The Holy Spirit leads us to God

“But God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” The Chief Apostle emphasized this sentence from 1 Corinthians 10: 13 during the divine service in Lusaka, giving it a similar weight as the Pentecost messages of previous years.

“God is faithful and promises us in all the tribulations we have to go through, ‘I will make you a way of escape,’” the Chief Apostle said. “This way of escape is the presence and activity of the Holy Spirit in the church.”

The activity of the Holy Spirit

The Chief Apostle outlined the power and activity of the Holy Spirit, as follows.

• “Wherever in the church of Christ the gospel is proclaimed, the Holy Spirit is present and active.” He calls to man, “Come to God!” The Chief Apostle said, “Don’t worry, trust in the power of the Holy Spirit. By the end of the kingdom of peace, all of mankind will have heard the good news, the gospel.”
• The power of the Holy Spirit calls the baptized into the church of Christ and provides them with the power to fight the battle against sin. He continued, “Every faithful Christian can experience the joy of not having to be a slave of the evil one, but of having the strength needed to fight against him.”
• “The power of the Holy Spirit comes to its full expression through the Apostle ministry. Jesus has sent His Apostles to call the elected souls to become part of the bride of Christ.” The Chief Apostle went on to say that all those who are elected by God to become part of the bride of Christ will be called by the Apostles, will be sealed by them, and will be prepared.
• The power of the Holy Spirit can also be experienced in Holy Communion. “Whenever children of God celebrate Holy Communion, Jesus is present through the Holy Spirit.” This joy in Christ is something that every congregation experiences, whether it gathers in a refugee camp or in one of our large churches.

The response of the bridal congregation

The call of the Holy Spirit requires a response from us, the Chief Apostle said. For one, “Those who belong to the bride of Christ are full of the Holy Spirit. That means they say to everybody, ‘Come, as you are. God loves you, and I love you too! Whoever you are, I want you to be saved.’”

And secondly, “The bride loves Christ. The faithful long for fellowship with Christ. Their first wish is to be with Jesus. That is why they pray and plead, ‘Please come!’”

Everything on Pentecost 2015 in Zambia: Pentecost dossier