Lesson 10 by Pete dORN

Class Notes

LESSON 10 Power for the Ministry

t is a great privilege to be chosen to lead God’s people, and most of us feel inadequate for the task. This feeling of inadequacy is good, because it should make us rely more on the Lord. We must always remember that we are part of His Church, which He had promised to build (Matthew 16:18). We are instruments in His hands to expand and build up that Church. In order to do His work, we need His power. Jesus tells us, “apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). You may have an understanding of the position you are being chosen for, but you also need the enabling power of God’s Spirit. By the time you finish this lesson you will be able to: •

Give various examples from Scripture of people who God enabled for His purposes.

•

Explain what it means to be filled with the Spirit

•

Explain the importance of the laying on of hands

God Enables Those He Chooses As we pointed out in Lesson 1, many of the people that God chose to lead His people felt inadequate for the task. 1. Name some of the people who felt inadequate. a. Exodus 3:11 b. Judges 6:15 c. Jeremiah 1:6 Though people may feel inadequate, God always enables them to do what he has called them to do. This enablement comes through the power of the Holy Spirit. Read Numbers 11:4-30.

Lesson 10 – Power for Ministry

2. What was the problem presented in this passage?

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3. Why did Moses feel that the burden was too heavy?

4. What was God’s solution for Moses’ problem?

5. What did God do for the elders who were to help Moses?

In the Old Testament, God placed His Spirit on special people, usually for a specific purpose, to enable them to do what he had called them to do. 6. Look up the following verses to see on whom God’s Spirit came and for what purpose. Passage

Person

Purpose

Judges 3:10 Judges 6:34 Judges 14:19 Judges 15:14-15 1 Sam. 10:10 1 Sam. 16:13

In the New Testament we see the same need, but in much greater measure. Jesus told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem before trying to fulfill the Great Commission. 7. What were they told to wait for? a. Luke 24:46-49 b. Acts 1:8

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Jesus knew that the years of training that he had invested in His disciples were not sufficient for them to go and make disciples on their own. In order to do His work, they needed His power. This is still true today—to do His work, we need His power.

8. When did they receive this power to do Christ’s work? (Acts 2:1-4)

On that day of Pentecost, probably in the Temple area, which was the only place in the walled city of Jerusalem where a crowd of several thousand people could gather, Peter preached his first sermon, recorded in Acts 2. This gathering came about as a result of the witness of the Spirit-filled believers, who spoke the “wonders of God” to people from many lands. Peter explained that what had happened that day was the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy. 9. What did Joel prophesy would happen, as quoted by Peter in Acts 2:17-21?

One of the greatest differences between the Old Covenant and the New one is the way the Holy Spirit empowers. In Old Testament the Holy Spirit came on certain people at a specific time to do a specific task, as we have already observed in the case of Gideon, Samson and Saul. But beginning with the day of Pentecost, God began pouring out His Spirit on all believers, not just for a specific task, but rather to have power to live a holy life and for effective service. 10. What did Jesus promise would happen when they received this power (Acts 1:8)?

11. What did the believers who were filled with the Holy Spirit do, according to Acts 4:31?

God does not pour out His Spirit on believers so that they will feel good, but rather so that they will serve Him well, especially when witnessing and speaking His word.

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Lesson 10 – Power for Ministry

Be Filled with the Holy Spirit

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Every believer has the Holy Spirit, but not every believer is filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit takes an active role in our salvation. We cannot be a child of God without the Holy Spirit’s participation. 12. In the following passages, what is the Holy Spirit’s role in the life of the believer? a. John 3:5-8 b. John 14:17 c. Romans 8:16 d. 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19-20 e. Ephesians 1:13-14 f. 1 John 4:13

A person cannot become a child of God unless the Holy Spirit enters his/her life and does His regenerating work. He lives in the believer, making the believer a “temple of the Holy Spirit.” However, Scripture seems to indicate that not every believer is filled with the Spirit. 13. What is the double command in Ephesians 5:18?

