by Curtis Going
I recently read the story of a handbell choir that was presenting a concert of beautiful music when a drunk man staggered into the auditorium, grabbed the tablecloth where the handbells were neatly arranged, and pulled it off the table. Handbells and musicians scattered everywhere, but to the amazement of the onlookers, the handbell music continued without interruption. The antics of the drunk man revealed that while the crowd had thought they were enjoying a live performance by a talented handbell choir, in reality, they had been listening to a recording of handbell music and watching a group of imposters.*
The story reminded me of the often-quoted statement by AW Tozer that if the Holy Spirit were completely withdrawn from the Church “95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference.” Like a handbell choir that goes through the motions and executes an impressive performance while lacking real ability, it is possible to do the work of the church and even perform impressively while lacking real spiritual power.
LIFE AND MINISTRY WITHOUT THE SPIRIT’S HELP RESULTS IN FRUSTRATION AND FRUITLESSNESS
If you fail to realize how desperately you need the Spirit’s power, then the only alternative is to lean on your own efforts when you face the challenges of life and ministry. This misplaced focus inevitably results in frustration and fruitlessness.
Any attempt to escape the frustration of fruitless ministry without the Holy Spirit’s enabling power ultimately leads to settling for cheap substitutes. Some put their hope in academia and subscribe to a brand of arrogant intellectualism that is always asking questions but rarely finding answers. Others put their hope in a leader, trusting in a personality until they become something like the people of Corinth who said, “I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos…” (I Corinthians 3:4) Still others decide “We’ve just been going about everything wrong for all these years, and so we need to reinvent ourselves.” Others get so overwhelmed with the challenges that they simply do nothing at all. Yet Jesus’ words to His disciples are just as full of truth and promise today as they were when He spoke them before ascending to Heaven—“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you…” (Acts 1:8)
LIFE AND MINISTRY WITH THE SPIRIT’S HELP RESULTS IN HOPE AND POWER
At the beginning of our pastoral ministry, shortly before my wife and I were headed to plant a new church, I received an e-mail from a well-meaning friend who tried to discourage me from undertaking such a responsibility. His reasons for thinking that our plans were ill-advised were well-articulated and, from a human standpoint, not entirely unwarranted. As I read his letter, question marks about the wisdom of moving forward loomed large in my mind and seeds of discouragement began to take root. However, as I sat processing the concerns my friend had outlined, I began to realize that none of the reasoning seemed to take the Holy Spirit and His power into consideration. The Spirit brought Paul’s words in Romans 15:13 to my attention—“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” Paul’s words reminded me of the great hope that we have in life and in ministry—not because of ideal circumstances or exceptional talent or human ability but because the fullness of the Holy Spirit is available to those who are entirely at His disposal!
When God birthed the New Testament church, He did not enlist the Who’s Who of the Ancient World to preach His Gospel and establish His church. Instead, He chose a group of uneducated fishermen, former political and religious zealots, and even a despised tax collector. On the Day of Pentecost He filled weak human vessels with His Holy Spirit to enable them to accomplish the work that He had given them to do. That power brought abounding hope that great things could be accomplished for the Kingdom with the Holy Spirit’s help!
In the work of ministry there are discouraging uncertainties and problems, and you may be tempted to focus on your personal limitations and weaknesses. You may feel that you are not capable of accomplishing what God has called you to do because of the seeming impossibilities, but Paul reminds you that in the face of uncertainty and discouragement you can have an abounding hope for the future through the power of the Holy Spirit! He wrote to the Corinthians: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” (II Corinthians 4:7)
In the Old Testament, when Zerubbabel was tasked with the heavy responsibility of rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem, God spoke to him through the prophet Zechariah and reminded him that he would never get the job done by human might and power alone. It was only through the power of His Spirit that Zerubbabel could be successful (Zechariah 4:6). It was as if God was saying, “Zerubbabel, you don’t enough man-power, wisdom, money, skill, or strength to finish this job, but that’s not how I plan to build My Temple. If this Temple is going to rebuilt, the work will be accomplished through the might and power of My Holy Spirit, and with the power of My Spirit available to you, you can press ahead with hope and confidence! You can look at this mountain of responsibility that lies ahead of you and say, ‘Who art thou, O great mountain?’ (Zechariah 4:7), because with My help, you will finish the Temple and all the people will rejoice at what I have done!”
- The church that you thought could never grow—not by might, not by power, but by God’s Spirit!
- The person that you thought could never be saved—not by might, not by power, but by God’s Spirit!
- The relationship that you thought would never be restored—not by might, not by power, but by God’s Spirit!
- The spiritual battle that you thought would never be won—not by might, not by power, but by God’s Spirit!
The Holy Spirit wants to fill you with joy and peace, even in difficult circumstances, and He wants you to abound in hope at what can be accomplished through His power! Ⅸ
*Erwin W. Lutzer and H. B. Charles Jr., No Reason to Hide: Standing for Christ in a Collapsing Culture (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2022), 22–23.
