Holy Spirit, power of

The Holy Spirit equips and empowers believers so that the reign and reality of God is revealed through them in the world.

The power of the Holy Spirit is witnessed to in the OT

Isaiah 11:2–3 See also Isaiah 42:1

The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him— the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD. And He will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what His eyes see, and He will not decide by what His ears hear,

The Spirit will show his power on the earth

Isaiah 32:15

until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high. Then the desert will be an orchard, and the orchard will seem like a forest.

The Spirit's power will enable people to serve God

Ezekiel 36:26–27 See also Jeremiah 31:33

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances.

The Spirit's power will prompt prophecy and visions

Joel 2:28–29 See also Acts 2:17–18

And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on My menservants and maidservants, I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

The Holy Spirit's power is described by OT imagery

Oil: 1 Samuel 10:1, 1 Samuel 16:13; Isaiah 63:11–12 the arm of God; Ezekiel 3:14, Ezekiel 37:1

The Holy Spirit's power is demonstrated in the OT

In creation

Genesis 1:2; Job 33:4; Psalm 104:30

In acts of judgment and war

Judges 14:19 See also Judges 3:10, Judges 6:34, Judges 11:29, Judges 14:6, Judges 15:14; 1 Samuel 11:6, 1 Samuel 16:13

Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave their clothes to those who had solved the riddle. And burning with anger, Samson returned to his father’s house,

In the lives of his servants

Micah 3:8 See also Numbers 11:17; 1 Samuel 10:6, 1 Samuel 10:10

As for me, however, I am filled with power by the Spirit of the LORD, with justice and courage, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.

The Holy Spirit's power is seen in the life of Jesus Christ

In his conception

Luke 1:35

The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.

In his teaching and ministry

See also Matthew 7:28–29, Matthew 12:28; Mark 1:22, Mark 1:27; Luke 4:14, Luke 5:17; Acts 10:38

In his resurrection

Romans 1:4 See also Romans 8:11; 1 Timothy 3:16; 1 Peter 3:18

and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Holy Spirit's power is seen in the church's mission

In the church's witness and preaching

Acts 1:8 See also Luke 24:49; Acts 6:10, Acts 16:7; 1 Corinthians 2:4; 1 Thessalonians 1:5

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

In the apostolic ministry of signs and wonders

Romans 15:18–19 See also Hebrews 2:4

I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obedience by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, and by the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.

In miraculous works in the church

Galatians 3:5 See also 1 Corinthians 12:28

Does God lavish His Spirit on you and work miracles among you because you practice the law, or because you hear and believe?

The Holy Spirit's power builds Christian character

Romans 15:13 See also 2 Timothy 1:7

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit's power strengthens the church

Ephesians 3:16 See also Romans 1:11; 1 Corinthians 1:7–8

I ask that out of the riches of His glory He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being,