As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesian church, he said that they needed to be filled with the Spirit. If the indwelling presence of the Spirit in the life of the believer were all that was needed to live a holy life and be effective in service, Paul would not have been inspired to write this command in his letter to the Ephesians. But the real question is, what does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit? When Scripture indicates that people were filled with the Holy Spirit, something unusual happened to them, something that they weren’t accustomed to doing before they were filled.

Preparing to Lead God’s People

14. Look up the following passages and indicate who was filled with the Holy Spirit and what they were enabled to do by the power of the Spirit. Passage

Person(s)

Enabled by the Spirit to do…

Luke 1:41-45 Luke 1:67 Acts 2:4-12 Acts 4:8 Acts 4:31 Acts 13:9 Acts 13:52

These people acted in ways that were out-of-the ordinary. Peter, who had been cowardly when Jesus was arrested and denied his Lord, was filled with boldness, even to the point of openly proclaiming Christ to multitudes of people as well as to the Jewish Sanhedrin. When believers are filled with the Holy Spirit, they act under the control of the Spirit, rather than under their own control. In reality, this is the meaning of being filled with the Spirit—acting under the Spirit’s control. Even Jesus, the Son of God, ministered in the power of the Holy Spirit. 15. What happened to Jesus at His baptism, which marks the beginning of his public ministry? (Luke 3:21-23)?

16. How was Jesus able to resist the temptations of the devil? (Luke 4:113)

Jesus’ ministry was done completely in the power of the Holy Spirit. He expects us to minister in this same way. During His last evening with His disciples Jesus spoke of this. He explained what was going to happen because He was going to His Father.

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Lesson 10 – Power for Ministry

17. What did Jesus promise would happen when he went away? (John 16:7)

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18. What else did Jesus promise because He was going to the Father? (John 14:12)

We will be able to do these great works of Christ, if we minister in the power and control of the Holy Spirit, just as He did. To experience this Spirit-controlled life, a person must surrender him/herself completely to the Holy Spirit. 19. What is the key to a Spirit-controlled life? (Acts 5:32)

Not only does Ephesians 5:18 imply that the Holy Spirit must be in control of the believer’s life, but also His filling must be continuous. The imperative verb in the original in this verse implies an on-going process. In other words, the filling of the Spirit is not a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but it must be an on-going, daily, continuous experience. 20. Let’s look at the life of the Apostle Peter. a. Was Peter filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost? b. How do you know that? c. Who was filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts 4:8? d. Do you think Peter was present when the believers were filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts 4:31? We can deduce, that on at least three different occasions, Peter was filled with the Spirit. This is not unusual, because a believer needs to be filled many times with God’s Spirit, and in fact Ephesians 5:18 indicates the believer needs to be filled continuously. Just as we fill our lungs with breath throughout the day, we should be breathing in God’s Spirit (the word “spirit” in Greek also means “breath” or “wind”). 21. Now for a very personal question: Are you filled with God’s Holy Spirit?

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Note that the question is not “have you been filled”, but “are you filled.” Some people rely on an experience with the Lord that perhaps happened years ago. That is about as exciting as drinking stale, flat soda.

The Gifts of the Spirit Some might ask, but what about the gifts of the Spirit? Aren’t they important for ministry? Yes, they are, but not as important as seeking the fullness of the Spirit. 22. How does the Holy Spirit give His gifts? (1 Corinthians 12:7-11)

