The Holy Spirit / Matthew 28:18-20 / Acts 1-2
Introduction: Heart Transformation and the Unfinished Mission
Welcome to Paradigm Shift. We are in week number two of our series, and before we dive into where we are heading this week, I want to extend a special welcome to everyone joining us this weekend at one of our network churches throughout the valley. As many of you know, we have several churches that we have helped launch and continue to partner with all up and down the valley. So to all the folks hanging out with us across the valley, welcome!
This week, we are going to do some significant work in the book of Acts. To catch you up by way of review: last week, we talked about transformation. We made the case that if we merely articulate all the data we have in our heads about Jesus, but it never reaches our hearts, we have missed the gospel. One of my seminary professors, a mentor whose work I deeply respect, once said, “What the head knows, the heart cannot do until the heart is broken.” That is what we are after: understanding the depth of the gospel so profoundly that it transforms us at the heart level.
We looked at the story of Peter. Most of us connect with Peter, though not always because of his finest moments. Peter was impetuous—ready, fire, aim. He talked a big game, but when the pressure mounted, he denied Jesus. Yet in John 21, Jesus prepares a fish fry on the beach for Peter and calls him back. He calls Peter back to his original purpose: “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” He calls Peter back to people: “Do you love Me? Feed My sheep, tend My lambs.” The repetition was for emphasis. And finally, He calls Peter back to follow Him personally. When Peter got distracted, looking at John, Jesus said, “You follow Me.” In that moment, Peter experienced a restored heart.
John 21:15-22 (NASB)
So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, [son] of John, do you love Me more than these?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Tend My lambs.’ He said to him again a second time, ‘Simon, [son] of John, do you love Me?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Shepherd My sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, [son] of John, do you love Me?’ Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ And he said to Him, ‘Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.’ Jesus said to him, ’Tend My sheep. ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to [go].’ Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, ‘Follow Me!’ Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following [them]; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, ‘Lord, who is the one who betrays You?’ So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, ‘Lord, and what about this man?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If I want him to remain until I come, what [is that] to you? You follow Me!’
Now, I would love to tell you that from that moment forward, all these men and women fully understood the mission and immediately carried the gospel unashamedly to the remotest parts of the earth. I would love to tell you they were instantly effective, but the reality is they were not. Ultimately, they were successful—after all, you and I are gathered here today because of the foundation they laid. But it did not happen overnight. In fact, they needed their own paradigm shift.
The Expectation vs. The Paradigm Shift
At the end of the Gospels, the disciples are still trying to figure it all out. In Matthew 28, Jesus delivers the Great Commission. He declares that all authority has been given to Him in heaven and on earth. Then He says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” And then He adds: “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20 (NASB)
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ’All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’
Most of us have had that passage memorized since we were eight years old. Jesus tells us that as we are going—wherever life takes us, whether out in the field, in the hospital, or grabbing another latte at Starbucks—we are to make disciples, baptizing and teaching them. Then He drops that promise: “I will be with you always, even to the end of the age.”
We read that today and think, Isn’t that wonderful? Jesus is always with us. But think about how the disciples heard it in the first century. What did Peter and the disciples imagine when Jesus said, “I will be with you always”? Context gives us a clue. They had witnessed His death, burial, and resurrection, and now they were in the middle of a forty-day period of post-resurrection appearances.
Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb. He appeared to the women on the road. He appeared to Peter, and to the disciples without Thomas, and then to the eleven with Thomas. He appeared to two disciples walking to Emmaus, to seven disciples on the shore of Galilee, and Paul records in 1 Corinthians 15 that He appeared to more than five hundred people at one time.
1 Corinthians 15:6 (NASB)
After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;
They were living in a moment where Jesus had conquered death. When He said, “I will be with you always,” do you think they thought He was literally going to stay with them on earth forever? Absolutely. They were looking around thinking, This is incredible. Our King has defeated death. He can multiply food, heal the sick, raise the dead, and He is going to be right here with us.
Turn to Acts chapter 1. Acts is volume two of Luke’s writing. Look at verse 3:
Acts 1:3 (NASB)
To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over [a period of] forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.
For forty days, Jesus appeared to them by many convincing proofs, speaking about the kingdom of God—God’s sovereign authority and kingly rule exercised over creation. The disciples grew up in Jewish culture, steeped in Old Testament prophecies of the coming Messiah. They were thinking, This is our guy! He is going to set up His earthly kingdom right now. This is going to be awesome.
