THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is the Living Person of The Godhead active among men in the world today. The Spirit of God brought order out of chaos in the beginning at Creation and is still doing so today in the lives of people. He creates new life and brings to us the presence of Jesus Christ.
He is a Divine Being, co-equal with The Father and The Son.The Holy Spirit has Divine Titles, equally with the Father and The Son.
Divine attributes of the Holy Spirit are, all-present, all-powerful, all- knowing, creative, wisdom, He is God.
The Holy Spirit is not an influence or force, but a person, and it is an offense to call The Holy Spirit 'it'. Jesus called the Holy Spirit a person, and The Holy Spirit is the Third Person pertaining to The Trinity of The Godhead.
The Holy Spirit is The Eternal Spirit of God Himself. God is always God and does not change. He is The Supreme Being, God, His Very Self, not just a function. The Holy Spirit's work was the same in the Old Testament as in the New Testament.
The Holy Spirit has all the Divine works attributed to Him, not only the active person in the Creation, but also the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures and in the renewal of mankind and the resurrection of the body. Romans Chapter 8.
The Holy Spirit reveals and inspires God's Words.
The illumination of God's Word is a divine process whereby God causes the
written revelation to be understood by the heart. This is needed to fully grasp
the marvellous messages in God's Word. The Holy Spirit reveals tremendous
truths as the scriptures are read.
One of The Holy Spirit errands is to seal, as a
mark of ownership, security in believers' hearts, which guarantee believers
they are established in Christ, and a knowing of their present salvation. He is
involved in personal relationships with those in The Body of Christ. His
ministry is to lead and guide them into all truth and give power to witness to
others. He is the down payment, providing a foretaste of a believer's spiritual
inheritance. The Holy Spirit is the firstfruits of redemption in a believer and
in The Body of Christ at large.
Christians have the firstfruits of The Holy Spirit which assures of future glory. Firstfruits are 1/10th portion only, as adoption in God's family, this is a pledge to the full realisation of a larger harvest of disciples for The Kingdom of God corporately and of an individual believer's redemption with 9/10ths to come in the new era.
The Holy Spirit leads us always in line with God's Word. They both agree in all things.
Following the guidance of The Holy Spirit will always keep a believer in God's Will, side by side with The Word of God. The Holy Spirit opens God's Word to the believer, reveals Jesus, and empowers saints to live for Christ.
The Holy Spirit is described in the Bible (amplified version) as being, the believer's comforter, counselor, helper, intercessor, advocate, strengthener and stand-by.
Every born again believer has The Holy Spirit within through the new birth and for every believer there is available the Baptism of The Holy Spirit to receive, which is the infilling of The Spirit of God.
The Holy Spirit is the promised gift of God and is from heaven and not earthly and carnal, for this promised gift to all was sent by Christ after His ascension and glorification from God, The Father.
Natural knowledge has little or no power on the soul either to keep it from sin or enable it to obey. Only The Holy Spirit can regenerate a person into a new creature from the spiritual rebirth.
God desires to have a personal covenant relationship with each of His created people, He lives within believers through the person of The Holy Spirit. Because The Holy Spirit lives in the believer's heart, He can be grieved by His people.
He helps us to speak to God, to pray and what to pray for; The Holy Spirit is always effective and powerful in prayer. He teaches, instructs, speaks, renews, He gives spiritual gifts, is very active in every event in life, and also expounds what has been recorded in the Bible. He convicts the world of sin, judgement and of righteousness. He is active in the lives of believers, and is the preserver of the universe.
Only a person who is already a believer (born again of The Holy Spirit) can receive this baptism. The world cannot accept The Holy Spirit.
Jesus referred to salvation as a well of water dwelling within-John 4:13,13, and to The Baptism, the infilling of The Holy Spirit as rivers of living water- John 7:38,39. This shows two different occurrences for every believer; indwelling of The Holy Spirit at the time of Salvation and the infilling of The Holy Spirit at Baptism of The Holy Spirit.
The Mosaic Law told people what to do, but could not provide the will and the power to do it. God's Holy Spirit provided the power and motivation.
This present age of the 'latter days' as noted in The Book of Acts, is when God has poured out His Spirit as promised is a fulfilment of the Truth made by Jesus, and gives the power to influence holiness in living.
The Holy Spirit gives strength to and helps believers withstand temptation.
Many times in the Book of Acts it is written, that born again believers at different towns and villages, were asked had they received The Holy Spirit. Those who had not, the apostles immediately would lay their hand upon them to receive the promise of the infilling Baptism of The Holy Spirit. This included both Jewish and non-Jewish (gentiles) believers.
This Baptism of The Holy Spirit did not pass away
with the first Apostles 2,000 years ago, nor were the first Apostles the only
people who laid hands on other believers to receive this gift, made available
to all believers in all nations and to their children in distant lands. This
verifies that the first apostles would find this impossible to achieve by
themselves. Acts2:39.
