Pastor Mark Ireland and his wife Andrea have been leading Kingborough Family Church in Tasmania since 2014.
With over 25 years in full-time ministry, Mark has served as a youth pastor and associate pastor and has experience in schools, community engagement, discipleship, preaching, and leadership.
Married for 30 years, Mark and Andrea have two daughters, Hannah and Mikayla.
Mark recently shared a special 5-minute sermon with us on Sunday Morning Together, highlighting the importance of the Holy Spirit power that lives in us.
Read Mark’s full message below:
‘I want to focus on the shift that the Holy Spirit brings in our lives and in the world around us. One of those is this whole thing of the Holy Spirit’s power, and that it should be evident in our lives.
So a little bit of context in Acts Chapter 1. Jesus is about to go back to heaven, and He’s leaving the task of establishing the church on earth to His followers, which I think is just a huge concept.
But to help them, this is what Jesus says in verse four, don’t leave Jerusalem until the gift that God has promised you has been given. And verse five, we’re told what that gift is. Jesus says, in a few days you’ll be baptised with the Holy Spirit.
And then we get to verse eight, and Jesus says this, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Jesus says, you will receive power. And this word in the Greek is the word dunamis, and it means supernatural power, strength, or might. Now Ephesians in 3:20, the apostle Paul helps us to try to understand the enormity of this word.
He says, now all glory to God, who is able through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
I was trying to think about how much infinitely more is because, I can think or ask for a lot, right? That’s not a problem for me. But Paul’s trying to get us to understand that when we allow God’s power to work in us, nothing is impossible.
I need to ask myself the question, do I actually see this as a current reality in my life? Do I see this dunamis power, the supernatural power, moving infinitely more than I could ask or think?
And while I see some expressions of God’s power at work in and through my life, I believe God wants to do so much more. And we’ve got to remember that Jesus said, you will receive power. And I honestly think the reason I don’t see God at work more in my life is simply because I forget that God’s power lives inside of me.
I go about my life functioning in my own strength, in my own capacity. And I’m often frustrated by the lack of evidence of God’s power at work. But I want to suggest that this lack is actually because I forget to tap into the power that lives inside of me.
Paul speaking to the Romans in Chapter 8, verse 11, says to them that the Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you. And I don’t think the problem is with God. I actually think the problems with me.
You know, if we head back to that story in Acts 1:8, there’s another thought that I want to remind us of. And that’s the why of this power. Jesus said, when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be my witnesses telling people about me everywhere.
Honestly, I think at times the church has forgotten the why of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. There’s been seasons where I think we’ve chased after God’s power. But I wonder if it’s been for the right reasons. So Jesus said, you will be my witnesses. That’s as you go out in your families, your communities, your workplaces, your schools, on holidays, at conferences, on the sports field, in lecture halls, in hospitals.
You get what I mean. This power comes upon us so that we will tell people about Him everywhere. I wonder what our lives would look like if we pressed into God, asking Him to empower our lives, but not for us, but actually for the people around us.
If we go back to the disciple’s journey in Acts, we actually see the change that happened in them. And I want to finish with the story about Peter and John heading to the temple in Acts 3. Peter and John having recently experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit, are heading to the temple to pray like they do every day.
And they come across a man born lame who was begging outside the temple gate, and every day he’s placed there. This isn’t a special day. This isn’t unique. This is an everyday thing. The man asked Peter and John for money and Peter stops and he looks at him and he says, I don’t have any silver or gold for you, but I’ll give you what I have in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene. Get up and walk.
I love what Peter says. I don’t have any money. I’m lacking resources. I don’t feel like I have enough. But I’ll give you what I have. And this is such an important thing that Peter says, because he had something of God to give.
This is the dunamis power that lives in us. And my question today is do you have that? Do you have that from God? Have you pressed in? Do you have something for someone else?
Let me pray. Father, I thank You for who You are. I thank You that You have so much more than we could possibly imagine. That infinitely more that was spoken about. Lord, I pray today You be with us and help us to be what others are lacking. Help us to represent You well and tell people about You everywhere. Amen.’
Listen to Mark’s full message below:
