by Joseph Perry

The Holy Spirit can in fact be at work in the lives of God’s people wherever we are in life. The participation of the Holy Spirit embodied in the life of the believer has the ability to change situations and circumstances in the earth. John Wesley states that the Christian life is life under the influence of the Holy Spirit, and to be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be a living portrait of Christ. The Lord moves and charges our lives, our very being, to make a difference in life. In others words, we can do all things through Christ and his Anointing. Phil. 4:13 We, the Church, must yield and surrender ourselves to the Spirit of God, to make a difference in this changing world.

Perhaps there may be some people here who feel that where they are, or the condition that impacts them, keeps them from promoting and stimulating the work of the Lord. It’s vital to know that the Anointing on our lives can help bless the lives of others. We must stay charged up like a battery, keep a charge on our lives, and stay connected to Heaven through prayer.

In this chapter, we see the apostles Paul and Silas are in confinement. They are now in jail for doing the Lord’s work. They put their lives on the line for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and you know we can in fact end up in places we didn’t even sign up for, or even dreamed of when we’re doing the Lord’s work. This work requires courage from us, humility from us, integrity from us, compassion from us, and ultimately God’s power from him, flowing through us.

When he’s in the midst:

1. He has the ability to capture people’s attention. Paul and Silas who were on this second missionary journey, and sitting in a Philippian jail on the eastern side of the city of Macedonia. They get the inmates’ attention by talk about the Lord. You need to talk about him.

When he’s in our midst:

2. He gives people a certain aroma. What I am saying is, that a spirit of hope becomes present in letting people know that trouble doesn’t last always. The apostles didn’t just sit silent in that place, no, their minds and hearts was on the Lord. The Bible says that at midnight — that’s between yesterday and tomorrow — they started praising God. Our hope is in the God who has all power. The Church has power to still make a difference. Hope can be manifested for the glory of God.

When The Lord is in the midst:

3. He has a way of sharing his Aawesomeness. His creative power. His steadfast love. When the Lord is in our midst, the atmosphere is changed where the Lord can be offered. The truth of the matter is, it’s all about the awesomeness of God, and his amazing way to show his grace and mercy where we serve.

That’s what happened with Paul and Silas. They prayed and sang hymns, they lifted up the Lord, and the power of the Holy Spirit moved in that place. Earthquakes were common in that area. A shaking, an earthquake. When the Lord is in the midst, people get saved, people get set free and people’s lives are changed.

We the Church must yield ourselves and surrender ourselves to the Spirit of God, to make a difference in this world that is constantly changing. It requires from us getting people’s attention, sharing an aroma of hope, and expressing his awesome and amazing power working through our lives, and that’s a thought to remember.

JOSEPH A. PERRY is pastor of St. Luke AME Zion Church in Franklin. Contact him at either 252-339-0008 or josephp134@gmail.com. You can hear his radio broadcast at 6:45 p.m. every Sunday on WKGM940.