The Bible tells us that a layperson, an ordinary believer of Christ, laid hands on Paul, to be filled with The Holy Spirit.
This baptism is not a pre-requisite for a person's Salvation.
The Person of The Holy Spirit lives inside a born-again believer. "Greater is He that is in you, than he (Satan) that is in the world". The Holy Spirit witnesses of Jesus, and Jesus testifies of God, The Father.
GOD’S PURPOSES REQUIRE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Indwelling of The Holy Spirit results in
recognisable Christ likeness and producing the Fruits of The Spirit. The Holy
Spirit dwells within in Christ and His believers. Wisdom and insight are
received with a guarantee of life, assuring believers that they belong to God.
Public testimonies are aided. Moral laws are obeyed. This was done by
supernatural ability by the power of The Holy Spirit. This indwelling of The
Spirit being a once-for-all gift at the moment of salvation.
The Baptism of The
Holy Spirit is a divine act of inclusion with The Holy Spirit whereby
He instigates Christian believers into a conscious relationship and spiritual
union with The Glorified Christ. This immersion and absorption of The Spirit
was promised by Christ to equip, authorise and enable believers for
sanctification and service. This baptism endowment is for all believers for
their daily Christian living. Jesus promised believers power, giving them the
ability and capacity to be witnesses by their character and their active
evangelising.
The Anointing of The
Holy Spirit is setting someone apart (consecrated), for God,
to endorse and equip that person for a particular task of spiritual
significance. The Spirit anoints God’s chosen people. Jesus Christ is set apart
by The Holy Spirit for His ministry of preaching, healing and deliverance. The
same Holy Spirit sets Christians apart for their ministry in Christ’s Name. All
believers have a ministry and are a royal priesthood. Spiritual anointing
brings insight and is a sign of empowering believers by the presence of God's
Spirit God's presence and power are resident in the anointing.
The Infilling of The Holy Spirit enables believers to be
strengthened and dominated by the third person of the Godhead in a manner that
with the recognition of The Lordship of Jesus Christ, the presence and power of
God is experienced consciously. The filling of the Spirit results in an
absolute control of the believer's life by the Spirit, when that life is
yielded to Christ. Special fillings occur in times of need for particular
spiritual ability. Believers need to be regularly filled and refilled with The
Spirit as directed in The Word of God, for the satisfying of the Spirit needs
to be continually experienced. Being spirit –filled leads to, renewal,
obedience, boldness, the inspiration to challenge, words of praise, worship and
a new excellence of life. The evidence of the Spirit's infilling is the
spiritual contentment of partnership with God and other Christians. Being full of The Spirit of God is a
reliable quality of Christ-like disposition.
“The
filling” is to be distinguished from "the baptism" of the Holy
Spirit.
The Sealing of The Holy Spirit is God’s protection on the lives of
His people, marking them as His own and guarding them from the evil of the
world and from the devil. It is a binding contract as a mark of belonging.
Being sealed by The Spirit of God is a secure pledge and guarantee of
redemption from sin, in addition to affirming a Christlike character and fully
belonging to God. God’s seal validates his people for ministry.
The Bible records that the following are Gifts of The Holy Spirit, and are supernatural abilities given to extend The Truth of Christ throughout the earth.
Qualities of Character from the Unction (anointing) of God is produced in people by The Spirit of God, which are called Fruits of The Spirit, of which there are nine recorded gifts and mature with the growth of The Christian.
The Bible records that the following are Gifts of The Holy Spirit, and are supernatural given to extend The Truth of Christ.
There are nine Anointed Spiritual Gifts for both the laity and those in ministry teams.
There are nine Anointed Ministry Gifts and five Ministry Positions that are special callings, laid upon certain people by The Holy Spirit, which cannot be labeled as gifts.
All of these functions given to the Body of Christ are necessary to profit all and they have never been recalled, and are a sign of The Holy Spirit working within, to enable believers to minister according to God's Will.
Every believer has a position to fill for God's Purposes and Plan for their life, and as a member of the Body of Christ (The Church).
In 1 Corinthians Chapter 13, Paul talks about one day when all these gifts shall cease, and knowledge shall cease, when that which is Perfect has come. Knowledge has not yet ceased and that which is Perfect is Christ and we are to expect Him to come. These Special Gifts are needed until that time.
Paul also wrote in the next chapter to seek spiritual Gifts from God and never to forbid them.
In heaven where there will be no more tears, no more pain, for the former things will have passed away, all things will become new, it is then when we see God face to face, these gifts given for our benefit here on earth will no longer be needed.
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SCRIPTURESActs 2:4, 5:3,4.Hebrews9:14Genesis1:1,2.
2Timothy3:16 John 3:16, 3:3-5.Romans 8:11. Acts2:4, 5:3,4. QUESTIONS
1] Is The Holy Spirit a divine person of The Godhead? 2] What divine works
are attributed to Him? |
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