Have you ever wondered what your purpose is on Earth? This question resonates in our hearts, and as Christians, we must always rely on the Holy Spirit to answer it.
Indeed every generation must discover the significant task that God has for them during their time and engage with it. And you, as part of your generation, must step up to the task, guided by the Holy Spirit, which works in two ways: the Spirit Upon and the Spirit Within.
God the Father originates the work while the Son, Jesus, executes it. The Holy Spirit then steps in, anchoring and confirming the importance of these tasks and establishing them in our hearts.
Consider Acts 1:6-8, where disciples seek to understand the revival and restoration of the Kingdom of Israel. Jesus responds by explaining that the timing of the revival is up to God, but the Holy Spirit provides the power. This power gives believers the courage to spread the message everywhere; from Jerusalem to the farthest corners of the world.
The Holy Spirit will make us witnesses of Christ, as seen in the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-5), which the prophet Joel predicted, saying that sons and daughters will speak prophecies, and the elderly will have visions and dreams. Through the conversion of 3,000 people turning to Christ, the Holy Spirit demonstrated its influence upon the Church. Peter’s transformation from denying Jesus to preaching about Him is also a clear result of the Spirit’s guidance, as it empowered him to share Christ’s message.
He had the Spirit Upon, the external manifestation of the power of the Holy Spirit, which makes Christians become witnesses of Christ. Therefore, the Spirit Upon brings out visible power, allowing people to become channels for God’s work. We are the result of something that has happened throughout the timeline of history, and we are also the dispensers of the generation, tasked with imparting something to them.
Then there’s the Spirit Within, the process by which the Holy Spirit births us into salvation and matures the fruit of our character. The Holy Spirit is the channel through which we are born again. We are transformed from the kingdom of darkness to light. When you believe in Christ in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, the Holy Spirit births you and gives you His nature and character. That is the Spirit Within, the nature and character of Christ.
Galatians 5:25 encourages us to walk in the Holy Spirit since we live by the Spirit. The Spirit Upon empowers us to serve, while the Spirit Within shapes our character to be like Christ. When the Spirit comes upon us, it is for service; within us is to reflect the nature of Christ. However, we still have a part to play in the transformation and development of that character. We ought to nail our desires and passion to the cross and align with the word of Jesus Christ. The Spirit Upon or the gifts of the Holy Spirit are not the confirmation of sonship. The Spirit Within or the fruits of the Holy Spirit are the confirmation of sonship.
The Spirit Upon comes at a cost, and that is the Spirit Within, which is the character of God. The Spirit Within intensifies the Spirit Upon so that we can have both the gifts and the fruits of the Holy Spirit, and Christ can be glorified.
John 3:5-6
Acts 1:6-8
Acts 2:1-5
Galatians 5:25