Introduction:
The central prayer of our liturgy is ‘Come, Holy Spirit’ and it is there for such an incredibly important reason. The Holy Spirit was central to Jesus’ ministry and we should look to Jesus and do what we saw him doing. Aside from this, the Holy Spirit has been active throughout history.
Bible verses to be read:
Jump from verse to verse to allow your group to get a broader picture of the Holy Spirit being mentioned in both the Old and New Testament.
•Genesis 1: 1-2
•Isaiah 11: 1-3
•Isaiah 42: 1
•Joel 2: 28
•Luke 1: 35
•Luke 1: 41-42
•Luke 1: 67
•Luke 3: 21-23
•Luke 4: 1-2
For discussion
•Talk about these verses, ask if any specific passages jump out to your group.
•Ask about your group’s knowledge of the Holy Spirit and if they had been aware of the impact of the Holy Spirit throughout the Bible.
•What have you seen at church that you have questions about?
So why say ‘Come, Holy Spirit’?
When we say ‘Come, Holy Spirit’ we want to see all the things done that we read in Luke 4: 14-21, i.e. the on-going ministry of the Holy Spirit.
•Preaching
•Deliverance
•Healing
•Justice
•Demons cast out
•To be taught ourselves (and to learn)
When we say ‘Come, Holy Spirit’
What we’re not doing is saying that the Holy Spirit isn’t already present. We are acknowledging that he is already present, but that we want to experience more of his presence. The Holy Spirit makes us effective in the on-going ministry of the Kingdom of God, but we need to be open to being filled with the Holy Spirit, listening to his voice and following his guidance. We need to be regularly filled with the Holy Spirit, not because we’re not saved, but because as humans we’re leaky and need to be continually topped up with the Holy Spirit.
