 
## Discipleship Books:

# The Holy Spirit

By

Philip Watson

Book 3

of the Trinity Series
Copyright © 2015

Discipleship Books Ministry

www.discipleshipbooks.org

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means- electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other mediums - except brief quotations in reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Discipleship Books Ministry P O Box 21731 Henderson, Auckland, New Zealand.

ISBN 978-0-473-30769-1

**Smashwords Edition, License Notes**

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Dedication

Dedicated to my loving wife Dianne, and my three children, Andrew, Jonathon and Ruth.

My grateful thanks for allowing me to spend so much of my spare time writing these words.

Acknowledgments

My grateful thanks to Warren Portsmouth who patiently helped me review the manuscripts of my books. Warren suggested improvements and asked questions at appropriate points. He was also instrumental in designing the covers.

I also want to acknowledge the help of the Holy Spirit for inspiring me to write these books and for frequently reminding me of scriptures, relevant to topics, in each book.

The Jesus series:

Jesus The Ministry

Jesus The Incarnation

Jesus changed our lives

The Trinity series:

The Father

The Son

The Holy Spirit

Other Discipleship Books:

The Cross and The Triangle

Successful Relationships

101 Spiritual Principles

1000 Great Quotes

Great Summaries

### Contents:

Introduction

Who is the Holy Spirit?

The Names and Titles of the Holy Spirit

Symbols of the Holy Spirit

Roles of the Holy Spirit

The Divine Person

Led By The Spirit

The Gifts of The Spirit

Our Attitude to the Holy Spirit

Summary

About Philip Watson

#  Introduction

Who is the Holy Spirit?

There is no equivalent to the Holy Spirit in any other religion. He has no specific location, no known physical features except that he was once seen in the form of a dove and another time, as tongues of fire. He has no known beginning and a name that only tells us he is 'holy', and 'spirit'. In the King James version of the Bible He is called "The Holy Ghost" and in many ways that seems the most appropriate title.

The Holy Spirit is mentioned in the first and last chapters of the Bible, and often in between however I suggest that though the Holy Spirit 'appears' to have played the role of 'silent partner' in the Bible, he has played a far greater role in the events of the Bible and of the Church than most give him credit for.

When I first became a Christian I was confused about who the Holy Spirit was and could not see his relevance to the Christian life. I could understand God being our creator and Jesus being our savior, so why was there a need for a Holy Spirit?

As a new Christian I noted that Jesus said the Holy Spirit would come on the disciples in "power". Those words conveyed the idea that the Holy Spirit was some kind of power. A kind of divine electrical current. But then there were Paul's words about being " filled with the Spirit." So was the Holy Spirit some sort of divine vapor who filled people?

Then there were other references in the Bible to the Holy Spirit which only seemed to confuse the picture. Jesus called the Holy Spirit the "Spirit of truth", "counselor"' and "teacher".

As a new Christian I thought 'It does not matter that I cannot connect these various images of the Holy Spirit together. I am sure that one day I will. If I just listen to enough sermons and read enough books, then the various images will be tied together. It is just a matter of time!'

Since setting out to understand the Holy Spirit many years ago, I have made lot of progress in my understanding, but come to another surprising conclusion! You and I will never understand the Holy Spirit fully this side of heaven though I need to add. The more we understand the Holy Spirit here on earth and the more we invite him into our lives; the more effective we will be as Christians!

If it is a fact that we will never fully understand the Holy Spirit this side of heaven is the bad new; the good news is

  1. We are given in Scripture all we need to know about the Holy Spirit.

  2. The Holy Spirit is 'more' than willing to help any person who wants to understand him. He is after all called "the teacher" and "the counselor".

  3. Though our knowledge of the Holy Spirit may never be complete this side of heaven, trying to understand and know the Holy Spirit more is a journey, more than worth undertaking.

Forty years after committing my life to Jesus Christ, I have made a lot of progress in understanding who the Holy Spirit is. During that time, there have been two main 'leaps' forward in my knowledge. Those leaps are expanded on in chapters 3 and 4.

One great leap forward came through studying the various names of the Holy Spirit. Those names reveal the character of the Holy Spirit – but it is only when we gather those names together from throughout the pages of the Bible that we begin to understand the Holy Spirit more fully, and I use the analogy of a puzzle with many pieces.

When a puzzle is in many pieces we get hints at what a particular object in the puzzle will look like. But it is only when the puzzle is complete that can we see the entire object; and their relationship to the whole subject. It is the same with the Holy Spirit. When we put all his names together, we begin get the whole picture. A picture hugely different the picture we have from older translations, where the Holy Spirit is called "the Holy Ghost."

The second major great leap forward occurred when I realized the Holy Spirit was 'a divine person'. A divine person in the same sense that the risen Jesus and God the Father are divine persons.

When a Christian realizes that the Holy Spirit is more than a power or force; their relationship to the Holy Spirit changes for ever.

But on this journey to understand the Holy Spirit better, progress has not only been in the quantity - progress has also been made in the quality of the knowledge and I have come to appreciate the marvelous nature of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus hinted at the marvelous nature of the Holy Spirit when he said. "It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you".... John 16:7

Jesus was saying I am going, but a being even better will come to replace me. When Jesus spoke those words I am sure the first disciples did not share Jesus' enthusiasm about his departure and I am sure they doubted that the coming of the Holy Spirit would be as good as having Jesus with them or how having the Holy Spirit in them could possibly be to their advantage.

But they must have thought Jesus would not tell us that the coming of the Holy Spirit will be to our advantage; unless the coming of the Holy Spirit will actually be to our advantage.

That statement of Jesus tells us three things about the Holy Spirit.

  1. The time after Jesus' ascension into heaven is to be the 'era of the Holy Spirit' in the Church.

  1. These words of Jesus remind us that both the Holy Spirit and Jesus worked in tandem to create the Church. Jesus came first, to lay the foundation of the Church, but after his ascension, the Holy Spirit came to grow the Church on the foundation Jesus had laid.

  2. The Holy Spirit will come for the 'benefit' of both individuals and the Church corporately.

A final word in the Introduction to this book. In all three books in this series about the members of the trinity, I have made a point of supporting what is written, with Scriptural references. That basis is probably even more important in this book about the Holy Spirit, because - if Scripture is not the basis for our understanding of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit can easily become the creation of your or my personal opinion or speculation or our Church tradition.

Further, if inspired Scripture is not the basis of this book, we may limit what the Holy Spirit is able to do, based on our own limitations, rather than the Holy Spirit's limitless possibilities!

Before beginning to explore the different facets of the Holy Spirit's nature in this book, I invite the readers to pray this prayer.

"Welcome Holy Spirit! Please confirm those truths about you that I already know and I ask you to highlight any aspects of your nature and abilities that I am not aware of – for you are "teacher", "counselor" and the "Spirit of truth".

Amen"

## Chapter 1

  1. #  Who is the Holy Spirit?

This question leads on from the introduction.

The short answer to that question "Who is the Holy Spirit?", is that the Holy Spirit is both 'of' God and 'from' God. The reason we believe the Holy Spirit comes from God or was created 'by' God is because of what Paul wrote to the Church at Rome.

"For from him (God) and through him are all things." Rom 11:36

Although the noun 'things' is impersonal and the Holy Spirit is personal; we can assume that the Holy Spirit was made by God along with all the other heavenly beings because the word 'all' is inclusive. Paul also wrote. "We have not received the spirit of this world but the Spirit who is from God."