Then, in verses 4 and 5, Jesus drops something they did not fully grasp. He tells them, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father… for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Acts 1:4-5 (NASB)
Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, ‘Which,’ [He said], ‘you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’
The Promise of the Helper
This mention of the Holy Spirit should not have taken them by surprise. Keep your finger in Acts 1 and flip over to John 7. In John 7, Jesus attends the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). During this celebration, the priests would draw water from the Pool of Siloam and pour it over the altar as an offering to God, building up to a dramatic crescendo on the final day. Think of it like a Fourth of July celebration, only with water poured out instead of fireworks.
On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stands up and cries out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” John adds an explanation: He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive, for the Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified.
John 7:37-39 (NASB)
Now on the last day, the great [day] of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ’If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. ’He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’’ But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet [given], because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Look at John 14. Jesus is in the Upper Room with His disciples immediately following the Passover meal, just hours before His arrest and crucifixion. He tells them, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth.” The Greek word is Parakletos—an advocate, helper, or comforter. In verse 26, He adds, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
John 14:16-17 (NASB)
’I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; [that is] the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, [but] you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.
John 14:26 (NASB)
’But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
In John 16:7, Jesus says something shocking: “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you.”
John 16:7 (NASB)
’But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.
Jesus had explicitly told them multiple times that He was returning to the Father and sending another Comforter. But look back at Acts 1:6. They still did not quite get it. When they gathered together, they asked Him, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
Acts 1:6 (NASB)
So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, ‘Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?’
They were thinking, Jesus, You conquered the grave! Can we get this show on the road? We are tired of Roman oppression. Are You going to establish Your earthly throne right now?
Jesus’ response was not what they expected. In verse 7, He tells them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority.” In other words: Fellas, that is above your pay grade. Leave those things to the Father.
Acts 1:7 (NASB)
He said to them, ’It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;
You Will Receive Power
Then Jesus delivers the paradigm shift in verse 8:
Acts 1:8 (NASB)
but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.’
Notice what that assumes: “You will receive power.” If you have to receive it, you do not currently possess it. You will receive divine power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and when He does, you will be His witnesses—martyres, those who testify even at the cost of their own lives. There is a geographic progression: Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Jesus was telling them that the kingdom would not be established by Him sitting on an earthly throne in Jerusalem right then. They were the ones commissioned to carry His message. John 20:21 echoes this: “As the Father has sent Me, even so I am sending you.”
John 20:21 (NASB)
So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace [be] with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.’
They thought they were getting an earthly kingdom with Jesus handling everything. Jesus told them, No, you have heavy lifting to do. But you cannot do it on your own—I am giving you the divine power you need to accomplish what is impossible without Me.
Look at verse 9. As soon as Jesus finished speaking, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight. As if to emphasize the point, Jesus essentially said, “You are going to receive power, you will testify about Me, it may cost your life—I’m out!” and He ascended to heaven.
Acts 1:9-10 (NASB)
And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them.
Can you imagine standing there? Verse 10 says they were gazing intently into the sky as He went. It reminds me of the feeding of the five thousand. The disciples came to Jesus saying, “Send the crowds away so they can buy food,” and Jesus turned to them and said, “You give them something to eat.” They felt the immense weight of the mission. Now, watching Jesus ascend, reality set in: Oh, wow. This is actually up to us. So they obeyed Jesus and returned to Jerusalem to wait for the Holy Spirit.
Acts 1:12-14 (NASB)
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered [the city], they went up to the upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James [the son] of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas [the] [son] of James. These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with [the] women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
Pentecost: The Spirit Unleashed
In Acts chapter 2, the day of Pentecost arrives.
Acts 2:1-4 (NASB)
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.
This passage is often misunderstood. Luke writes that there came from heaven a sound like a violent rushing wind—he does not say curtains were blowing around the room. He says there appeared tongues as of fire resting on them—not that the smoke alarms were going off. Then, filled with the Holy Spirit, they began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Devout Jews from every nation under heaven were living in Jerusalem for the feast. When the sound occurred, the crowd rushed together, and each person heard the Galileans speaking in their own native dialect.
Acts 2:7-11 (NASB)
They were amazed and astonished, saying, ’Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ’And how is it that we each hear [them] in our own language to which we were born? ‘Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs– we hear them in our [own] tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.’
This was not just an expression of worship; it was an evangelistic miracle. Simple farming folk from Galilee were declaring the mighty deeds of God in over a dozen distinct languages that they had never learned. Everyone in that room left completely transformed. They experienced a paradigm shift.
