Graham underscores importance of Spirit-filled lives in ministry

How the Holy Spirit moves in hearts today is important for ministry preached Jack Graham, senior pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, during his Oct. 19 chapel message at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Texas Baptist College.

President David S. Dockery welcomed members of the Southwestern Seminary Board of Reference, who will serve as advisors and counselors to help strengthen the relationship between churches and the Fort Worth institution, he said. Graham, a two-time Southwestern graduate, chairs the Board of Reference.

“He is one of the most well-known, influential pastors in Baptist life and in American evangelicalism today,” Dockery said. “He’s been a friend, encourager, and ambassador for Southwestern. We are grateful to God for him.”

Graham preached from Ephesians 5:18.

“The Holy Spirit is the key factor in the ministry of Christ in His church,” he stated. “It is the life of God and Jesus in us. Because, indeed, the Holy Spirit indwells and infills every believer who will call upon Him.”

Graham said everything about the Christian faith is a miracle.

“The Christian life is Spirit-filled life,” he said. “It is a miracle life. The greatest affirmation of our day is that His deity inhabits our humanity. Look into your mirror, or better yet, in prayer, look into the face of God each day and say, ‘I am indwelled by the Spirit of God. Today, God’s Spirit lives in me. Jesus is alive in me.’ That is a miracle, and it is a miracle that we should affirm always.”

Graham turned to Ephesians 1:19-20, where he said Paul describes and provides context to the Holy Spirit’s power.

“The same power of God, the same power of the resurrection in Christ, is in us,” Graham proclaimed.

Graham expressed to the audience the need of God’s power through the Holy Spirit.

“Whatever you do in life, in work, whether preaching, teaching, ministering, studying, do it all in the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit,” he exclaimed.  “This power is available to us. Remember this: Christ is resident. The question is, Is He real to you? Is the Holy Spirit real to you?”

Graham said the Holy Spirit is not an option, as he referred back to the Scripture at the heart of the chapel message.

“To be filled with the Holy Spirit is not a suggestion but a command,” he said. “This is a continuous command. Why should we be filled with the Holy Spirit again? Because we leak. In the ministry, we are to be burning the oil of the Spirit and not just the wick because you burn the wick, you burn flesh, and you’re burning it out eventually.”

He stated that the Holy Spirit saves, sanctifies, secures, pours out love, prompts, and prays in individuals.

“It is the Holy Spirit when we preach, minister, and teach that delivers the message, breaks down the hard shell of the human heart and brings people to faith in Jesus,” Graham said. “The Holy Spirit proves the message of the Gospel and then the Holy Spirit partners with His church. The Spirit of Christ works in His people. He pledges our future victory in Jesus.”

Graham reiterated that God promised the completion of what He started.

“Do you think for one second that God is going to walk away from you?” Graham asked. “His investment for whom He died–the one He gave His life–His Spirit resides in you permanently, persevering in you. He will never let you go.”

In closing, Graham asked why Christians struggle and fail to live triumphantly.

“Live under the control, the domination, the dynamic of the Spirit of God in your life,” Graham stated. “Never attempt to do anything for Him apart from His work in you and through you. There’s nothing in the work of Christ in your ministry apart from the character of Christ reproduced in you. If you don’t have that, you have nothing. The most important thing in ministry is your character and integrity, and this is the work of the Holy Spirit.”

Graham earned from Southwestern a Master of Divinity in 1976 and a Doctor of Ministry in 1980. He was named 2001 distinguished alumnus of Southwestern Seminary, and he served two terms as president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Since 1989, Graham has served as senior pastor of the 57,000-member Prestonwood Baptist Church.

Graham’s entire message can be viewed here.

Chapel is held every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 10 a.m. (CT) in MacGorman Chapel on the campus of Southwestern Seminary and TBC. Chapel may be viewed live at swbts.live.