Many verses in the Bible make it clear that the Holy Spirit has the same nature as God. We can see that the Holy Spirit has the same nature - and comes from God when we compare the characteristics they share.

  1. #####  The Father, The Son and Holy Spirit are:

    1. ######  _Eternal_

Gen 21:33

Heb 9:14

John 1:1

  2. ######  _Creators_

Gen 1:1

Gen 1:1

John 1:3

  3. ######  _Have great power_

Jude 25

Zech 4:6

Rev 19:16

  4. ######  _Have feelings_

Exod 3:7

Eph 4:30

John 11:35

  5. ######  _Are holy_

Rev 4:8

John 14:26

John 4:34

  6. ######  _Are loving_

Deut 7:7

Rom 15:30

John 11:5

  7. ######  _Are sources of Peace_

Phil 4:7

Gal 5:22

John 14:27

  8. ######  _Are counselors_

Rom 11:34

John 14:16

Isa 9:6

  9. ######  _Are truth_

Psa 31:5

John 14:17

John 14:6

The above list is not exhaustive, but readers will see that the Holy Spirit shares exactly the same nature and qualities as God the Father, but also the Son.

We should not expect of anything less of a being created by God, and living in constant fellowship with God - like the Holy Spirit does. See 1 Cor 2:10.

  1. ##  The Holy Spirit in the Bible

A clearer understanding of who the Holy Spirit is is obtained by reviewing various references to him in the pages of the Bible.

  1. #####  **In the Old Testament**

The first Old Testament reference to the Holy Spirit is found in Genesis chapter one.

"...and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." Gen 1.2

The Holy Spirit is frequently mentioned in the Old Testament, but usually briefly. Sometimes these references are so brief that it is easy to miss them. However, the Holy Spirit was involved with the people in the Old Testament, in the same way he was involved in Jesus' ministry and in the New Testament Church. The most frequently used phrase in the Old Testament to describe the work of the Holy Spirit is this phrase.

"The Spirit of the Lord came upon...."

And when the Spirit of the Lord came upon various people in the Old Testament, some prophesied, others became bold. Some wrote Psalms or Proverbs, while others created fine works of art. Others became wise while others gained the faith that God could do the impossible and perform miracles of provision in their situation.

The Holy Spirit equipped leaders in the Old Testament, just as he did in the New Testament. Virtually every leader or prophet the Old Testament was connected in some way to the Holy Spirit. Look at these examples:

  * > "God spoke to Moses.. and I will take the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. (the elders)" Num 11.17

  * > "The Spirit of the Lord came upon a group of seventy elders" Num 11.25

  * > When the Holy Spirit came upon Gideon, he was suddenly bold enough to lead Israel to war with the people who were oppressing them. Judges 6:34

  * > Samson's great strength came when the Spirit of the Lord was upon him. Judges 14:6

  * > From the time that David was anointed by the prophet Samuel, the Spirit came upon him. 1 Sam 16:13

  * > The Holy Spirit stayed with David his whole life. King David, near the end of his life wrote. "The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me; his word was on my tongue." 2 Sam 23:2 And after the Prophet Nathan had told David that God had seen his adultery and murder, David repented and 'pleaded' with God.

> "Do not take your Holy Spirit from me."Psa 51:11

  * > When Elisha started his ministry, prophets standing nearby noted that Elisha had the same power to do miracles as Elijah. They exclaimed

> "The Spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha."

  * > Isaiah was sent by God with his Spirit. Isa 48:16

  * > Ezekiel wrote "Then the Spirit of God came into me..." Ezek 3:24.

  * > Daniel's ability to interpret dreams came from the Spirit of God in him. Dan 4:8.

  2. #####  The Holy Spirit in the ministry of Jesus

Jesus declared at the beginning of his ministry "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me"....Luke 4:18.

##### With the first disciples

> Jesus recognized that his disciples would need the Holy spirit too if they were to be effective; so when he sent them out on their first missionary journey, he said.

> "Receive the Holy Spirit."

After the disciples had returned from their missionary journey, Luke wrote that "Jesus was full of joy through the Holy Spirit...." Luke 10:21

Later in his ministry, Jesus gave the disciples specific teaching about the work of the Holy Spirit- see John chapters 14-16. Before his ascension, Jesus said to his disciples "... in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Acts 1:5 (NLT)

##### Jesus teaching about the Holy Spirit

Jesus made it clear to Nicodemus that unless someone is 'born again', they cannot see the kingdom. John 3:3. By the words "born again", Jesus was meaning everyone can be and needs to be "born of the Spirit" - to enter the kingdom of heaven. John 3:5

Another time, Jesus raised the same issue he had raised with Nicodemus. He said

> "The Spirit gives life;" John 6:63.

What I believe Jesus was meaning by those words is this. Only the Holy Spirit gives our spiritual life. With the Holy Spirit there is spiritual life – without the Holy Spirit there is religious ritual, but little life.

King David expressed the same idea in Psalm 51. In that Psalm he pleaded with God "Do not take your Holy Spirit from me? David knew that without the life-giving Holy Spirit; his relationship to God was at an end.

It was possible, then and now, to have an academic knowledge of the Bible, but if it is to to become a living book' only the Holy Spirit can do that.

The most concentrated teachings about the Holy Spirit are found in John chapters 14 -16. These chapters could be compared to a check-list a person writes for themselves before departing on a long journey.

Most people contemplating such a journey ask a number of questions. "Have I got this and that in my bag?", "Is my passport up to date?". "Do I have my medications?" etc.

John chapters 14 to 16 was like a check-list of vital information for the first disciples, before they began their journey as leaders in the new Church.

New aspects about the nature of the Holy Spirit were revealed in this pre-crucifixion talk. Bible scholars talk of 'progressive revelation' and Jesus took the first disciples knowledge of the Holy Spirit to a whole new level during that teaching session.

The Samaritan woman who met Jesus at Jacob's well spoke of the type of progression in knowledge that the Messiah was expected to bring. She said

> "I know that the Messiah"...is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us." John 4:25

And that is what the disciples received at that time - new understandings about the nature of the Holy Spirit and his work in them. For example, Jesus began to use a different name for the Spirit from the one they were familiar with. The disciples would have been familiar with the term "the Spirit of the Lord" from their knowledge of the Old Testament - but during the pre-crucifixion talk, Jesus added the adjective "holy" to the name of God's Spirit, and that is why we now call him "the Holy Spirit."

During that pre-crucifixion teaching session, Jesus also began to use the personal pronoun "He", implying that the Holy Spirit was a divine person or divine personal being.

Jesus also indicated that they would know the Holy Spirit in a new dimension. He said

> "he lives with you and will be 'in' you". John 14:17.

Jesus also taught the disciples that the Holy Spirit would be a 'teacher' and a 'counselor' to the disciples; and remind them of his teachings. Subsequent chapters will expand on the significance of these roles but I am sure the first disciples, though taking it all in; only gradually connected the dots afterwards.

  3. #####  In the New Testament Church.

When the Holy Spirit came on the disciples during the feast of Pentecost, there was a boldness evident in them that was completely lacking during the previous Passover festival in Jerusalem. During the Passover festival when Jesus was arrested, the disciples scattered like scared rabbits and hid behind closed doors and Peter denied to a mere servant girl that he was even a disciple of Jesus.