Consider Peter before Pentecost. He was the guy who spoke before thinking, who drew a sword in the garden only for Jesus to tell him to put it away. He was the man who cowered and denied Jesus three times when a servant girl questioned him. In Mark 16:8, after the resurrection, the disciples fled the tomb terrified and silent.
Mark 16:8 (NASB)
They went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Now look at Peter in Acts 2:14. When mockers claim the disciples are drunk, Peter stands up with the eleven, raises his voice, and boldly addresses the entire city:
Acts 2:14-15 (NASB)
But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: ’Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. ’For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is [only] the third hour of the day;
Peter proclaims the resurrected Christ, declaring in verse 36, “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Acts 2:36 (NASB)
‘Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ– this Jesus whom you crucified.’
That is a completely different Peter. The man who shrank back from a junior high girl is now looking the religious elite in the eye and declaring truth with unwavering conviction. What changed? The Holy Spirit took hold of his life.
When the people heard this, they were pierced to the heart and asked, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 2:37-38 (NASB)
Now when they heard [this], they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brethren, what shall we do?’ Peter [said] to them, ’Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
That day, three thousand people were added to the church. In verse 47, we read that the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. The early church was magnetic because the Spirit of God was doing what no organizational structure, marketing campaign, or human eloquence could ever produce.
Acts 2:41-47 (NASB)
So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they [began] selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Boldness in the Early Church
In Acts 3, Peter and John heal a lame man at the temple gate. When the crowd gathers in astonishment, Peter does not take credit. He says, “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? The God of our fathers glorified His servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate… You put to death the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.”
Acts 3:12-15 (NASB)
But when Peter saw [this], he replied to the people, ’Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk? ’The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, [the one] whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. ’But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, but put to death the Prince of life, [the one] whom God raised from the dead, [a fact] to which we are witnesses.
Peter was completely bowed up—unflinching and courageous. By Acts 4:4, the number of believers grew to about five thousand men. When Peter and John were arrested and put on trial before the Sanhedrin, Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, declared that salvation exists in no other name under heaven.
Acts 4:8-12 (NASB)
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ’Rulers and elders of the people, if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead– by this [name] this man stands here before you in good health. ’He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, [but] WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER [stone]. ‘And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.’
After their release, the believers gathered to pray. Verse 31 says, “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.”
Acts 4:31 (NASB)
And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and [began] to speak the word of God with boldness.
We see the same dynamic in Stephen. He was chosen to serve because he was full of the Spirit. When brought before the council in Acts 7, he declared God’s truth with such clarity that his accusers could not withstand his wisdom. Standing before his executioners, full of the Holy Spirit, he looked up into heaven, saw the glory of God, and forgave those who were stoning him.
Acts 7:55-60 (NASB)
But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’ But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse. When they had driven him out of the city, they [began] stoning [him]; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. They went on stoning Stephen as he called on [the Lord] and said, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!’ Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them!’ Having said this, he fell asleep.
In Acts 8, the gospel reaches Samaria. The Spirit directs Philip to run alongside a chariot carrying an Ethiopian eunuch on the road to Gaza. The man is reading Isaiah 53, and Philip asks, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The man invites him up, and starting from that very Scripture, Philip tells him the good news about Jesus, and the man believes and is baptized.
Acts 8:29-35 (NASB)
Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go up and join this chariot.’ Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ And he said, ‘Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: ’HE WAS LED AS A SHEEP TO SLAUGHTER; AND AS A LAMB BEFORE ITS SHEARER IS SILENT, SO HE DOES NOT OPEN HIS MOUTH. ‘IN HUMILIATION HIS JUDGMENT WAS TAKEN AWAY; WHO WILL RELATE HIS GENERATION? FOR HIS LIFE IS REMOVED FROM THE EARTH.’ The eunuch answered Philip and said, ‘Please [tell me], of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?’ Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.
Philip did not have a five-year strategic initiative to reach Ethiopian officials in chariots. The Spirit said, “Go,” and Philip went.
The Untamed Movement of the Spirit
Over forty times in the book of Acts, the Holy Spirit moves in ways that are spontaneous, powerful, mysterious, and exciting. The early church was not driven by complex programming. They spent time in Scripture, prayed, broke bread, and fellowshipped together. On paper, their calendar looked remarkably simple. Yet thousands came to faith because the Holy Spirit transformed everyday people into bold witnesses.
Does that describe your spiritual life? If I sat down with you and asked, “Tell me about your walk with the Holy Spirit—the people God is bringing into your path, the conversations you are having, the divine appointments you are experiencing,” how long would that conversation last?
