Chapter 6: The Spirit’s Work in the Church
What Makes the Church Alive?
Walk into a cathedral, and you may feel awe — but awe alone does not make it alive.
Sit in a modern church, and you may feel energy — but energy alone does not make it alive.
You can have music, lights, sermons, programs, and crowds — but without the Spirit, it is a corpse dressed in Sunday clothes.
The Spirit is the difference between a building and a body, between a crowd and a family,
between a performance and worship.
The Body of Christ
The Church is not simply an organization. It is not a club for like-minded people.
It is a living organism — the Body of Christ.
“For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…” (1 Corinthians 12:13)
What makes it alive? The Spirit.
The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead now animates His body on earth — His Church.
One Spirit, Many Members
The Spirit not only brings the Church to life — He also gives it diversity and unity.
“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit…” (1 Corinthians 12:4)
He gives different gifts to different people — but all for the common good.
Some teach.
Some serve.
Some encourage.
Some lead.
Some pray. Some give.
Different gifts, different roles — one Spirit, one mission, one Lord.
Without Him, our diversity becomes division. With Him, our diversity becomes harmony.
Spiritual Gifts
The Spirit equips the Church to do what no human strength can accomplish. These are not talents you’re born with —
they are gifts you’re reborn with.
“To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” (1 Corinthians 12:7)
He gives gifts of wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues, and interpretation.
These gifts are not for self-promotion. They are not to impress the world.
They are to build up the Church and glorify Christ.
Fruit of the Spirit
The Spirit not only gives gifts — He produces fruit.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” (Galatians 5:22–23)
These are not optional.
These are the evidence of His presence.
A church full of gifts but without fruit is a noisy gong. A church full of fruit but hiding its gifts is half asleep.
The Spirit gives both —
power and character — to make the Church reflect Jesus.
Empowered for Mission
The Church’s mission is impossible without the Spirit.
Before Jesus ascended, He gave His disciples their marching orders: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19) But He also told them to wait:
“…stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49)
At Pentecost, the Spirit fell — and the world began to change.
✦ Peter, who denied Jesus three times, stood and preached boldly.
✦ Thousands believed and were baptized.
✦ The gospel began to spread like fire.
That same Spirit empowers the Church today — not by might, not by power, but by His Spirit.
When the Spirit Is Absent
It is possible to go through the motions of church without the Spirit. We can sing songs that never rise above the ceiling.
We can preach sermons that stir minds but not hearts. We can gather bodies that never become a body.
We can have good strategy — but no supernatural power. We can have good programs — but no presence.
The Church becomes a museum when it forgets the Spirit. It becomes a theater when it tries to entertain without Him.
It becomes a business when it trusts money more than His power.
Why It Matters
Why does it matter to know the Spirit’s work in the Church? Because without Him:
There is no unity.
There is no mission.
There is no life.
We become divided, stagnant, and self-reliant. We try to manufacture what only God can give.
And because this is the story we are living:
In the Garden of Eden, the Spirit walked with Adam — but sin fractured that fellowship.
At Pentecost, the Spirit filled His people — beginning the restoration of the family of God.
In the final garden, the Spirit will unite all believers perfectly in worship before the throne.
To know the Spirit’s work in the Church now is to join that eternal worship today.
Reflection
We often ask, “What can my church offer me?”
But the real question is, “What is the Spirit doing here — and how can I join Him?”
He is not waiting for us to invite Him to our plans — He is inviting us into His plan.
Do you see Him moving in your church? Do you pray for His power to fill the body?
Do you use your gifts — and bear His fruit — for the good of others?
Questions to Consider
✦ Do you see the Spirit at work in your church — or has it become a human- driven effort?
✦ What spiritual gifts has He given you, and are you using them?
✦ How does your church reflect the unity-in-diversity of the Spirit?
✦ How does the garden-to-garden story help you see the Church as more than a building — but as God’s living family?
Prayer
Holy Spirit, breathe life into Your Church again. Forgive us for trying to build it in our own strength.
Open our eyes to see where You are moving — and give us courage to follow. Fill us with Your gifts and Your fruit, so we reflect Jesus to the world.
Make us one body, alive and awake, until we worship You fully in the final garden.
Amen.
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