However, after the Holy Spirit had come on them in power, those same disciples were completely different people. They could not keep quiet about Jesus, and boldly* preached about him. The Holy Spirit also gave the disciples the ability to speak in the languages of the Jews assembled from all over the Roman Empire.

*That boldness was also characteristic of people in the Old Testament when the Holy Spirit came on them.

  4. #####  Teaching about the Holy Spirit in the

  5. #####  Epistles

At the feast of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came like the sound of wind and tongues of fire (external manifestations), but after Paul was converted, he began to write to the New Testament Churches about the work of the Spirit on the 'inside' of Christians.

Teachings about the work of the Holy Spirit 'in' each believer will also be reviewed later in this book.

This chapter has been a brief review of the nature and work of the Holy Spirit throughout the Bible. A work that has continued in the Church World-wide during the last two millenniums.

A work that will only grow in intensity and breadth and diversity; as the return of Jesus nears.

A work that will bring great glory to Jesus and God the Father.

A work that takes place in the lives of any person or group of persons who welcome the Holy Spirit into their lives and follow his leading.

## Chapter 2

  2. #  The Names and Titles of the Holy Spirit

There are many names and titles given to the Holy Spirit in the Bible, principally by Jesus. As I explain below, these titles were not given by Jesus just to fill up the pages of the New Testament. Rather, these names or titles are 'exact' descriptions of the nature of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus indicated to Nicodemus why he was able to be very specific about the names of the Holy Spirit. He said "... how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven - the Son of Man." John 3:13

The information Jesus was able to give the first disciples about the Holy Spirit (and other subjects), was because he came directly from the throne-room of heaven. So when Jesus used names or titles for the Holy Spirit such as "Spirit of truth", "teacher" or "counselor" Jesus was only using those titles because he 'knew' the Holy Spirit intimately, and had come from heaven.

Jesus' intimate knowledge of the nature of the Holy Spirit became apparent when I was a young Christian. At that stage I could recall reading in John's Gospel a variety of titles for the Holy Spirit including "comforter", "counselor" and "the Spirit of truth"; but they did not mean anything to me.

It was information that I assumed to be true because Jesus had spoken those words \- but what did they mean? One experience illustrated to me that these titles are exact descriptions of the nature of the Holy Spirit.

At that stage, I was part of a group of Christians who enjoyed one anothers company and fellowship. As we met one evening, we were urged to be quiet and were told that one of the group's leaders wanted to say something.

In faltering words, he admitted to his fellow leaders and those he had led, that the reason for his rushed marriage was that his fiancée was pregnant. Today, such an event would not raise any eye brows.

Because this admission came out of the blue, most of us were lost for words - particularly because the man had the courage to tell the truth to the people he had been leading, face to face.

If we had not told been told the truth, face to face, we would have eventually heard about this pregnancy through the grape vine. In this case, the youth leader chose to confess his sins to the whole group, face to face. After that we fell silent, not knowing what to say, for we admired his courage and shared his pain.

I was by the window on that windless night and it may have been a coincidence, but I don't think so. The curtains of that room began to move gently, and as they did, the comforting presence of the Holy Spirit began to fill the room.

This was a very new understanding of the Holy Spirit to me. It was very different from the way the Holy Spirit had come during the feast of Pentecost. At that time, the Holy Spirit had come like the sound of a rushing wind but with this experience, the Holy Spirit had come, like a gentle breeze.

I later asked myself 'Why did the Holy Spirit come into the room and fill it with his comforting presence?' Then I recalled what Jesus had said about the Holy Spirit. He had called Him "the Spirit of truth". So the Holy Spirit came into the room because this man had the courage to tell 'the truth', face to face, to those he led. But because he had spoken the truth, the Holy Spirit came into that room as "comforter". John 14:26

Suddenly, two titles Jesus used for the Holy Spirit, "Spirit of truth" and "comforter" - had meaning.

An explanation for readers whose versions of the Bible which do not have the word "comforter" in them. Older versions of the Bible use the word "comforter" but more modern translations may use words like "Counselor" or "Advocate".

If that sounds confusing, a word of explanation is necessary. Sometimes translators have difficulty trying to find the most appropriate word in English when the language they are translating from was current 2000yrs ago. And with the Greek language, translators sometimes have to choose between a number of 'possible' meanings and then a number of English words.

And usually it not a clear case of a right or wrong choice - but of opting for one English word to represent the original Greek word when the Greek word may have had a number of possible meanings.

In this case, the Greek word Parakletos which different versions of the Bible render as either "comforter" and "counselor" and "advocate", means

> To comfort, encourage, exhort. Greek writers used the word for a legal adviser or advocate.

So there is a sense in which all of those choices are right. The difficulty for translators being they had to choose a single word, when a number of words were equally appropriate – including the word "comforter".

  1. #####  Spirit of truth. John 14:17

That experience also highlighted what Jesus meant when he called the Holy Spirit "the Spirit of truth". There are a number of ways in which the Holy Spirit reveals himself as "the Spirit of truth".

  * 1 Jesus said that the Holy Spirit convicts people of guilt, in regard to sin, righteousness and judgment. John 16:8

When people respond to the Gospel message, they are responding first of all because the message has been proclaimed - but also because the Holy spirit has been working in the heart of that person to convince them of the 'truth' they have sinned. A truth, people in the past and today' do not readily admit to, for we are proud and in our era, the word "sin" has been discarded as inappropriate by many.

  * 2 The Holy Spirit focuses on truth is in our personal lives as well. Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Church about how much money they received from selling land and had their dishonesty exposed. Peter said to Ananias "How is it that Satan has filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit"...Acts 5:4 and later he said to Sapphira "How could you agree to test the Spirit...Acts 5:9

The Holy Spirit acted harshly as a warning, but I believe that being open to the Spirit, is not only about being led to do some great work for the Lord. The Holy Spirit (the Spirit of truth) is equally concerned about everything we do and say away from Church – 24/7.

The Holy Spirit does not condemn people like Satan does, but sometimes gently and patiently asks us to consider what we are involved in or the way we are doing a particular activity. I think of a Christian who took money from his business partner's account without his knowledge.

When asked to explain why he had taken the money from his fellow Christian's business account", the Christian who had taken the money without asking, said something like this. "It is all part of business".

As far as the Holy Spirit is concerned, there is no such thing as separate compartments to our lives. One compartment called 'the Church or Christian part (ie what we do and say in Church) and the 'business part'. That is what Ananias and Sapphira had tried to do. Separate their Christian life in Church from their secular life.

Though the Holy Spirit is "the Spirit of truth", usually he is very gracious with us. Gently prompting us to consider the gray areas of our life, asking us to face the truth. Asking questions about any activity we are involved in. Is it just, honest, fair or appropriate?

  * 3 The first three chapters of the book of Revelation contain messages from Jesus to the Apostle John, about the health of seven Churches in Asia. In that vision, Jesus spoke to John about activities in those churches that pleased him - and activities and attitudes that grieved Him.

Though Jesus told John about the health of seven specific churches, he is concerned about the health of every church today. Jesus is unlikely to speak to most Church leaders today by a vision. But Jesus' continuing advice to the leaders of every church is this:

"Listen to what the Spirit is saying ..."

  * 4 The 4th way the Holy Spirit focuses on truth; is in our worship. Jesus said that the Father wants us to worship him "In spirit and in truth". John 4:24.

