Equipped Journeys: Be Empowered by the Holy Spirit

part 1: a true and powerful friend

In the previous two collections, we reviewed the fundamentals of what the Christian faith is all about, and how to share your faith. We also were reminded…

Fact:
Evangelism is always first and foremost a work of God.

This not only means that the Holy Spirit is the one who stirs people’s hearts before, during, and after times that you are with them, sharing some of the basics of our human condition, or of how knowing God has impacted your life. It also means that the Holy Spirit is at work in your life, before, during, and after you engage with folks, whether they know God or not.

watch

The Holy Spirit, God’s Great Gift

In the video that follows, LaMorris asks who your favorite athlete is, and challenges you to imagine what it would be like to imitate the person. Perhaps you already have someone like that in mind. You study their form and imitate their every move on the field. You know their stats and though you might not have their poster posted above your bed—or maybe you still do—you’d give anything if they would coach you for a season, even for a day!

Is there someone you look up to in such a way? Who is it, and what is it about them that makes you want to be like them?

Just like you might want to be like your favorite athlete, to imitate their prowess and their mastery, God has given us a way to imitate Him. Jesus is the only one who ever perfectly lived the Christian life. We are to imitate Him (Ephesians 5:1-2). But how much difference is there between Jesus’ ability to live the Christian life and yours? Even if you did everything you could to imitate Him, you’d be frustrated. The level of frustration you would experience would be in direct proportion to the difference in ability between you and your Hero.

"God had a plan all along to empower us to imitate Him."
LaMorris

Jesus promised that He would be with us always (Matthew 18:20) and that He would give us a Helper or Comforter to be with us (John 16:7).

God opens a door for us in order to “live and walk in everything He has for us” by giving us the Holy Spirit—the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11). But there’s more to know about the Spirit. Kim explains in the video that follows.

Here are some points Kim makes about who the Holy Spirit is:

The Holy Spirit is God
The Holy Spirit is the third Person in the Trinity
The Holy Spirit is our Friend
The Holy Spirit is our Helper
The Holy Spirit is our Guide who points us to truth
The Holy Spirit is our Advocate
The Holy Spirit works through us as believers to magnify Christ

review

Answer the questions below. As before, consider sharing your answers with growth partners. If you’re completing the program solo, write your responses in a journal.

What is one thing that stood out for you from the video?
Have you ever thought of the Holy Spirit as your friend? Why or why not?

supplemental resources

Theological Perspective on the Holy Spirit

What did you learn from this supplemental resource?

live it!

Ask a friend, “Since receiving Christ, to what degree have you experienced frustration in your Christian life?”

Up Next | Part 2 As you walk in the Spirit by faith, you need never again live in spiritual defeat. Spiritual Breathing, like physical breathing, is a process of exhaling the impure and inhaling the pure, an exercise in faith that enables you to experience God’s love and forgiveness and walk in the Spirit as a way of life. Learn more about that in the next program.

up next: Spiritual Breathing

As you walk in the Spirit by faith, you need never again live in spiritual defeat. Spiritual Breathing, like physical breathing, is a process of exhaling the impure and inhaling the pure, an exercise in faith that enables you to experience God’s love and forgiveness and walk in the Spirit as a way of life.

GO BACK TO THE “BE EMPOWERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT” COLLECTION

equipped

Be Empowered by the Holy Spirit is the third journey of the Equipped Disciples Curriculum from Athletes in Action. Learn about the whole five collection series and how the parts fit together.