Session 4

Walk in the spirit Session 4

‘You shall Receive Power When the Spirit Comes Upon You’

• Leading Sharing Groups (pdf - 97 KB)
• Week Four Summary and Question Sheet (pdf - 129 KB)

Session overview:
As Catholic Christians it is fair to say we have some idea of God the Father, and Jesus is familiar to us through the gospel narratives, but who, or what, is the Holy Spirit?

In Luke’s gospel, the risen Jesus tells his disciples that he is sending them the ‘promise of the Father’ and to wait in Jerusalem until they were ‘clothed with power from on high’. In the Acts of the Apostles the Spirit is dramatically poured out upon the gathered Christians at Pentecost and then appears everywhere, bringing people to conversion, working all manner of miracles and inspiring prophetic insights in and through the early followers of Jesus. Saint Paul wrote to Christians in Rome and Galatia that the Spirit unites himself with our spirit and causes us to cry out “Abba Father”. He reminded the Corinthians that when he first came to them, he didn’t rely on clever arguments but rather ‘a demonstration of the Spirit and power’.The New Testament witness to the power of the Spirit is amazing, but does He still work powerfully in the lives of Christians today?

Presenter: Tim Kirk
Testimony: Carmel Henry

Evenings Timetable:
7.30     Introduction and welcome – Archbishop Christopher
7.35     Worship song and prayer
7.45     Teaching on the evening’s theme – 25 minutes
8.10     Sharing/Testimony – 15 minutes
8.25     Reflection/Final Song
8.40     Close
8.45     Discussion Groups – 30 minutes

Discussion questions:
How have you experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life to this point?
The Spirit of God is not a spirit of fear, but a Spirit of ‘power, love and self-control’ (2 1.7).What might change in your life if you invited the Holy Spirit to be the centre and source of your life?
Paul insists that ‘to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good’ (1 Cor 12.7). In what ways would you love the Spirit to work through you?

This week’s reflection
Over this week, have a go at reading the first 14 chapters of Acts of the Apostles (or all 28 chapters if you get on a roll!). Make a mental note of the many references to the presence and work of the Holy Spirit.The key questions to pray over: Is God offering me more in my living of the Christian life than I have experienced to this point? Am I open to receiving more life, more power, more courage, more faith, new hope and new gifts of grace from the Spirit of God who has made his home inside of me?