It is hard to know exactly what Jesus meant by these words; but there is a gem contained in these words; apart from the specific meaning. The gem is this. The 'how, when, where or why' of worship does not matter to God. All that matters to God is our attitude. So if any person or group worships God with an honest attitude of thankfulness and that person or group worships God, solely for who he is; the Holy Spirit is there, blessing and supporting that worship because the people are worshiping God with an honest or truthful attitude.

  * 5 The fifth way the Spirit focuses on truth is with our attitudes. After the prophet Nathan came to David confront him about his murder and adultery, David to his credit responded with repentance. He wrote "Surely you require truth in the inner parts..." and then three verses later. "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit in me." Psa 51:6a & 10

When God wants our attitudes to change, he sends his Holy Spirit, "the Spirit of truth", to put his finger on our attitudes in the hope that like David; we will begin to live our lives with a new, pure attitude.

The Holy Spirit loves to create new things in our lives including Christ-like desires and attitudes. It is all part of a process called sanctification.

  2. #####  The 'holy' Holy Spirit.

We are so used to calling the Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit, that it is easy to overlook the fact that the Spirit is 'holy'! It is a dominant feature of the Holy Spirit. The holiness that is part of the Spirit's nature is inevitable, because of the Spirit's incredibly close relationship to a holy God.

Prior to Jesus' ministry, the word 'holy' was only used once in the Old Testament to describe the Spirit of God. ie. In Psalm 51. The adjective 'holy' only became a normal part of the title of the Spirit of God from Jesus' time onwards because Jesus always referred to the Spirit of God as the Holy Spirit.

  3. #####  The Advocate

It has already been mentioned earlier in this chapter that the Greek word 'Parakletos' translated by some versions as 'comforter', can equally legitimately be translated as 'advocate'. Paul wrote about the Holy Spirit's activity as an advocate in the book of Romans.

> "...because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with Gods will." Rom 8.27

That is who an advocate is. Someone who represents us. In this case, the Holy Spirit is our representative to God.

## Chapter 3

  3. #  Symbols of the Holy Spirit

This chapter is a continuation of the last chapter which was based around the question "Who is the Holy Spirit?" Six symbols in the Bible represent the Holy Spirit, and possibly a seventh - the seven lamps. Each of these symbols are like additional windows that help us understand the Holy Spirit better.

The six symbols are:

  * fire

  * water

  * oil

  * a dove

  * a seal

  * wind.

Before reviewing each of these symbols and their meaning, I will digress a little to ask and answer the question. "Why did the Holy Spirit come on Jesus in the form of a dove at his baptism, and later on, the disciples in the form of fire accompanied by the sound of rushing wind on the day of Pentecost?"

The Holy Spirit could have come on Jesus at his baptism (without appearing as a dove) and Jesus would have known about it; and on the disciples during the feast of Pentecost without appearing as a tongue of fire, and the disciples would have known he had come. Surely that is what was important in both instances, without the outward appearances as a dove and fire?

The way the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus as a dove at his baptism and as tongues of fire at the feast of Pentecost is in fact consistent with what God had done elsewhere in the Bible. Examples include:

  * God appearing to Moses in a burning bush, even though the bush did not burn.

  * God sending a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night when the Hebrew people were being led through the desert

  * God arranging for a bright star to be in the sky over Bethlehem at Jesus birth

  * The bright light that surrounded Saul on the road to Damascus and from which Jesus spoke to Saul.

I suggest there are divine reasons for these visual signs. These visual signs occurred because:

_With a_ _ny event important to salvation history, God in his wisdom has decided that visual signs were_ _necessary to convince_ _the human beings involved that heaven was taking these events_ _seriously. God wanted the humans involved to be 'absolutely sure' that He was doing something very special in salvation history!_

When the Holy Spirit appeared as a dove at Jesus' baptism, God spoke from heaven in a voice the disciples could hear. When Jesus talked to the disciples afterwards he indicated why God acted that way.

> "This voice is foryour benefit (italics added).

So we can also assume that when the Holy Spirit came on the disciples at the feast of Pentecost like tongues of fire and with the sound of wind, it was for their 'benefit'.

At that time, the disciples could 'see' that the Holy Spirit had come. They could also 'hear' that the Holy Spirit had come, and they would 'know' that the Holy Spirit had come because he gave them the ability to speak over thirty different languages.

At that time, the Holy Spirit did not want the disciples spending time debating among themselves "Has the Holy Spirit come or not come - or do we still need to wait his coming?"

The feast of Pentecost has been called the 'birthday of the Church', and the disciples would look back and say to themselves. "We were in no doubt that the Holy Spirit came that day " and "we were in no doubt this was time Jesus had told us to wait for", when he said

> "wait for the coming of the gift my Father promised" Acts 1:4.

And we can see, with the benefit of hindsight, that it was the beginning of the fulfillment of Jesus' words. "You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth", because in Jerusalem that day were Jews from all over the Roman Empire and the Holy Spirit gave the disciples the ability to speak the various languages of people from all over the Empire. Acts 1:8 (N.I.V)

  1. ## The significance of symbols

In this chapter up to now, there has been a brief review of the importance of and significance of symbols. God in his wisdom knows that sometimes we humans understand truth better when we have a symbol to represent a truth. The following symbols of the Holy Spirit are just that, symbols. But if we view them through our spiritual eyes, we will understand the Holy Spirit better.

  1. #####  Fire

A fire in a log burner or a fire-place at home is lit to bring warmth. A fire burning in a metal smelter is there to extract metal from the ore through a process of purifying and refining. When fire is mentioned in the Bible, it is often associated with purifying and refining. In the book of Isaiah, the prophet predicted that God would bring judgment on Jerusalem by a "spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire." Isa 4:4 (NIV)

Other Scriptures that associate fire with cleansing and refining, are found in the books of Malachi 3:2 and 1 Cor 3:13. No one likes refining, no one likes purifying; but the purpose of refining is to get rid of the impurities and wastes that clog up our lives; and create a pure refined metal – much like pure gold or silver.

Fire is also a form of heat and energy that can be either fanned or dampened. With the picture of a flame burning, we can understand Paul's words when he wrote about the Holy Spirit.

> "Do not put out the Spirit's fire." 1 Thess 5:19 (NIV)

For examples on ways to fan the Spirit's flame, or dampen the Spirit's flame, please read 1 Cor 5:12-28

  2. #####  Oil

Oil is symbolic of anointing. Leaders like David were anointed with oil to consecrate them to God. When David was anointed with oil to become King, the Bible says "and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came on David in power." 1 Sam 16:13

At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus read this passage from the prophet Isaiah:

> "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he hasanointedme... Luke 4:18 (bold letters added)

Can you see the correlation between anointing and the Holy Spirit?

When someone is consecrated to God's service, the Holy Spirit anoints that person for service.

  3. #####  Dove

The dove represents purity, peace, gentleness and new life.

  1. The Spirit is holy and also the spirit of truth. A pure white dove is a very apt symbol for the purity of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is pure truth and pure holiness and pure love.

  1. A dove represents peace, and peace is a fruit of the Spirit.

  2. The dove is also a gentle bird, and gentleness is also a fruit of the Spirit. When the Holy Spirit came on Jesus at his baptism; the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus like a gentle dove. When the Holy Spirit wants our attention, it is not usually by force; rather it is through a gentle prompting.

  3. In the book of Genesis, after the rains ceased the Earth was still flooded, so Noah sent out a dove to see if it could find any life. Eventually the dove returned with a twig in it's beak, indicating that there was life. The dove returning with a twig (representing life) is symbolic of other ways the Holy Spirit gives life. Jesus spoke of being "Born of the Spirit" - meaning new spiritual life. John 3:5

So when the Holy Spirit is represented as a dove; it creates the images of purity, peace, gentleness and new life.

