The Spirit Renews Us.
In this lesson, we are going to talk about something important regarding the Holy Spirit. We have talked about baptism in the Holy Spirit and the importance of receiving this blessing. But you must know that this baptism is not an end, that is, something we already have and no longer need. Rather, this baptism is a beginning. We always need more of the Spirit; we always need new touches from the Holy Spirit.
There is an interesting story in Acts chapter 4. There were about 1 or 2 months, or perhaps a little more, between Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit came with power, and Acts 4.
In Acts 4, Peter and John were arrested after healing a paralytic man in Acts 3. They spent the night in jail, and the next day they were mistreated and arrested by the Jewish leaders. After threats from the leaders, they were released. They went to meet with the brothers, and they all began to pray and ask for God’s help and
look what happened in Acts 4:31: “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” (NIV) The place shook, not because of an earthquake, but because of the power and presence of God. And what happened? The same as in Acts 2, it says that they were all filled with the Holy Spirit again. And it also says that after receiving this touch, they proclaimed the word without fear, because of this powerful new touch of the Holy Spirit.
If they needed a new touch of the Spirit, how much more do we need it today? You could call it a new renewal of the Spirit.
Revelation 2 speaks of a church that needed this. Look at Revelation 2:4-5: “Yet I have this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5 Remember where you have fallen from! Repent and do the works you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” (NIV) They had lost this first love, this fervor or this touch that they had, and they needed a new renewal of the Holy Spirit.
From time to time, we all need this, even if we are baptized in the Spirit. How good it is that if you find yourself a little dry or cold spiritually, God can touch you and renew you today.
The question then is, why do we need this, or why does this happen?
Well, there are several reasons. First, for some reason, as Christians, but at the same time as human beings, we have the problem that there are some spiritual leaks in our lives, and that is why we can lose this touch little by little. When we realize that this has happened or is happening, we can ask for a new touch, a new filling of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes this happens because of spiritual neglect. We are not reading the Bible or praying daily, or perhaps we have decreased our attendance at church. It can also happen because of sin, or because of bitterness and unforgiveness toward someone. Or simply because we live in this world full of sin and rebellion that sometimes affects us. There are many reasons why we can dry up or grow cold in our spiritual lives.
But the answer is always to do what the disciples did in Acts 4. Seek the Lord with all your heart, and He will answer you. And sometimes, to receive this touch, we need to do what the church in Revelation 2 did, which was to repent of any sin or spiritual impediment.
If you recognize that you have this problem, it is time to fast and pray to draw closer to God and to fight against the enemy in the name of Jesus who is attacking us. The answer is always in God. Seek Him through the Word and prayer, and if you have already been baptized by the Spirit, it is a great blessing and help to pray in tongues by the Spirit.
How wonderful that God is ready to renew and restore us today. It is time to draw closer to Him and receive this renewal.