| The Holy Spirit: Much More Than Just a Friendly Ghost Bruce Bickle and Stan Jantz I AM REVEALED B. Childress Jun 24 2011 The Holy Spirit, sometimes referred to as the Holy Ghost, is the least understood - and maybe the most controversial - member of the Trinity. But who's surprised? After all, a spirit or a ghost isn't easy to pin down and put under a microscope. The best the Greeks could do was to use the word pneuma, meaning "breath" or "wind," for spirit. (We get some of our English words about air from this Greek word, such as pneumatic or pneumonia.) You've heard the refrain, "Blowin' in the wind..." When Jesus was talking to the seeker Nicodemus, that's exactly the word-picture he used to describe the work of the Spirit:
sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit (John 3:6-8). ignored. And Christians disagree more about the Holy Spirit (for example, what He can do for and through believers) than about either God the Father or God the Son. Our approach here is to try to give you the core biblical teachings about the Holy Spirit, recognizing that well-intentioned Bible teachers put the emphasis on many different areas of the Spirit's work on earth. While all of these areas are significant, we hope that you will come away with the most important truth: The Holy Spirit's promise and purpose for Christians goes beyond gifts and powers. The Holy Spirit is really about closeness with God. It is God trying to get next to us - make that within us - and stay there. Who Is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is not just an abstract concept. He is not a vapor, an essence, or a force. The Holy Spirit has existed for eternity with God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son. Like the other members of the Trinity, He is a person. He has a personality. God's Spirit in Person Being a "person" doesn't mean that the Holy Spirit has a body. Rather, He has those characteristics which define a "person": He has intelligence:
He has emotions:
He has an independent will:
God's Presence Among Us In the Old Testament, God was present only with particular people and in particular places. In the Gospels, God was present in bodily form in Jesus. Today, God is present in a third, most amazing way. Through the Holy Spirit, He lives inside all who believe. Now He is Immanuel ("God with us") always! This third way brings God as close as possible to us while we are still living here on earth. He didn't want just to be near us. He wanted to be inside us, with us always. Jesus said:
17). As you would expect of God, His Spirit has been around since the beginning. And He has been participating in the events affecting mankind. His presence and activity are revealed in the events recorded in the Old Testament. 1. In the darkness, God's Spirit brooded...and created a world. According to Genesis 1:2, "Darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." The Holy Spirit played an active role in the creation of the universe, the world, and man (Genesis 1-2; Psalm 104:30; Job 33:4). 2. He changed history through chosen people. The Holy Spirit was not present in the life of every person who believed in God during Old Testament times. Scholars talk about the "selective indwelling" of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. Certain people were empowered by the Spirit with wisdom and power. Joseph (Genesis 41:38), Joshua (Numbers 27: 18), and Daniel (Daniel 5:11) are described as leading lives filled with the Spirit. Yet the Spirit left Samson (Judges 13-16) and Saul (I Samuel 10-16) when they continually disobeyed God or misused His power. 3. He spoke eternal truth through writers and prophets. The Holy Spirit brought God's message to the men who spoke for God (prophets), and those who wrote the text of the Bible.
Perhaps the apostle Peter best summed it up:
Holy Spirit (II Peter 1:21). 1. When the Messiah was to be born, the Spirit conceived a miracle. We can't explain how Jesus was conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary, but we know that it was brought about by the Holy Spirit. Can you imagine Mary's thoughts when she heard the Holy Spirit's plan for her!
So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). He was baptized and received the Holy Spirit:
(Luke 3:21-22). as being "full of the Holy Spirit" (Luke 4:1) and "anointed" by the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:27). Jesus clearly recognized His special powers when He quoted verses from Isaiah and applied them to Himself:
to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor (Luke 4:18-19). an intensive three-year training program with Jesus. Imagine how abandoned they felt when He told them He was leaving. But Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to fill their lives in a new way:
14:16-17). But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you (John 14:26). 1. The Holy Spirit filled the disciples on the Day of Pentecost. After the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, the disciples were waiting in Jerusalem, as Jesus had instructed:
sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them (Acts 2:2-4). This event is called the "Day of Pentecost." It marks the arrival of the Holy Spirit. The report of the event in Acts 2 says that the disciples immediately began to preach about Jesus Christ in languages they didn't even know. Foreigners visiting Jerusalem recognized what was being said in their own native language. Peter explained to the amazed crowd that this miraculous event was part of the proof that Jesus Christ was the Messiah. He told them to repent of their sins and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. About 3000 people became Christians that afternoon. Speaking of the Spirit You may see references to the Holy Spirit more often than you realize. Churches that emphasize the ministry of the Holy Spirit tend to use names like:
2. He gave Christians power to spread the message of Christ around the world. As the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) tell the story of Jesus' arrival in our world, so the book of Acts tells the story of the arrival and deeds of the Holy Spirit. When He arrived, the Holy Spirit changed the disciples' lives immediately and dramatically:
As Christ had told them: But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you (John 14:26).