  4. #####  Seal

Paul wrote

> "Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession ..." Eph 1:13 (NIV)

Paul's words convey the importance of the Holy Spirit in our lives. For millenniums, important people have affixed seals to their letters. These seals not only convey the importance of the person, but also of their office. So the seal of a ruler was affixed to a letter and only those authorized could open it.

The Apostle Paul is conveying this same idea by calling the Holy Spirit a seal. It is as if when God looks down from heaven on people in whom the Holy Spirit lives, God sees the seal of the Holy Spirit, and recognizes that person as His son or His daughter.

> We mortal people are marked with immortality. We sinful people have been marked with the seal of a Holy God.

A woman involved in fortune-telling, reading palms, tarot cards and auras made a telling comment. She said. "I can always tell who the Christians are because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in them." She went on to say. "The difference between Christians and us is that we know how much power and knowledge there is in the spiritual realm whereas usually, they do not."

There is a positive side to her statement. We Christians have the privilege of having Spirit of the "living God" residing in us as a seal; as a deposit - of what is to come. That seal is of far greater importance and significance than the seal of any Emperor, King, President or Prime Minister, who come and go. Our seal comes from the eternal living God.

  5. #####  **Water**

Jesus associated water and the Holy Spirit a number of times. He said to Nicodemus

> "... no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of 'water and the Spirit'." John 3:5 (NIV)

Water purifies and cleanses, that is why water is the medium for baptism. Paul wrote

> "For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body...." 1 Cor 12:13.

When a person is baptized in water they die to the old life and come out a new person - renewed and cleansed. Jesus also associated water and the Holy Spirit when he said

> " You will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Acts 1:5

There is another way Jesus associated water and the Holy Spirit. He spoke of rivers of living water flowing out of a person who was his disciple. John 7:38 In that context, the Holy Spirit is like life-giving water that flows from a spring into parched lands. And we know from other biblical verses that we Christians are meant to be people like that. People who are conduits of the life-giving water.

At the beginning of his ministry Jesus read the words of the prophet Isaiah, beginning with "The Spirit of the Lord is on me to:

  * preach good news

  * proclaim freedom

  * recovery of sight

  * release of the oppressed

  * proclaim the year of the Lord's favor Luke 4:18-19

Jesus who modeled the Christian life, became a conduit of the life-giving waters of the Holy Spirit, which resulted in; freedom, healing, sight and the Lord's favor to those he met.

  6. #####  Wind

When Jesus was talking to Nicodemus, he explained that the Holy Spirit is like the wind.

> "The wind blows where ever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." John 3: 8

This analogy to the wind tells us two important things about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit blows where 'he' wills, not where 'we' will. And it is as if Jesus is saying: "I would like the Holy Spirit to be the wind in your sails."

Many times in the past and in the Church today, people have tried to box the Holy Spirit into set roles and methods, but Jesus was indicating to his disciples by using this analogy of the wind. Be brave enough to let the Spirit blow,

where he wills, when he wills,

how he wills and why he wills.

I thought about Jesus' analogy to the Holy Spirit being like the wind that blows where it wills when I was standing by a rock which was about 50 yards high and about 100 yards around the base. There were other smaller rocks around this rock. The wind that was blowing at the time naturally had to blow around the sides of the rock. It could not go through the rock, so it blew around either side.

I had no idea where the wind came from or where it was going, just like in the analogy of Jesus to the Holy Spirit; but I knew the wind had to go around the rock.

When someone resists the Holy Spirit, they are like that immovable rock which forces the Holy Spirit to blow around and past them, or their organization.

This grieves God the Father who said:

> "My Spirit will not always contend with man forever for he is mortal." Gen 6:3.

An unyielding rock is not the type of person the Holy Spirit would like to encounter. But below, I have tried to create an image of the type of person the Holy Spirit would like to encounter. This parable is a combination of that image of the Holy Spirit being like the wind blowing where it wills – and the parable of various soils.

There are flowers and wheat growing in a field. They grow tall and strong and beautiful, because of the Sun's rays and rain provided by God the Father. They are rooted into the soil, which is Jesus Christ. The wind (the Holy Spirit) causes the stalks to bend, and yet they grow strong as a result of the bending to the wind of the Holy Spirit. This enables them to bear more fruit.

The blowing of the wind of the Spirit through the field of wheat, allows pollen to spread and for the species to multiply. And because these plants have allowed the wind of the Spirit to blow through the field, the wheat provides food for others and flowers of great fragrance and beauty.

The second important truth we can draw from Jesus comparison of the Holy Spirit to wind; is that the Holy Spirit is blowing like a gentle breeze, seeking people to fill.

Paul wrote.

> "Instead be filled with the Spirit." Eph 5:18

However, the Holy Spirit is not the only being in the spiritual world who has that goal of filling people. When God asked Satan where he had been, Satan replied

> "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it." Job 1:7

See also Luke 11:24.

With two spiritual forces (the Holy Spirit and demons) looking for homes in men and women, we determine which one it will be.

  7. #####  Symbols of the Holy Spirit and functions of the Holy Spirit

Often in the Bible, there is a correlation between one truth and another. This is also true of the symbols of the Holy Spirit, for these symbols relate to the way the Holy Spirit works in our lives.

Symbol Working of Holy Spirit

  1. ######  Fire

cleanses 'Holy' Spirit works to keep us holy & pure,

refines Refines our nature so that the . fruits of the Spirit can ripen

  2. ######  Water

purity Cleanses - assoc with baptism.

new life New birth by Spirit. John 3:5

flows From Christians into parched lives.

  3. ######  Dove

peace Peace is a fruit of the Spirit. Gal 5:22

gentleness Gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit.

purity The purity of the dove and of the Spirit .

new life New life in creation and in our spirit.

  4. ######  Oil

Anoints Sanctifies for Gods purposes. - - Luke 4:18

  5. ######  Wind

fills Filled with Spirit Eph 5:18

blows blows where he wills. Rom 8:14

  6. ######  Seal

ownership Confirms adoption as children of God. Rom 8:16

## Chapter 4

  4. #  Roles of the Holy Spirit

Today it is a standard marketing ploy to market most mechanical or electrical products as 'multi purpose' or 'multi role' or 'multi-functional'. The car that will serve well for business, family and recreational purposes. The kitchen blender that will pulp, blend and juice most foods. The fitness equipment that will enable users to strengthen many parts of their body, with just the one piece of equipment.

When we look at the Bible, we see that the Holy Spirit is multi-role or multi-functional. The Holy Spirit fills 'many' roles, helping with the spiritual development of individual Christians, Churches and Christian organizations, and these roles will be reviewed in this chapter.

One role of the Holy Spirit has, is to connect God in heaven with disciples of Jesus on this Earth. And equally, the role of connecting disciples of Jesus on Earth with God in heaven. Can you see the dual connections of His role? Connecting the Father and Son in heaven and people on this Earth - and people on this Earth, with the Father and Son in heaven.

  1. ##  Role no 1: Connecting and communicating

The reason the Holy Spirit is able to fulfill those dual connecting roles is because of his close relationship to God the Father and to Jesus. The Apostle Paul wrote

> "The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God."1 Cor 210

"The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God." These words tell us that there are different types of relationships to God varying from, distant to deep – and the Holy Spirit has a deep relationship with the Father.

