Matt Sparks is the Lead Pastor of Anchor Church, in this blog post he explains our new sermon series beginning this week, “Presence & Power: The Holy Spirit”.
Let me ask you a (hypothetical) question. If God removed His Holy Spirit from you, would it make a difference to your life? Before you jump to answering, pause and think honestly.
If the answer is, ‘not much of a difference’, I think something has gone horribly wrong. The sad reality is that much of what we do, corporately and individually, is on our own strength and not a desperate dependence on the work of the Holy Spirit.
A.W Tozer says, “The continued neglect of the Holy Spirit by evangelical Christians is too evident to deny and impossible to justify.” We need to stop being reactionary when it comes to the ministry of the Holy Spirit. We need to allow the truth of scripture to shape and inform both our belief and practice.
This week we kick off a seven-week series on the Holy Spirit called Presence & Power. In his book, Keeping in step with the Spirit, J.I Packer says, “For where the Spirit’s ministry is studied, it will also be sought after, and where it is sought after, spiritual vitality will result…”
I am hopeful and expectant that God, by the power of the Spirit, will renew our thinking through His Word. I believe God will transform our lives as we experience the ministry of the Holy Spirit, maybe in ways we’ve never experienced before.
We will seek to answer questions like: Who is the Holy Spirit? Is the Holy Spirit a He or an it? How does He manifest the presence of God? What does the Holy Spirit do? What about the gifts of the Spirit; are they still relevant today? How can I experience the presence and power of the Spirit in my life?
There is not a corner of your life and faith where you don’t need more of the Spirit’s work, power and presence.
17 “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Rom 14:17, ESV)
Suggested Resources for reading throughout this series:
Forgotten God (Francis Chan)
Keep in step with the Spirit (J.I Packer)
Who is the Holy Spirit (R.C Sproul)
Jesus Continued (J.D. Greear)
Join us Sunday at 10:30am at The Factory Theatre
105 Victoria Road, Marrickville