This column’s writer continues to be “a voice” in need of, thirsting for and crying out for a Spiritual Awakening for me, for you and for the churches of our area. Our only help and hope for such an awakening is the Holy Spirit and in this article I will give you a partial list of what He wants to do in and through you and me and the churches.

But first, I will give you a partial list of some of the things the Holy Spirit has already done for every believing/saved person. First, He was responsible for your saving experience. Becoming saved was like a new birth and it was the Holy Spirit that made you “born again from above”, “born of the Spirit”, “born of God” or “renewed” with “regeneration” (John 3:3,5,7; John 1:12-13; Titus 3:5) as well as “washed, justified and sanctified” (1 Corinthians 6:11). Second, you were baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). Third, you were sealed by the Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of heaven in the future. God’s branding and sealing mark upon you is the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14 and 4:30). Fourth, every believing/saved person is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. He lives in you. (John 7:37-39; Acts 2:38; Romans 5:5; 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Fifth, you have been given the potential that comes with being alive in the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:5-13). Sixth, by the Holy Spirit you have been given a spiritual gift or ability with which to serve Jesus Christ in and through the local church (1 Corinthians 12:7 and following).

Now I will give you a partial list of some of the things the Holy Spirit wants to do in you and me and the churches. In doing this I will be giving a limited word picture of what our Spiritual Awakening will look like. First, He desires to make us Christ-like in our character: attitude, speech, actions, thoughts and mindset. Galatians 5:22 says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness and self control.” That is a true picture of what Jesus was like and the kind of person the Holy Spirit desires to produce in us. Jesus will be seen in our homes, at school, at the work place, at play and in the church body by the fruit of the Spirit in us. Christ likeness will be a major product of our Spiritual Awakening.

Second, the Holy Spirit desires to teach us the truth about Jesus Christ: his glory, his will for us, his way and his word. Jesus said “the Spirit of truth…whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:16, 26). Again, in John 15:13 Jesus said, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; he shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine and shall show it unto you” (John 16:13-14). The Holy Spirit desires to make God’s word “alive and powerful” as he uses it to “teach us, convict us, correct us and prepare us for living and serving” (Hebrews 4:12; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 2:9-10). The Holy Spirit’s power exalting Jesus Christ through the Word of God will be at the very heart of our Spiritual Awakening. Being filled with the Word of Christ and being filled with the Holy Spirit are closely related (Colossians 3:16 and Ephesians 5:18-20).

Third, the Holy Spirit desires to enable us to reject the use of our physical bodies for sexual sins and to enable us to glorify God in our bodies and our human spirits (1 Corinthians 6:13-20). Our Spiritual Awakening will abolish the statistics, which report as much sexual immorality among church members as among non-church members.

Fourth, the Holy Spirit desires to give us courage and boldness to share with unbelievers how we were saved and to explain the good news of God’s saving love. Again and again we are told in the New Testament that the Holy Spirit would enable believers to do the humanly impossible task of evangelizing the world beginning with our next-door neighbors (Acts 1:8; Luke 24:46-49; John 20:19-23; Matthew 28:18-20; 2 Timothy 1:7-12). Our Spiritual Awakening will be marked by God given courage and boldness to witness and present the gospel. The result will be many persons turning to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

Fifth, the Holy Spirit desires to make believers into peacemakers. In marriages, families, and communities and within the church there is a lack of unity and peace. In Ephesians 4:2-3 we are told of “the unity and the peace which the Holy Spirit produces” out of “humility, patience, gentleness and bearing with one another in love.” Our Spiritual Awakening will bring about a miracle of peace and unity.

Sixth, the Holy Spirit desires to give us powerful experiences through prayer in private personal times and in-group sessions. (See Ephesians 6:18; Acts 4:23-31; Acts 12:5-17; Acts 13:2-4; Acts 16:25-34) Prayer precedes a spiritual awakening but a spiritual awakening will produce a people of prayer.

The next article will be entitled “How to be Filled with the Holy Spirit.”