During his extended teaching session about the Holy Spirit, Jesus taught the disciples that the Holy Spirit takes those deep insights into the heart of God and reveals them to us

> "the Spirit comes, who reveals the truth about God." John 16.13 (GN)

So that is one of the key roles or functions of the Holy Spirit – it is to "reveal" the deep truths of God. The Apostle Paul wrote about the same process.

> "We have....received....the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us." 1 Cor 2:12

That is why it is important to pray daily "Come fill me afresh Holy Spirit" because through that invitation, the Holy Spirit will recognize that we are an open channel. Open channels to receive from the Holy Spirit; what he knows about the heart of God.

When the Apostle John was on the Island of Patmos, he had a vision. In that vision, Jesus appeared and spoke to him repeating these words, seven times.

> "He who has an ear (a spiritual ear) let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Rev 2:17Words in brackets added.

So a key role of the Holy Spirit is to communicate the thoughts of God the Father, and of Jesus to us. But if we turn the coin over, we find that an equally important ministry of the Holy Spirit is to communicate our needs 'to' God.

Paul wrote

> "The Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." Rom 8:27

The impression these Scriptures creates, is that the Holy Spirit is intimately involved in a two-way freeway/motorway of information between heaven and Earth; and Earth and heaven and this is only possible because of Jesus' death on the cross.

This two-way freeway/highway of information (some might compare it to the internet) between God in heaven and disciples of Jesus on Earth is also suggested by what Paul wrote in his letter to the Church at Rome.

  1. God to disciples. "For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. Rom 8:16 NLT

  2. Disciples to God...."for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will." Rom 8:227 NLT

  2. ##  Role no 2: Creator

In the first chapter of Genesis, when there was no form to the Earth, it is written

> "and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters". Gen 1:2 (NLT)

Often in the Bible, both the Father and the Holy Spirit are pictured working in tandem. In Genesis chapter one, God is there creating, but so is the Spirit is also, working in partnership and harmony, "hovering over the waters".

Similarly, when the angel Gabriel told Mary that she would conceive while still a virgin, both God the creator and the Holy Spirit are mentioned in the same verse. Luke 1:35

We see throughout the pages of the Bible that the Holy Spirit is involved in creating new life. That occurs on a large scale (with the formation of the world – universe) and on a smaller scale; when we are born anew of the Spirit or in Mary's case, with the conception of the baby Jesus.

There are other aspects to the creativity of the Holy Spirit. In Exodus 31: 1-5, God spoke to Moses and said

> "I have chosen Bezalel... and I have filled him with the Spirit of God....to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship.

So the Holy Spirit is also involved in inspiring men and women to create all kinds of crafts. Then the Holy Spirit is also involved in other forms of creativity. David wrote

> "The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me, his word was on my tongue." 2 Sam 23:3

> Many hymn writers and those who have written the lyrics of choruses; and the authors of books; have known like David; the creative thoughts of the Holy Spirit.

And although it is not explicit, it is implicit in Jesus' words that the Holy Spirit inspires musicians to lead us in worship. Jesus said God was looking for a people who would worship him "in Spirit and in truth". John 4:24.

The greatest delight God receives from worship is when it is an honest (truthful) expression of our heart. When his people sing songs, choruses and hymns written by people who were inspired by the Holy Spirit, and are led by musicians; also inspired by the Holy Spirit.

  3. ##  **Role no 3: Bearer of fruit**

Another role of the Holy Spirit is to grow fruit in us. Jesus wanted his disciples to bear fruit and be productive. John 15.2 & Matt 25. 1-18 Nine fruits of the Spirit are listed in Paul's letter to the Galatians and they fall into three categories.

1: Joy and peace, are gifts from heaven to the Christian to help us in our daily lives.

2: Patience, self control and faithfulness are qualities that the Holy Spirit seeks to build into our lives so we will be fruitful and successful as Christians. If we lack self control for example, we can make a mess of things. Likewise, if we are impatient, that can make the difference between a good outcome and an outcome marred by ill feeling. And faithfulness is a fruit; that means the person keeps on bearing fruit; in season and out of season.

3: Love, goodness, kindness and gentleness are fruits given for the benefit of others – and the world is in need of people with these fruits.

These fruits are supernatural, and not natural. They can be experienced, even when events are going against us or in times or turbulence or trouble. I vividly recall a Pastor from New Zealand telling our congregation about his experience on a ship called The Wahine. A ship that ran aground in the entrance to Wellington Harbor during a violent storm.

With the conditions being what they were, peace is the last thing that pastor on this ship should have experienced. On that day winds were surpassing 100 miles per hour and great damage was caused to both the vessel and houses in Wellington.

Howling winds, dark gray skies and huge waves pounded the ship as it lurched to the starboard and impaled itself on rocks close to the Seatoun shoreline. Now that is not the type of situation any would expect to experience peace.

But this pastor said "As we waited our turn to board the life boats and with the storm still raging; all along, I had an incredible peace."

These fruit are not dependent on natural causes or reasons. ie. Many people will love a person who has loved them first. Most people become happy (for a while) when they have won something or have been promoted or given gifts. People enjoy peace when they go somewhere peaceful or listen to peaceful music.

By contrast, these fruits of the Spirit are given us to enable us to have love, joy and peace; regardless of any external circumstances. This fruit is given to help us love people who we have no natural reason to love. Joy given when we have no natural reason to have joy such as receiving accolades, winning medals, receiving a promotion or financial wind-fall. And a peace given to us, even when circumstances are anything but peaceful.

##### How does the fruit grow?

Some say we do nothing. All we need do is invite the Holy Spirit to fill us, and the fruit will automatically grow. That is partially true. However, just because we have the Holy Spirit in us does not mean that we will automatically show this type of fruit. That is because of two reasons.

(1) The Holy Spirit works in co-operation with us. The Holy Spirit does not overpower us but works in cooperation with our wills.

(2) The Holy Spirit will give us the desire and even prompt us to show the fruits, but will never force us to show the fruits.

These fruits grow on the tree of our life, as we cooperate with the promptings of the Holy Spirit to be patient, when we could have been impatient. To be gentle, when we could be harsh in a particular situation.

Apart from working with our co-operation, other factors can influence whether we show the fruit of the Spirit or not. Fruit on any tree can turn bad or become damaged by hail or stunted through drought or wilt due to poisons in the soil.

In the same way, the fruit of the Spirit in our lives can become damaged by a number of factors. The disease of unforgiveness, or the hail of bitterness, or the blight of lust, or disease of greed or revenge, or the fruit-eating insect called selfishness, or the racial drought called prejudice.

These factors quench the flow of the Spirit in our lives – and may lead to stunted or pock-marked, like real fruit. 1Thess 5:19

  4. ##  **Role 4: Evangelist**

The Holy Spirit is not called an "Evangelist" anywhere in the Bible, but the title Evangelist is an appropriate title for the Holy Spirit. Three verses indicate why the word 'Evangelist' is a very appropriate title for the Holy Spirit.

> "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8

A similar train of thought is found in Acts 2:17-21 where Peter is quoting the prophet Joel.

> "For in the last day, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people,......And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. "

Jesus at the beginning of his ministry said

> "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me topreach good news (underlining added)

> Can you see the connection between the Holy Spirit and the proclamation of the Gospel? Between the Holy Spirit and Christians being witnesses. Between the Holy Spirit and people throughout the World being responding and being saved.

