Chapter 12 The New Covenant and the Role of the Holy Spirit
The death and resurrection of Christ achieved God's purpose, marking the fulfillment of
the old covenants and the establishment of a new one.
At the moment Jesus gave His life on the cross, something extraordinary occurred.
Until that point, only the high priest could enter the intermost room of the temple, the
Holy of Holies, and only once a year to make atonement for the sins of the people.
This sacred space, both near to and separated from God, was shielded by a thick, woven curtain
over sixty feet high.
When Christ breathed His last breath, that curtain was torn in two from top to bottom.
This was no mere physical act.
It was a powerful, symbolic declaration.
The old covenant, with its reliance on works, rituals, and human intermediaries, was no
longer the way to access God's presence or embodiment.
In that moment, the barrier was removed and a way was opened for every believer to engage
in direct communion with Him.
The tearing of the curtain signified the beginning of the new covenant ushered in through Christ's
sacrifice.
Through this new covenant, the Holy Spirit now dwells within believers, granting us direct
access to the Almighty Himself.
By His grace and through the work of the Holy Spirit, rituals and intermediaries were replaced
by the intimate, personal relationship with God that is now available to all who believe.
The Spirit's indwelling presence is transformative, renewing hearts, reshaping minds, and leading
to spiritual growth that is both profound and lasting.
Unlike the old covenant, which relied on external works, the new covenant is grounded in the
work of Jesus, resulting in a deeply personal relationship with God that changed everything
for you and I.
The Spirit at Work Through History
The transformative power of the Holy Spirit has been especially evident in the great revivals
of the past 300 years.
Unlike the generational cycles of revival and falling away experienced by Israel under
the old covenant, these more modern movements have had lasting effects because they were
rooted in the Spirit's internal work rather than mankind's external conformity.
The First Great Awakening in the 1730s, led by figures like Jonathan Edwards and George
Whitefield, awakened the faith of thousands, reshaping culture and society in profound
ways.
The Second Great Awakening in the early 19th century brought renewed fervor for evangelism
and social reform.
Movements like the Pentecostal and Charismatic Revivals of the 20th century, including the
Azusa Street Revival, emphasized by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, empowering individuals
to experience God personally.
These movements demonstrated the Holy Spirit's power to transform lives and communities,
yet even they were sometimes constrained by the imposition of religious hierarchies and
denominational structures.
When human systems attempt to formalize or control the Spirit's work, they often limit
its potential, diverting energy into maintaining institutional frameworks at the expense of
more fully advancing God's Kingdom.
The Problem with Hierarchies
The early Pentecostal movement began as a radical departure from the rigidity of organized
religion, embracing the transformative work of the Holy Spirit in each believer's life.
It was a movement defined by freedom and authenticity.
However, as the movement grew, hierarchies formed and denominational boundaries were
drawn, limiting the Spirit's unrestrained work.
Human effort frequently replaced divine leading, diminishing the movement's impact.
Instead of fully embracing the new covenant, institutional Christianity often cleaves
to an old covenant mindset.
While well-intentioned, this propensity, born of human effort and intent, can constrain
a believer to allow the Spirit to move freely within.
Changing rules, rituals, and doctrines over relationship with God reduces divine supernatural
moves to something controllable by human standards, instead of encouraging the Spirit's transforming
work in our lives.
This shifts our focus from the renewal of our hearts and minds through grace to outward
behavior and conformity.
Faith becomes about meeting institutional standards rather than experiencing the power
and the reality of a Spirit-led life.
As a result, many believers find themselves disconnected from the vibrant relationship
with God that Christ restored to them.
Returning to the Spirit-led model, the earlier followers of the Way embraced a Spirit-led
model of community.
They gathered in homes, worshipped together, and shared a fellowship where every believer's
God-given gifts were valued.
Leadership was fluid.
based on spiritual gifting rather than titles or positions of authority.
This decentralized approach allowed the Ecclesia to grow explosively, spreading the message
of Christ with authenticity and power.
The Kingdom of God was never meant to be confined within institutional walls.
The Gospel thrived and the early Ecclesia flourished because they prioritized direct
relationships with God over centralized authority.
By relying on the Holy Spirit to lead, we become what we are meant to be, living, breathing
expressions of God's love, grace, and power, conduits of the Kingdom of Heaven that transform
lives and impact the world far beyond what human effort could ever achieve.
A New Wineskin
The New Covenant ended reliance on workspace righteousness.
Under the Old Covenant, people struggled to be good on their own and they offered sacrifices
for their sins.
The New Covenant, however, is about accepting Christ's sacrifice on your behalf and allowing
the Holy Spirit to transform and renew you from the inside out.
