Wednesday 16 Feb
“Not by my might, not by power, by my Spirit says the Lord.”
“Come Holy Spirit”
That is the short, simple but profound prayer we centred on at this week’s Global Launch and that I have invited all members of our mission community to pray on a regular basis this year.
Paul writes in Galatians 5: “So let the Holy Spirit guide your lives... Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.”
The reality for all of us as followers of Jesus is that the Spirit is with us, indwelling our lives. But often in the busyness of life, with so much else happening, with the pull of the world and the worries of our day, we can be slow to look to the Spirit to lead, guide and comfort us.
In between the verses of Scripture above, Paul highlights one of the key goals of the Spirit at work in our lives, which is cultivating Christ-likeness, as seen by the “fruit of the Spirit”.
“The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self- control.”
I am always challenged when I look at this list that I am a work in progress. I need to co-operate more and more that the Spirit may cultivate Christ-likeness in me.
As an organisation, our history is bathed in the work of the Spirit.
From prayer meetings in Adelaide, Spirit-led people of bold faith birthed the vision for Australians to be sent overseas to serve as intercultural workers.
And over our long history, in times of joy and sorrow, in times of fruitfulness and barren soil, the Holy Spirit has been there as both the comforter and the one to call people beyond their comfort zones.
Today our mission community’s vision all envisage and need the work of the Spirit. In each of us as individuals, in our teams and in our organisation as a whole... we need the work of the Spirit.
In Zechariah we read: “Not by my might, not by power, by my Spirit says the Lord.”
In 2022 we as a mission community - as workers and partners - will face many challenges and new opportunities.
We all face the danger of doing things in our own strength, in our own time, and with our own motivation. We all face the danger of either thinking too much of ourselves, or too little: “How could God use me?”.
I live with these dangers every day.
I know I need the leading and guiding of the Spirit. I need His power. I need Him as my comforter, but also as the one who calls me beyond my comfort zone. I need for Him to continue to cultivate Christ-likeness in me. I need to be attuned to God’s voice in the midst of so many other loud voices all around me. I need Him to keep me humble, but also to see how much God can use me as an ordinary person, privileged to be used as a Kingdom vessel.
Today, as we have prayed at this year’s Global Launch, will you join me in praying “Come Holy Spirit”? May we pray that prayer over our lives, churches, teams and mission community.
Thank you for being co-workers of the good news of Jesus.
Scott
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