22. Who should benefit from the Holy Spirit’s gifts?

We should not seek gifts as much as we seek the Giver of spiritual gifts. Dr. A. B. Simpson in his hymn “Himself” expressed it like this: Once it was the blessing, now it is the Lord; Once it was the feeling, now it is His Word; Once His gifts I wanted, now the Giver own; Once I sought for healing, now Himself alone. The Holy Spirit gives His gifts as they are needed for the good of the church, not according to our plan or by our request. Though the Spirit gives His gifts to individuals, these gifts are really for the church body. Some people give greater importance to gifts than is warranted. They are tools for building up the Body of Christ. When a carpenter makes a beautiful piece of furniture, no one extols the set of tools he has, but rather the skill of the carpenter. So we should not glorify the gifts, but the Person who works through those gifts to build the Church of Christ. Some people confuse spiritual gifts with talents. Talents are innate abilities that people are born with, such as musical ability, aptitude for numbers, or facility with words. However, spiritual gifts are supernatural abilities by which the Spirit enables people to minister in ways they could not do on their own. You should not get hung up on such questions as: What are my gifts? How many do I have? How can I discover what they are? As you minister in the fullness of God’s Spirit, it will become evident what gift He has given you. You will become aware of it, and the church body will also recognize that God has gifted you in a certain way.

Class Notes

Lesson 10 – Power for Ministry

The Apostle Paul warned the Corinthian church about misusing spiritual gifts. Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-31.

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24. What does Paul warn about in verses 14-20?

25. What does Paul warn about in verses 21-26?

As you minister to God and His people, keep your focus on the Lord, seeking His fullness in your life on a daily basis. He will provide the spiritual power you need, as you rely on Him.

The Laying on of Hands Many churches, at the installation of elders, deacons and deaconesses, practice laying hands on the candidates. This practice is also used in the ministry of healing the sick and the ordination of ministers. It is often associated with the ancient ceremony of anointing with oil. What is the significance of “laying on of hands”? Like most ceremonies in the church, it is symbolic. The Communion elements are symbolic of Christ’s body and blood. Baptism is symbolic of the cleansing from sin. The laying on of hands is symbolic also. When commissioning people for ministry the symbolism is that we want God to put His hands on the person to empower them for service. There are three basic ideas that are conveyed by the laying on of hands: • To transfer something (a blessing or even sins) • To heal • To commission or authorize

Hands were laid on people or things to transfer symbolically something to them. 26. Look up the following passages to see what was transferred through the laying on of hands: a. Genesis 48:12-20 b. Leviticus 16:20-22

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c. Numbers 27:18-20; Deuteronomy 34:9 d. Matthew 19:15 e. 1 Timothy 4:14 The act of touching another person or thing was symbolic of transferring something spiritual to that person or thing. This same principle applies to the ministry of healing. The health of well person is transferred to the sick person. Usually we think of contagion working the other way. 27. In the following verses, indicate who laid hands on the sick: a. Mark 6:5 b. Mark 16:18 c. Acts 9:17-19 d. Acts 28:7-9 It should be noted that though Jesus and the Early Church leaders often laid hands on the sick for healing, this is not a requirement. Healing was not effected because hands were placed on the sick person, but because God poured out His healing power. Jesus sometimes healed by speaking, with no physical contact. Sometimes he used other means to heal. We must not limit God’s ability to heal by requiring that everything be done in a certain way. We must guard against emphasizing the form and stress the true meaning of the laying on of hands. The laying on of hands was also used to commission or authorize. Again the idea is a transference, not of blessing or health, but of authority to carry out a ministry. The symbolism of the laying on of hands is that just as the church leaders place their hands on the individuals, we are requesting God’s Spirit to touch and empower them for ministry. 28. Who were authorized or commissioned by the laying on of hands? a. Numbers 8:9-11 b. Acts 6:5-6 c. Acts 13:1-3

So we observe that in both the Old and the New Testaments, it was customary to lay hands on some individuals to commission them for the

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Lesson 10 – Power for Ministry

ministry. It may be that your church carries on this custom as well. You need to understand the significance and importance of it.

Class Notes

To summarize, your responsibility as a church leader is not only to fulfill the responsibilities that the church has entrusted you, but you need to do so in reliance on the power of God’s Holy Spirit. You may do the ministry in your ability and strength, but it will not produce lasting results. Remember Jesus words, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5)