GIFTS of MISSIONAL LIVING: A 5-Day Journey Exploring the Gifts of the Holy Spirit for Missional LifeSample

POWER FOR MISSION

When the Holy Spirit calls us to join Jesus in mission, he also provides gifts to fuel that mission. In fact, without those Spirit-gifts, our “missional” efforts will be empty and ultimately fruitless.

The first gift for mission that the Spirit gives is his power. In Acts 4:23–31, we find the church in Jerusalem confronting the first real threat of hostile opposition to its mission. Peter and John had been arrested, imprisoned, and threatened repeatedly by the chief priests and Jewish elders (4:1–22). They return to tell the other believers about the threats, and in response, the church lifts one of the most amazing missional prayers recorded in Scripture. Both their prayer (especially verses 29–30) and the Holy Spirit’s response to that prayer (v. 31) underline the absolute necessity of the gift of power for mission.

In the face of threats and opposition, the young church doesn’t pray for deliverance; instead, they ask for the Lord’s power for mission. First, they need power to speak God’s word “with all boldness.” No hiding out, no softening the radical message of the Gospel so that it will be “safer” — they want Spirit-empowered boldness! Second, they ask that God’s power will provide a visible confirmation of their Gospel witness, through healings, signs, and wonders done through the name of Jesus. They recognize that their mission will flounder without the power of the Holy Spirit.

Verse 31 indicates just how well their prayer aligned with the Spirit’s purposes and how pleasing it was to God: “When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.” God gave them the Spirit-empowered boldness that they asked for! We see in chapter 5 that he also gave the confirming signs and wonders that the church prayed for, and the combination of bold witness and Spirit-empowered miracles resulted in unstoppable missional fruitfulness: “More than ever believers were added to the Lord, great numbers of both men and women” (5:14).

Bottom line: The power of the Holy Spirit is the necessary fuel for missional living. Don’t attempt to step into mission without it!