True spiritual growth comes not from striving to meet external standards, but from surrendering
to the Holy Spirit's work within you.
The Spirit is your ultimate teacher and guide, equipping you with divine wisdom, peace, and
renewal.
Unlike man-created paradigms and systems, the Spirit provides a transformative connection
to God that religion cannot replicate.
While church can provide fellowship, encouragement, and shared worship, it is not a sure foundation
for faith.
Your relationship with God must rest on intimacy with Him through the Spirit, not on theologies,
doctrines, or rules.
As such, much of the current infrastructure of Christian religion resembles an old wineskin
that cannot hold the new wine of Revelation or fresh moves of the Spirit without bursting.
See Luke 5, verse 37.
Churches that are focused on their institutional rules and denominational traditions, in preference
to following the direct guidance of the Spirit and who encourage their congregants to do
the same, are leaving believers spiritually stagnated, disillusioned, and wounded by their
experiences.
Christ invites you into something more—a vibrant, dynamic relationship with God, empowered
by His Spirit.
You can let go of old rituals and traditions that have left you feeling disconnected and
embrace intimacy with God.
Walk with Him, converse with Him, and approach His throne in confidence whenever you need
to.
This is part of the abundant life Christ has prepared and restored to you.
Your spiritual life is not about adhering to someone else's conditions for a relationship
with God.
It's about the terms God set for a relationship with you—terms of grace, mercy, and love.
Under the new covenant, the Holy Spirit empowers you to walk in alignment with the kingdom
of heaven and the will of God.
If you've ever felt stuck or hemmed in—in church—it's likely because you've been
relying on religion to do what only a direct relationship with God can.
The good news is that the door to intimacy with Him is always open.
The Holy Spirit is ready and waiting for you to turn your attention to the Lord.
While churches and denominations have good intentions, the institutional model too often
stifles the very essence of what it means to know and walk with God.
When religion gets prioritized over relationship, it creates a religious mindset that obscures
and obstructs the Spirit's transformative power.
The key to thriving in your faith is intimacy with God.
This relationship is what transforms you—not rituals, not traditions, not human determination.
Put the Holy Spirit in His rightful place as your teacher, guide, and source of truth.
Then you can step into the abundant life Jesus promised.
The call of the Ekklesia is to follow the leading of the Spirit.
This is the power of the new covenant and the path to living the life you were created
for.
When you step into a direct relationship with God, everything begins to change.
Spiritual transformation happens through intimacy with God.
It is a product of the Holy Spirit working within you, not through your own self-effort
or external performance.
It is the Spirit who equips, empowers, and renews you—nothing less.
When you learn to listen, lean on, and follow God directly, you experience a kind of spiritual
growth and transformation that religion simply cannot provide.
No amount of striving to meet standards will renew your heart or mind.
Only the Holy Spirit can do that.
Now, to be perfectly clear, when I refer to the problems of the church or its issues,
I am not saying that churches are bad.
I am not anti-church.
There is tremendous value in the church experience, including fellowship, sharing, and moving
together with a collective sense of purpose.
Lifting our voice
us together to give thanks, express gratitude, and give God glory from our hearts isn't merely
an exercise.
It brings us into agreement and aligns us with the Heavenly Host to give Him glory.
Community is crucial, and it unlocks heavenly dimensions of power in the Spirit that can't
be conceived of in the natural.
It strengthens and bolsters our souls.
This is the reason we are admonished not to neglect or give up meeting together.
See Hebrews 10, verse 25.
I fully support church in its proper context, but it is not, and cannot be, the cornerstone
of your relationship with God.
It is a girder, a pillar for your house that sits upon the bedrock of relationship and
intimacy you have with God through the Holy Spirit.
I am simply advising you to be mindful and aware.
Be Spirit-led when it comes to selecting a congregation to join, or a community to become
part of.
More on this in chapter 16.
Now that we've examined how institutional religion has strayed from God's original design,
it's time to look inward.
Recognizing the limitations of man-made systems is just the beginning.
As I've taken pains to point out, transformation happens when, under the guidance of the Holy
Spirit, you address areas in your life where a religious mindset has taken root and has
supplanted the relationship God desires to have with you.
In the next section, I'll introduce you to a practical proven framework that will set
you on the road and empower you to cultivate intimacy with God.
You'll learn how to converse with Him, ask questions, receive answers, and respond to
His guidance.
This is not about adopting another set of religious practices.
It's about learning to converse, allowing His Spirit to speak into every area of your
life.
Part 3 of this book will show you a way to break free from ritual and routine so you
can experience a deeply transformative connection with God.
Get ready to walk in greater freedom, clarity, and purpose as you learn how easy it is to
speak to God, hear His voice, and follow His leading.