Ryan continues in his message on being filled with the power of the Holy Spirit for works of service and to see the Kingdom come for the sake of freedom in ourselves and in those around us.
The summary of this message has been drafted automatically from the transcript. Its accuracy may vary.
Living in the Spirit’s power to advance God’s kingdom
When it comes to understanding the Holy Spirit, it is common for the church to emphasize the love of the Father and leave it there. But if we truly want to see the Kingdom of God advance—whether in our homes, our workplaces, or our communities—we cannot settle for living only in the love of the Spirit. We must learn to live in the power of the Spirit.
There is this enclave mentality that exists in the church… that says, ‘I’m born again. My sins are paid for. My fire insurance is in place.’ … That is not the kind of church that Christ Jesus gave his life for.
Jesus did not give His life for a church that simply rests in the comfort of being forgiven. He gave His life for a church that would actively partner with His power to infiltrate society with freedom.
The anointing: more than just “being nice”
The prophet Isaiah foretold that the Messiah would come as a suffering servant, but he also prophesied that the Messiah would bring an outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Isaiah prophesied that the Spirit would flow like a river in a desert, and wherever the river flows, there would be blossoms and life in its wake (Isaiah 44).
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,
and my blessing on your descendants.
4 They will spring up like grass in a meadow,
like poplar trees by flowing streams.
When Jesus stood up in the synagogue to read the scroll of Isaiah, He declared:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
— Luke 4:18-19
Notice what Jesus was saying: while the Spirit was within Him to satisfy His heart with love, the Spirit was upon Him in power to bring the Kingdom of God to the earth.
“You know what has happened… how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.” (Acts 10:37-38)
Here is the challenging truth: it is not enough for our neighbors to simply think of us as “nice Christian people”. Nice people might accommodate the mess in someone’s life and sweep it under the rug, but Jesus gets right into the mess to bring freedom. Many people around us are secretly battling anxiety, depression, torment, and the heavy oppression of the enemy. They need more than our niceness; they need an encounter with God’s power.
You Cannot Just “Love” a Demon Off
While love creates a safe, sustainable environment for wholeness, we must remember that people often need an encounter with power to shift them into that safety. You cannot simply “love” a demon or deep oppression off someone.
I learned this firsthand when I was a teenager. Even though I had given my life to Christ and was born again, I was still battling a severe addiction that I had struggled with since I was nine years old. I was a school prefect and a leader in my youth group, but internally, I was out of control and riddled with shame. Being a forgiven person who is still stuck in cycles of oppression is not the good news Jesus came to bring.
One night, after a water polo practice, I hit a breaking point. I repented, asked God to set me free, and I had a radical encounter with the power of God. I physically felt a hand touch the back of my head, and I felt the addiction literally ripped off my life in seconds. I woke up the next morning completely free.
A Call for a Hungry Generation
That is what the anointing does. It doesn’t just accommodate or lift the heavy yoke slightly; the anointing absolutely shatters the yoke of oppression.
“In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders,
their yoke from your neck;
the yoke will be broken
because you have grown so fat.”— Isaiah 10:27, NIV
In the Old Testament, a fragrant anointing oil was used to set apart priests, prophets, and kings. Today, Jesus has changed the order of things. He doesn’t just sprinkle us with oil; the Holy Spirit Himself is the oil, rubbing and smearing us with the divine power needed to affect the Kingdom of God!
God is raising up a generation—a modern priesthood—who will not just sit back in the comfort of being forgiven, but will actively seek the power of the Spirit. We need the power of God in our prayers, in our boardrooms, and in our daily conversations. It might look like a radical deliverance, or it might look like a simple, Spirit-led statement made over coffee that completely shifts someone’s perspective.
Let the Holy Spirit stir your heart today.
Are you desperate, hungry, and empowered to advance the Kingdom of God?
Let us refuse to settle for an enclave mentality and instead step boldly into the aggressive, life-changing power of the Holy Spirit.
