That is what the church is called by God to be — a Christ-centred and Spirit-empowered people, who above all else display the love of God to a lost, broken, and hurting world. Not just displayed in miracles, signs and wonders, but mores in the transformed lives of those who belong to Christ and now live by the Spirit’s power to give us a new heart and new desires.
Throughout Paul’s writings in the New Testament, we see his deep concern that the Spirit-filled life is absolutely centred on the cross of Jesus Christ, and the evidence of the Spirit’s influence is the transformed lives of those who believe in Christ. That is not to say that supernatural gifts don’t matter. It is not an either-or situation; as we read, “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit…” (1 Corinthians 14:1, NIV). But in the balance of the amount of “air-time” given to matters of the Holy Spirit, it becomes clear that Paul’s emphasis is we are to “Let love be your highest goal” (1 Cor. 14:1 NLT) and have the character traits that display God’s love.
… and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Ephesians 5:2
The Spirit-led life is characterised by following the way of Christ as a crucified life, dying to the sin-nature and its passions and desires that work against the Spirit’s will for us . Then we are free to live by the Spirit, following the Holy Spirit’s leading in everything (Galatians 5:24-25).
A truly Spirit-filled church is one that exalts Jesus Christ as the risen Lord over all, that proclaims a gospel with the cross of Christ as the turning point of human and world history, without which none of us would know God. And because of this, the precious and powerful gift of the Holy Spirit has come to us, God’s personal presence and power indwelling each one of us who believes and trusts in Jesus.
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