Even Jesus did not go about His ministry alone.  Luke is clear that Jesus was working together with the Holy Spirit and empowered by His spiritual companionship.  Within the early chapters of Luke’s Gospel we learn that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35), anointed by the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:22), was full of the Holy Spirit and led by the Spirit to encounter and defeat the lies of Satan (Luke 4:1).  In today's passage, Jesus re-entered His home territory in the Holy Spirit's power.

He had left Nazareth as a carpenter  but returned a preacher (Mark 6:1-3), and more was to come.  In the same way that Jesus chose only to speak on the authority of the Father (John 14:10), He also chose only to act together with the power of the Spirit.  That was to be His ministry style.  He did not rely on human support (the disciples were often a disappointment, as in Matthew 8:23-27), nor on the fickle applause of the crowds (they praised Him in Luke 4:15 and wanted to kill Him in Luke 4:28-30).

We all need other people, if we are to function properly.  But we need the right people (Proverbs 18:24).  Jesus refused to do a deal with Satan, but willingly accepted the Holy Spirit's companionship.  Most Christians in any sort of ministry know the joy of true fellowship, the pain of false brothers and the unpredictability of those who blow hot and cold (Psalm 41:9).  I once heard, in a minister's fraternal, a good response to the question, ‘Brother are you encouraged?’.  The answer was convincing, ‘If I look to the ministry for my encouragement, I will also find my discouragement in the same place: only the Holy Spirit speaking through God’s Word encourages me appropriately’!

Wherever you serve the Lord today, in the factory, hospital, office or transport system, you need a godly friend (2 Corinthians 7:6-7).  You also need the ability to resist temptation and power to speak of Christ.  Loving Christian fellowship should be a great help, but the Holy Spirit is essential.  He is not only there to comfort the weak but to give boldness to the timid; and to stand with you when all are against you (2 Timothy 4:16-18).  He takes truth from Jesus and explains it to our hearts so that we know how to make wise and godly decisions (John 16:14-15).  Like Jesus, we need to be saturated by the Holy Spirit if we are to win through against Satan's opposition, the world’s hostility and our own fears, and win souls for Christ.