At His ascension, Jesus told His disciples:
the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). The good news is that the Holy Spirit isn't just history - part of an exciting early church, but put away in God's closet since then. The Holy Spirit is active everywhere in our world, drawing unbelievers to God and living in Christians with life-changing power. 1. He's the Big Initiator. The Holy Spirit brings people to the point of decision about their need for salvation and God. This influence, called "conviction," goes beyond an intellectual or emotional power. It is God's Spirit working in the human spirit to lovingly draw us toward God's best for our lives. Jesus said:
death. Finally, the Spirit shows us our need to choose to receive Christ's gift of salvation if we want forgiveness and eternal life. 2. He's the Change Maker. When we respond to the Spirit's invitation, the truly miraculous transforming power of the Holy Spirit is let loose in our lives. We are changed - immediately and eternally. This miracle of starting over is called "regeneration" or being "born again." We are rescued from our evil nature and restored to fellowship with our Creator. Paul uses words like washing and renewal to teach young believers about regeneration:
lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us...through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior (Titus 3:3-6). individual.
we are spiritually empowered to win over the old nature as we choose to follow Christ's pattern for living. 3. He's the Inside Source. The Holy Spirit comes to live inside us. His presence is very real, whether as a "still, small voice" nudging us in God's direction, or as a life-long power to change us to be like Jesus. In Old Testament times, God's presence was sometimes described as a powerful, shining light in the temple. After the coming of the Holy Spirit, God's place of residence changed. Here's Paul's amazing statement to new believers:
4. He's the Family Name. The Holy Spirit "baptizes" all believers into the family of God. "Baptism" means we've been publicly inducted, completely taken into a new identity, but used in this context, baptism doesn't have anything to do with getting wet. God's family of believers is often referred to as "the body of Christ." So when we accept Christ as Savior, we are "baptized into the body of Christ" regardless of race, education, or social position.
get our membership papers, so to speak, and the documents are forever sealed. Theologians call it "sealing." You can think of it as the Super Glue of your salvation. Christ has "set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come" (II Corinthians 1:21-22). Sealing last until "the day of redemption" (Ephesians 4:30). Once we are saved, we stay saved until Christ's return - even if we stray from our commitments to Him. The Holy Spirit in our lives is the "deposit" or "guarantee" that Christ owns us and will return for us. The Holy Spirit - Key to Your New Life Beyond the Spirit's power to save us is His power for our everyday lives. The apostle Paul knew that the secret to living the way Jesus intends is to allow the Holy Spirit to control our choices and desires. Paul called this surrendering to the Holy Spirit "being filled." Listen to Paul's encouragement to the Christians at Rome:
your whole being new strength and vitality (Romans 8:11, Phillips version). the Holy Spirit is a continual, and hopefully progressive, process. It's all a matter of who is in control, Paul argued. He used the example of wine: When you are filled with wine, you become drunk - the wine is in control. Paul said, "I have a better idea that works on the same principle":
Did you ever wonder how the apostle Paul got so smart about the things of God without having gone to seminary? The answer is the Holy Spirit, who gives each Christian the ability to understand Bible truths.
of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words (I Corinthians 2:10-13). Holy Spirit is giving us the gift of illumination (as in "shining a light on a subject"). Don't confuse this with the gift of inspiration which the Holy Spirit bestowed on the writers of the New Testament. The Worship Leader It makes sense that the Holy Spirit, being God Himself, can enable us to worship God (Philippians 3:3). Praise and worship of God often don't come naturally to self-centered humans. But the Spirit makes worship and prayer a natural outward expression of God's new life in us (Jude 20). The Spirit is our ever-present, ever-awake prayer partner (He never needs coffee!), the One who nudges our spirit awake to talk to God. And when we don't know what to think or pray, the Spirit helps out:
express (Romans 8:26). As the Holy Spirit's power fills us, we become more like Christ in our values and character. These traits are referred to as the "fruit of the Spirit." Paul described these spiritual remodeling signs in Galatians 5:22-23:
control. Another part of the Holy Spirit's work is to guide believers. "Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God," Paul said (Romans 8:14). Right decisions are determined by right thinking, and the Holy Spirit can be a Christian's personal guide to the truth:
Another wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit is comfort. Sometimes the New Testament refers to the Holy Spirit by the Greek word Paraclete. A paraclete is a comforter, an encourager, one who comes alongside. The Spirit is God's way of always being present with the Christian. The Bible does not promise us that the Christian's life will be free of difficulties, but it does promise that the Holy Spirit will be "the Comforter" through those difficulties. God's Spirit reminds us of His power, love, and sovereign control. One important reassurance in hard times is that we are part of God's family and have a wonderful future:
heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16). The Holy Spirit - Key to New Life for Others Through You Changing and benefiting you is only half of God's plan for His Spirit in your life. The other half is changing and benefiting the rest of the world through you. A "spiritual gift" is an ability given by the Holy Spirit to a Christian to help and bless others in the family of God. Check Your Body Language Paul used a great word-picture to explain how each Christian is important for the well-being of other Christians. In I Corinthians 12, he compared the believers in a church to parts of a human body. Just as the body has many different parts, each with a special function, the church has many different members, each with his or her own special gift and role. Everyone is important; no one is dispensable. All are necessary to a healthy body (church).
not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be a part of the body...If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be...Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it (I Corinthians 12:12-27). able to do. Discover Your Spiritual Gift The Bible describes more than 15 different types of spiritual gifts. Every believer has at least one. We're not all geniuses. We're not even all very smart. But every Christian is a TAG person - "Talented and Gifted" - by the power of the Holy Spirit to help others. Can you find yourself in the following list of spiritual gifts?
Spiritual gifts are not positions or job descriptions. For example, all Christians can serve, show mercy, and tell other people about Jesus. But a spiritual gift equips you in a particular way to share God's love with others. Source: GUIDE TO GOD, by Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz, Copyright 1997, HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS. |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
2010 - HIS GLORY REIGNS
| LIFE IN JESUS-MINISTRIES |