The Holy Spirit and the Church

At the time of Pentecost (Acts 2), the Holy Spirit descends upon the disciples.  At this moment in history, the disciples were just a ragtag band of Jesus followers that didn't number many more than a mere 120 members.  However, as a result of the Holy Spirit's presence and power come down at Pentecost, the Church grew exponentially to thousands of believers across Palestine and continuing to  millions of members worldwide today.  All of this due to the power of the Holy Spirit and the testimony of Jesus.

If the Church's growth described in Acts is to be considered normative, then a few principles are to be gleaned from its account.  By way of introduction, the Church is not defined by a quantity of people, but by their level of true devotion to the Lord Jesus.  This is one of the most important points to be made about the story of Acts and the Church today: Church is not a certain building or the number of people present at regular gatherings.  The Church in the truest sense is solely defined by the devotion of individual followers.  

At the onset, the most prominent and important point is the necessary presence of the Holy Spirit for all Church growth.  This is so fundamental: the Holy Spirit empowers the Church.  Unfortunately, many churches consider growth a matter of numbers and butts in the seats.  Instead, the biblical understanding of growth is based solely on whether or not the Gospel and the Holy Spirit is received.

Additionally, the Holy Spirit is the equipper of the Church, particularly for the purpose of spreading the Gospel.  This means, in modern application, that the Church today should rely on the Holy Spirit to provide for its growth and to empower the spread of the Word, which is the Gospel of Christ.  As rudimentary as this concept is, many churches seem to neglect the Holy Spirit in measurements of progress or in the assessment of church vitality.

In contrast to the predominant and current understandings, the Holy Spirit is the sole instigator, equipper, and provider for all of Church life, whether growth, edification, evangelism, or general working.  The centrality of the Holy Spirit should not ever be overlooked or neglected but should always remain the focus.  Let us then pray to be overfilled with the Holy Spirit so that we could be used most effectively to spread the Gospel!