Week 14 (31 Mar - 6 Apr): Spirit-Transformed

Dear church, 

In March, Ps Ben preached on the baptism of the Holy Spirit. In the weeks that followed, we journeyed through a series of Monday devotions on the instances of Holy Spirit baptism in the book of Acts (Chapters 2, 8, 9, 10, 19). Last Saturday, Ps Ben preached on Acts 19 and I closed his message with the story of the Azusa Street revival.

There is a thread that runs through all these accounts: the baptism of the Holy Spirit always overflows into the transformation of society. In Acts 2, after the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they preached boldly, and 3000 were added to the church. In Acts 9, Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit when Ananias laid hands on him. That moment launched a ministry that spread the gospel across cities and continents. In fact, the letters he wrote are STILL discipling nations today. In Acts 19, Paul baptises the believers in Ephesus in the Holy Spirit – and the city, steeped in magic and idolatry, is turned upside down. In the Azusa Street story, the baptism of the Holy Spirit broke racial barriers and started a global movement that is still echoing through the church today.

The move of the Holy Spirit cannot be contained to an individual, or even a church. It confronts more than personal sin – it commissions us to confront spiritual darkness and bring restoration to the places God calls us to. The Spirit empowers us to rise as co-heirs with Christ and to partner with the Father in the renewal of all things. The call to be baptised in the Holy Spirit is a call to be filled so we can be poured out. It is a call to be so intimate with the Father that we are One – that place of intimacy is the source of God’s power in and through us.

As we enter April, God is calling us into something bigger that we cannot quite yet see. The words from Isaiah carry his heart for this season. Isaiah 49:5-6 reads, 

And now the Lord says—

    he who formed me in the womb to be his servant

to bring Jacob back to him

    and gather Israel to himself,

for I am[a] honored in the eyes of the Lord

    and my God has been my strength—

he says:

“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant

    to restore the tribes of Jacob

    and bring back those of Israel I have kept.

I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,

    that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

Whatever we think our assignment is – it is too small a thing. As a church, we are called to Bukit Batok, and that will always remain our calling. But I sense God saying that there is so much more that we are called to do. We started with one block, but through TAVA, we have been able to impact the wider Bukit Batok community. As we continue to walk in step with the Holy Spirit, we believe that God is going to use us to impact other communities in Singapore and beyond.

This week, take some time to think and pray about the following:

1. In Acts 19, the Holy Spirit transformed a city bound by idolatry and spiritual darkness. What areas in your life or spheres of influence need the same powerful move of the Spirit? What might God be calling you to partner with him for?

2. God said it was "too small a thing" to just restore Israel—He called His servant to be a light to the nations. What “too small” dreams or goals are you holding on to, when God wants to expand your vision for His kingdom?

Blessings, 

Lycia