Led by the Spirit: Journey Through the Book of Acts Part 1Muestra

Day 1: Life in the Holy Spirit

“What does it mean to be a Christian?” If someone were to ask you this question, what would you say? A common response is, “Being a Christian is being in a relationship with God.” Yet how can we know and love Someone we cannot see and touch? Another response we often hear is, “Being a Christian means to follow Christ.” But how can we follow Someone who is not physically here with us?

We are not like the disciples in the Bible who interacted with Jesus Christ in the flesh some 2,000 years ago and had personal encounters with Him. Such close contact with Jesus also ceased after He died, resurrected, and ascended back to heaven (Luke 24:51; 1 Peter 3:22). But Jesus’ departure also ushered in the Holy Spirit, who would continue Jesus’ life and ministry in and among the disciples (John 14:16-17, 26). Through the Holy Spirit, we can experience Christ’s presence and engage in His mission.

We continue to experience Christ’s presence today through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. To be “baptised” is to be “immersed”. Jesus’ baptism in the Spirit submerges believers in the very presence of God. Through the Spirit, we are in living union with Christ. We can know and love Christ, though we cannot see and touch Him. Through the Spirit, we can journey the ups and downs of life with a personal God, experiencing His joy, strength, and peace as we live out His will for our lives.

As the Spirit helps us to know Christ more, we become more like Him. His values become our values, His desire our desire, and His mission our mission. Instead of concerning themselves on when the kingdom of Israel will be restored, Jesus called His disciples to focus on the Kingdom of God by being His witnesses (Acts 1:7-8b). Jesus’ call for the disciples to be His witnesses rings just as loud and true today. We do so not by our own strength but by the Spirit’s empowerment.

One day, we will see Christ in the flesh when He returns in glory (Acts 1:11; Matthew 25:31-46). Until then, the Holy Spirit keeps us connected to our Saviour and Lord. When He speaks, we listen and obey as He continues to do His mighty work of salvation in and through us.

Reflect

• How is the Holy Spirit helping you to abide in a living union with Christ in the present? What are some obstacles that can make it hard for you to experience the Lord through the Spirit? What can you do about them?
• The Holy Spirit enables us to be effective witnesses of Christ. How have we made Christ’s mission our mission? What areas do we need to keep asking the Spirit to enable us in as we do His work?