Jesus is Lord over the church, but The Holy Spirit is Lord IN THE CHURCH. And the lordship of Jesus over the church is effective only insofar as The Holy Spirit is Lord in the church.
We cannot say “I’ve made Jesus Lord of my life” and set aside the Lordship of The Holy Spirit. In other words, the Lordship of Jesus Christ is worked out through the Lordship of The Holy Spirit. If a church really wants to have Jesus as Lord, that church must also have The Holy Spirit as Lord in the church!
It is vital that we see and understand this Truth. This is a great problem in many churches today. They confess Jesus as Lord but don’t make The Holy Spirit Lord in their life and in their meetings in the church. All they have is a label, they don’t have the reality because the reality comes only by The Holy Spirit!
For a third time in these writings, Jesus Himself spoke of the importance of us relying on The Holy Spirit in our daily affairs, and this includes our gatherings in church.
Jesus spoke in John chapter 14:
16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever—
17 the Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive [and take to its heart] because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He (the Holy Spirit) remains with you continually and will be in you.
18 “I will not leave you as orphans [comfortless, bereaved, and helpless]; I will come [back] to you. AMP
Once again, The Holy Spirit is the only authorized Representative of GOD on earth.
Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in 1st Corinthians chapter 12:
1 Now concerning Spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:
2 You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led.
3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.
4 It is the same Holy Spirit Who continues to distribute many different varieties of gifts.
4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Holy Spirit.
5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Holy Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
8]for to one is given the Word of Wisdom through the Spirit, to another the Word of Knowledge through the same Holy Spirit,
9 to another Faith by the same Holy Spirit, to another gifts of Healings by the same Holy Spirit,
10 to another the working of Miracles, to another Prophecy, to another Discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of Tongues, to another the interpretation of Tongues.
11 But one and the same Holy Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
Paul details nine Gifts of The Holy Spirit meant to be operational in our lives AND in the church. Why would any church reject such Gifts of The Holy Spirit? I have personally seen all nine Gifts operate in church meetings. The Holy Spirit has operated through me in some of those nine gifts in meetings over the years. Am I special? No, I simply acknowledge and submit to The Holy Spirit. You have the same capacity as me to walk IN THE HOLY SPIRIT.
After Paul focused on the ministry of The Holy Spirit in the gatherings, he spoke of unconditional Agape Love in the next chapter. These are not separate topics. Think about it!