Where-ever, when-ever and how-ever the gospel is proclaimed, the Holy Spirit is involved. However, the work of the Holy Spirit (the Evangelist) does not end there. Jesus indicated that another role of the Holy Spirit is to convict people of their guilt in regard to sin and righteousness - and also in regard to judgment. John 16:8

With evangelism, the Holy Spirit has a dual role, with those witnessing, with those proclaiming the Gospel - and those who are watching and listening.

This work of the Holy Spirit is necessary because of the relativist age we live in. In this age, people do not readily admit they are sinful people because of the reasoning of our age, which is. "What may be right for you, maybe wrong for me - and what may be wrong for you, maybe right for me."

The attitude that there are no absolutes. No right or wrong. No need to get right with God – it is all a matter of personal choice and personal perceptions.

In contrast to this philosophy of our age, the message of the Bible is all are sinful people Rom 3:23.

Note that the comparison is not with cruel dictators, against whom most will compare favorably. Rather the comparison is with a totally holy and truthful and loving and just God – and it is when the measurement is against a totally holy, loving, faithful and just God; that all fall short.

If any person does accept the Gospel message, it will be because of 3 factors.

  1. The Gospel message has been proclaimed.

  2. People listening were open enough to receive it.

  3. Because the Holy Spirit has been at work in their hearts and minds, of those listening.

  5. ##  **Role 5: The teacher**

Another role the Holy Spirit has, is a teacher. Speaking of the Holy Spirit, Jesus said "He will teach you and will remind you of everything I have said." John 14:26

This role is necessary, particularly when it comes to the Bible, because even though someone may read the Bible, they will not necessarily understand it. That is because it is necessary for the Holy Spirit, the teacher, to illuminate it's truth. John 16:13

There are different ways the Holy Spirit can teach us – by prompting us, speaking to us, revealing, and inspiring us. But apart from the Bible, the Holy Spirit the teacher may speak to us through different channels. It could be a book, or a sermon, or the example of someone's life; though primarily through the Bible.

It is necessary to have the Holy Spirit to help us understand the Bible because even though we may read it, we will not understand it fully until the Holy Spirit "highlights" or reveals a particular truth to us. See John 16:13.

The Apostle Paul wrote about an example of revelation

> "No, we speak of God's secret wisdom,.... A wisdom that. "None of the rulers of this age understood it".... 1 Cor 2:8

Then in verse ten Paul explains who understood it and why.

> "but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit."

The Holy Spirit has down through the centuries, taken the Gospel message which to natural minds does not make sense, and revealed it to people who are open to the power of its' truth.

That principle applies to the rest of Scripture as well – any truth that he, the Counselor (the Holy Spirit) wants to point out to us.

  6. ##  Role 6: The Reminder/Recaller

Another role that Jesus indicated the Holy Spirit would fulfill is to remind his disciples of his words.

Jesus said,

> "He will remind you of everything I have said." John 14:26

Jesus was meaning that the Holy Spirit would remind disciples of words appropriate to where they were at, at a particular point in time. The Holy Spirit may also remind Christians of any verse from the Bible or it may be something an author has written. Remind Christians of words that are relevant to their lives.

I appreciated the Holy Spirit' s willingness and ability to remind me of the words of the Bible; about four decades ago when I was traveling around Europe on my own. After spending 3 weeks in England, I traveled through Germany, then made my way up to Sweden and then back down to Denmark. From Denmark, I flew down to Czechoslovakia as it was known in those days, and then on to Israel.

When I was flying down to Czechoslovakia in a plane of a communist airline, I thought to myself. 'For the most part since leaving England twelve days ago, I have been on my own and have been talking to myself for most of that time."

I knew just a smattering of German to help me get by in Germany, but knew no Danish or Swedish to help me by in those countries. I got by, by pointing to things I wanted to get.

Before leaving for Europe I had purchased phrase books to help me communicate to people in Sweden and Denmark. Then to my horror, while traveling from Germany to Sweden, found that the books with Swedish and Danish phrases, were missing.

Now I am a person who likes times when I am not with people and on my own, but equally I like times of normal conversation with familiar people, even if the talk is only about the weather.

And even though I had only been on a diet of normal conversation for twelve days, by the time I was flying down to the (then) communist country of Czechoslovakia on a plane of the state airline, I admitted to myself that for the first time in my life I was feeling lonely, and was not enjoying it.

I knew no Danish, the country I had just left, and knew nothing of the Czech language, the country I was going to \- and as I contemplated the next country of call after Czechoslovakia, which was Israel, I knew the only way I would have any conversations with anyone was to find someone who spoke English.

Essentially I was alone, though surrounded by millions of people whose language I did not understand. As I thought about being alone and on the other side of the World, and while flying along at perhaps 20,000 feet and being 10,000 miles from my home country (and feeling every mile of it), I began to long for those regular conversations you have with familiar people.

The sense of being alone and so far from home was highlighted by the political divides at that time in world history. The World was divided into three blocks at the time. The Communist bloc, the Capitalist Bloc and the non-aligned countries.

As I flew along, I reminded myself that I was flying on a 'communist airline' and traveling to a communist country. While these thoughts were circulating about being on a 'communist plane' the fact that I had talked very little with others for the last twelve days, I reminded myself that this pattern was going to continue until I got home.

Then, words flashed across my mind, as clearly as the illuminated lights going on in an aircraft

> 'or where we are - high above the sky'

Initially I had no idea where those words came from or why. Did those words come from a poem, or were they a quote by somebody famous, or were they from the Bible? After a while I began to think that they were from the Bible, and from Psalm 139 - the part where it says

> "Where can I go from your Spirit, where can I flee from your presence? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; Psa 139: 7-8

Not having a Bible with me, I concluded that these words must have come from Psalm 139 and that the Holy Spirit had brought these words back to my memory, to remind me that no matter where I was or how far from home I was, God was there. He knew where I was and understood.

A month later when I got home, I found out that the words, 'Or where we are, high in the sky' came from the book of Romans and not the book of Psalms – and were from Living Bible paraphrase. The preceding words were,

> "For I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, or where we are - high above the sky...." Rom 8:38 & 39 (Living Bible)

When I was reminded of those words by the Holy Spirit, it did not matter that I could not pick which part of the Bible they came from or which version of the Bible. I got the message! I was being reminded by the Holy Spirit of the truth that though no matter how far we are from home; be it on other side of the globe (even 10,000 miles away from home) and moving among people whose languages we may not understand, there is nowhere on the face of this globe or in space; that is was not familiar territory to either the Holy Spirit, or to God the Father. Nor were these people unfamiliar to him.

The Holy Spirit largely sticks to Scripture but is not confined to Scripture if there is a truth we need reminding of. He is after all, the Spirit of truth - all truth. So it could be from any version of the Bible, or the words of a book or a chorus or hymn that the Holy Spirit may use to communicate a truth, he wants us to remember.

An example of this occurred over a decade ago. At that time, the Holy Spirit reminded me of a truth that did not come directly from the Bible, but was one that was based on Jesus' teachings, found in Matthew 6:25-34

When I first heard this little poem I thought. 'How quaint'. That is a simple little ditty that may perhaps helps others, but it is not something I care to, or need to, remember.

However the Holy Spirit is wiser than I am, and has brought the words of that short poem back to my memory a number of times. Times when I had let life's problems and challenges get out of perspective, and I had chosen to worry about the future instead of trusting God for the future. And had chosen to worry about tomorrows and the next day's problems; instead of living, one day at a time!

