's two questions. Number one: Who is the Spirit? And number two: How do we
have a life-giving relationship with the Spirit? Who and How? If we can answer these two questions,
we take a giant step toward understanding the third person of the Trinity -- Who and How?
Now those are not unfamiliar questions. I remember asking those questions when I
saw a knock-dead beauty at a church service in 1979. I was at my first ministry post in Miami,
Florida. I happened to be standing in front of the congregation when she entered the back door of the
sanctuary. I can see her in my memory even now. The month was June, the summer sun had already
illuminated the sanctuary and yet, she made the room even brighter. I lost my place in my sermon,
and I was beginning to lose, lose my heart. And my question was, "Who? Who is she?" And then my
second question was, "How do I get to know her?" Well, I found out who she was; I was a pastor so
I could easily find out who she was. I came to learn her name was Denalyn. She could sing like
an angel. She was 23. She was a schoolteacher. She was a Texan -- and Hallelujah! -- she was
single and unattached. Over the next few weeks, I moved from Who to How -- How can I know more
about her? How can I understand her personality? It took some time but I eventually was told that
she had an eye for "you know who." And so, she joined with me in the How -- How can we have a
relationship? And the answer came in the form of long walks, talks, dates, and a very important
conversation at a particular diner. And then a few candlelight dinners and some romantic words.
We shared stories, we shared dreams, we held hands. One night we kissed. Within a few months,
I found myself standing in a jewelry store on a street called Miracle Mile in Miami.
A miracle indeed, for I assumed that Max marrying Denalyn was a mile out of my reach. I bought the
ring, I gave it, and life together began. That was four decades ago. Now, we've come a long way
but the Who and the How continues. I'm not a big fan of making a relationship with the Holy
Spirit a secret code or something that somebody can do only because they are super spiritually
advanced. I believe a relationship with the Holy Spirit begins with Who and continues with How.
Who? Who is He? What's on His heart? What are His dreams? What is His desire? And from where did He
come? And where does He want to take us? And How? How can we have a relationship with Him? Well,
in much the same way that a spouse nurtures a marriage relationship, we nurture our relationship
with the Spirit. On the wedding day, the bride and groom are each asked, "Do you take this person as
your husband or wife?" And the relationship is born out of this intentional decision and
declaration. I don't know about you, but if I'm overseeing a wedding and somebody says, "Well,
I'm not sure." They can't answer the question, they can't say, "I do," then I'm gonna pull a plug
on that particular wedding. Only when they say, "I do", when they're intentional about it, is the,
is the relationship going to flourish. Then the relationship needs to be nurtured, watered,
day by day, with communication, intimacy, and encouragement. And so, this is, this is the simple
approach and I think, the most biblical approach, to developing a relationship with the Holy Spirit.
Just ask that first question, "Who is He?" And number two, "How can I seek to have a relationship
with Him?" We seek to answer the Who and the How and as we do, here's the good news -- we're going
to discover power. We're going to discover power. We're going to feel ... a renewed strength in our
hearts, a renewed unity in our relationships. We're going to enjoy the fruits of the
Spirit -- love and joy and peace and kindness and self-control. We're going to feel power. Again,
Jesus said, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you" (Acts
Chapter 1 and verse 8). One final thought as we pursue our relationship with the Holy Spirit,
let's remember He is pursuing a relationship with us. He longs to have a relationship with you,
and there is no exception to this promise. And as we pursue a relationship with the Holy Spirit,
let's do so reverently. No one can comprehend His work. No one. No one can describe Him. If He's the
universe, we're just a speck of sand on the beach. If He's the forest, we're just a leaf on a tree.
He has depths. He has heights beyond our capacity, beyond our comprehension. So, a reverential
agnosticism is recommended. There are certain things we will never know just because they
haven't been revealed to us. So, be on guard for the teacher who speaks of the Spirit flippantly
and has the backstage pass to the Holy Spirit. That Spirit is ... well, the Spirit is the Spirit.
He's a mystery. He does not fit in our box. He will not always submit to our language. He doesn't
sit quietly within our parameters. Jesus said, "He's like the wind." And so, the Holy Spirit is
wholly holy and unlike any being in our world. But isn't that good news! We need alien assistance.
We need a source of strength which is unlike us, which is unbuffeted by what buffetts us,
undisturbed by what disturbs us, untethered to what ties us down. The Spirit is not subject to
weather patterns or aging bodies or mood swings or despot rulers. He has never been sick. He will
never be afraid. He does not worry, strive or struggle. He is holy. So, just ask the question,
"Who is He?" And, "How can I have a relationship with Him?" And you will discover power.
That's beautiful, Max. I want to ask you a question -- a little bit more about the
How -- and I was thinking that part of the How may be taking time to be silent and still and
maybe even times of solitude, where you are just quiet and inviting the Holy Spirit to
come in and minister to you. Or open the Word in stillness and just read. Do you think those are
ways ... I'm trying to think of specific ways we might be able to help people with that How.
I believe that's absolutely essential. I believe that men and women who are used mightily of God,
are men and women who are at peace in the silence of God, and can be silent in His presence and
receive Him and commune with Him. And so, I think that's very, very important. I think another
important facet of a relationship with the Holy Spirit is to receive the unique spiritual gifts
that He offers. There are many different gifts that He gives and your mix, or your combination,
of spiritual gifts is different than mine. And it would make sense, wouldn't it? If we want to honor
and understand the Holy Spirit that we pursue a deeper understanding of our own spiritual gifts.
What do we do that people love for us to do? And what do we do well? Once we answer those
questions, then we're beginning to understand how the Holy Spirit works in our lives. There
are certain things that the Holy Spirit does for everyone. He secures our salvation. He
intercedes in our prayer life. He is the fire that sanctifies us and helps burn off the dross or,
or burn out the bad habits. But then there are those things that are unique to a person. And
these come in the form of our unique assignments in life. And once He gives an assignment, He gives
us the spiritual tools, or the spiritual gifts, with which to fulfill those. And so, make it your
aim to discover your unique gift mix and serve out of the gifts that the Spirit has given to you.
That's great, thank you. That's beautiful. That was a perfect answer to my question.
So, let me pray for us and then we'll close.
Heavenly Father, I really want to just dial in on what Max taught us about just being silent
and searching for those gifts, the how of getting to know Your Spirit that lives inside of us and
moves all around us and within us. And so, I just pray for specific opportunities, Lord,
specific times for people that are listening, to just sit and be still with You and invite
Your presence in and Your power in, and to just open our minds and our hearts to understand our
giftedness and to listen to those around us as they, as they notice the gifts in us and
to pay attention so that Your power, the Holy Spirit's power, Lord, can come in full force
and that work through us and just take us out into the world that we could be shining lights
of Your love and Your strength and Your power and Your hope. We ask this in Jesus' name, amen.
And we will not leave today without saying what we always love to close with here:
When we know the Truth and live the Truth it changes everything. See you next week.