Too many of us have settled for a safe, predictable, domesticated faith. But why would we need a Comforter if we never allow ourselves to be uncomfortable? The Holy Spirit invites us to the edge of our comfort zone, placing us in situations where we have to rely entirely on God.
It is easy to say, “Well, that was the first century. God does not move like that today.” But has God changed? Scripture tells us He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. God has not retired to a rocking chair reminiscing about the good old days when disciples wore tunics and walked dusty roads. The same Holy Spirit who empowered the early believers lives inside of you.
Paul writes in Ephesians 1:13 that when you believed the gospel of your salvation, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 1:13 (NASB)
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation– having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
In 1 Corinthians 6:19, Paul reminds us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:19 (NASB)
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
Romans 8:9 states clearly, “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him.” If you are a follower of Jesus, the Spirit of God lives in you.
Romans 8:9 (NASB)
However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
The power of the Christian life is not found in sheer willpower, moral checklists, or software filters. The real power is the Spirit of God working through you. Being filled with the Spirit is not about getting more of Him—you have already been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. It is about the Holy Spirit getting more of you. It is a moment-by-moment yielding of your life to His direction. When you string those yielded moments together throughout your day, you are walking by the Spirit.
Galatians 5:16 (NASB)
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
Living the Wild Goose Chase
During my recent sabbatical, I read Mark Batterson’s book Wild Goose Chase. He explains that early Celtic Christians referred to the Holy Spirit as the “wild goose.” At first, that imagery might sound unusual, but Batterson points out that, like a wild goose, the Holy Spirit cannot be tracked or tamed. There is an air of unpredictability and adventure surrounding Him. Pursuing the Spirit’s leading through life is truly an adventure.
Living in submission to the Holy Spirit means accepting some speed wobbles, some nervous moments, and some prayers where you whisper, “Lord, if You do not show up right now, I am going to crash and burn.”
In John 3:8, Jesus said, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
John 3:8 (NASB)
‘The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.’
A Spirit-led life will push you past your preferences and need for control. You have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer you who live, but Christ who lives in you.
Galatians 2:20 (NASB)
’I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the [life] which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Practically Walking in the Spirit
How do we cultivate this sensitivity to the Holy Spirit in our daily lives? Let me give you three practical areas:
First, listen when you pray. In Romans 8:26, Paul writes that the Spirit helps us in our weakness, interceding for us with groanings too deep for words.
Romans 8:26 (NASB)
In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for [us] with groanings too deep for words;
As you pray, slow down and listen. Why did a specific person suddenly come to mind whom you have not thought of in months? Why are you carrying a burden for a particular situation? That is the Holy Spirit prompting you. Stop rushing through your prayer list and take time to hear what He is saying.
Second, lean in when you read the Word. The same Spirit who inspired the Scriptures illumines our hearts to understand them. When a verse jumps off the page, or keeps nagging at your conscience throughout the day, pay attention. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and shapes us into Christlikeness. If reading the Bible never leaves a splinter in your soul, you are not reading it honestly. When Scripture confronts your pride or your anger, adjust your life to what God is revealing.
Third, look for opportunities as you do life. In the Great Commission, Jesus says, “As you are going, make disciples.” Wherever you find yourself—at your desk, in your neighborhood, at the gym—God has placed you there intentionally. The person sitting next to you at work is not there by accident. Do not blame Human Resources; God orchestrated that placement. Your neighbors are not an accident. Ask God, “Why did You place me here? How can I serve, encourage, or share the gospel with the people around me?”
The Holy Spirit will never lead you contrary to the Word of God, so remain grounded in Scripture. But do not live a timid, predictable spiritual life. Start each day with a simple posture of surrender: “Lord, as the Father sent Jesus, Jesus has sent me. What is my assignment today? Open my eyes to the opportunities around me, and give me the boldness to obey.”
God is not finished. He is still working, still drawing people to Himself, and He wants to use you. When the Holy Spirit prompts you to step out, do not shrink back. Trust Him, step out in faith, and watch what God does.
Closing Prayer
Let’s pray together.
Father, we ask that You help us respond in a way that honors You. Forgive us for the times we have lived driven by our own flesh rather than submitted to the Holy Spirit within us. We confess that we love predictability and control, but You call us to follow You into the unknown.
We pray that You would strip away our comfortable, complacent routines. Awaken our hearts to the movement of Your Spirit. Teach us to listen when we pray, to lean in when we read Your Word, and to recognize the divine appointments You place before us each day. Give us the courage to take small, faithful steps of obedience.
May we experience the joy and adventure of a life fully surrendered to Your Spirit. We pray all of this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.