The quaint poem or ditty that the Holy Spirit has reminded me about but which I did not care to remember was this one.

> "Worry not over the future, the present is all thou hast. The future will soon be present, the present will soon be past."

Among the two most quoted sayings of angels are "Do not fear" and among the most quoted sayings of Jesus, are the words; "Do not worry."

They (Father/Son/Holy Spirit) know us human beings better than we do, so it is sometimes necessary for them to remind us of God's protection and provision with the words such as "Do not fear" and "Do not worry". For as Jesus said, "God will take care of tomorrow" – and so – live one day at a time."

Those quaint words, though couched in Victorian English contain a truth that I needed to be reminded of (by the Holy Spirit) from time to time - and perhaps we all need to hear them?

  7. ##  Role 7: Foreteller of the future

This section called 'The Holy Spirit - foreteller of the future' was not originally part of the script of this book but was added as result of the Holy Spirit foretelling me about one aspect of a disaster that was about to occur in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand where I was living in at the time.

This experience which in some ways I would rather not recount because most Christians seem baffled by it - reminded me that the Holy Spirit knows ahead of time what is going to occur – good and bad - a fact that makes most Christians uncomfortable.

In both testaments of the bible, people in whom the Holy Spirit lived often prophesied future events. Isaiah who lived about 700 years before Jesus, predicted that the Messiah would suffer and most of the major and minor prophets foretold coming events.

After Joseph explained the dream of the Pharaoh indicating there would be seven years of famine in Egypt, the Pharaoh exclaimed

> "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?" Gen 41:38

Elijah prophesied that there would be a famine in Israel (1 King 17:1) and Elisha his successor asked

> "Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit" 2 Kings 2:9

After Elisha had inherited a double portion of the Holy Spirit, he too was able to predict future events. After a long siege of the city of Samaria, Elisha prophesied that on the following day, there would be an abundance of food. 2 Kings 7:1-20

Moving on through the Bible to the time of Daniel. During the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar the king had a dream about a large tree that was cut down. The King's astrologers were not able to interpret his dream, so the King asked Daniel to interpret it. King Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed

> "Belshazzar (Daniel's Babylonian name), chief of the magicians, I know the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and no mystery is too hard for you..." Daniel 4:9

Daniel went on to explain that the cutting down of the tree and a stump remaining symbolized a time when King Nebuchadnezzar's reign would come to an end and then after a period of seven years, it would be restored.

Examples of the Holy Spirit giving God's people insight into the future, continue in the New Testament. In Luke's gospel for example, we read

> "Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went to the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God..." Luke 2:25-28 (NIV)

Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit, predicted the future calamitous events. See Matthew chapter 24.

After the Church was established, we see examples of the same Holy Spirit helping Christians understand the future. The Holy Spirit was on a prophet named Agabus who predicted a severe famine in that part of the world. Acts 11:28. And the Holy Spirit warned Paul that he would face hardships in the future – see Acts 20:23.

Prophecy is a gift of the Holy Spirit (I Cor 12:10) so we should not be surprised by all these examples of people in whom the Holy Spirit dwelt; being given insight into the future. Joseph, Isaiah, Elijah, Elisha, Daniel, Simeon, Jesus, Agabus and Paul.

The Holy Spirit gives knowledge of future events to inform and prepare God's people for them.

Now the teaching of the Bible is that the Father/Son and Holy Spirit are the same!' The same two or three thousand years ago; and today! So we should not be surprised that at least a some of his people have been forewarned in our time

The foreknowledge of the Father/Son and Holy Spirit is a can of worms – and maybe that is why when I have told other Christians of the vision I had of one aspect of the up-coming disaster and the Holy Spirit speaking to me at the same time, they have gone silent.

One sad conclusion is that many Christians do not have a deep faith. A faith deep enough to hold together the fact that the Father/Son and Holy Spirit know in advance about all future events - good and bad - and yet they still love all people.

I was not the only Christian given a forewarning of the impending disaster which claimed 186 lives, and this is not the only recent disaster Christians have been given, some foreknowledge about. I heard for example on the radio (I didn't catch the name because I was driving along) of a Christian who was told that a calamity was going to occur in the Twin Towers of New York, known today as 9/11.

I do not want to devote too much space to this huge subject. One that is separate to the subject of this book; but at the heart of any human reaction to the foreknowledge of the Father/Son and Holy Spirit's foreknowledge is our human mortality.

We humans (Christian and non-Christian) do not like to admit our mortality; that we may die tomorrow or next year – though statistically it is unlikely. We do not readily think that we live today, and we live tomorrow by grace.

Or readily think about the certainty that if you or I died tomorrow for whatever reason; we will go to an existence – who fulfillment and glory will make Olympic opening ceremonies look like a gray drizzly day.

If any person has not made Jesus Christ their Lord and asked forgiveness for their sins, they are living a life based on chance. The chance that they will not die before they die a natural death of old age - and have to meet their maker - before that time.

Eternal security is very different to human security. Both have very different outcomes. I suspect that most live by the latter and those who do, often rail against God because they perceive that he allows all events to occur, including events that question their human security and plans.

Death before a natural death by old-age, could occur at any time for a great number of reasons – including natural calamities. But I suspect that is not how most people think. It is a mentality that I am invincible and what God thinks of me or the fact that I could die tomorrow from whatever cause; is not on the main page of their thinking or even on the back page of their thinking.

I have digressed into an issue that is not the main subject of this book. Answering all the questions associated with that issue will take up too much space. And to be honest, I would rather have not included that insight into the foreknowledge of the Father/Son and Holy Spirit in this book – but I know that God did not give me that vision of what was to occur and the Holy Spirit did not speak to me clearly at that time; just so it would be a personal thing between me and the Lord – and I would only tell other people about that experience and insight into the foreknowledge of the trinity; when I got to heaven.

Apart from causing me to consider the awesomeness of the Father/son and Holy Spirit who live outside of time, but step into time for us. There were other good lessons that we learned from a disaster like that.

We lost most of our possessions and because we did not take photos of what we lost; got very little from the insurance company. But Jesus said "Life does not consist of the abundance of your possessions" - so how else were we to understand that truth that life does not consist of the abundance of our possessions; unless most of our possessions had been destroyed?

Also God provided for us wonderfully after that earthquake, through people and circumstances so the words of King David were relevant at that time.

> "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,even thereyour hand will lead me... Psa 23.

We do not need to fear any future difficulty, because the Father/Son and Holy Spirit already know about them - and have gone there in advance.

  8. ##  Role 8: Convicts us of Sin and righteousness – John 16:8

It is one of the roles of the Holy Spirit to convict people of their sin, and about what is right. Perhaps some readers are thinking "I can pass on this section of the chapter because I haven't robbed a bank or murdered people or ..."

Those who walk in the Spirit find that it is not just the 'big sins' that the Holy Spirit may speaks to us about. Sometimes it is the little actions. The ones that are seemingly insignificant thoughts, words and actions. Ones that we find it so easy to justify. An example of this comes from my own life from the earthquake period of my life.

Prior to the February 2011 earthquake, I asked an outboard shop to repair a minor part of my outboard motor. I found that the only way they could repair the minor problem was to supply a whole section of the motor which was far more expensive than I had anticipated. In fact I only just had enough in my bank account to pay for the part and labor. When I picked up the motor, I talked with the man at the shop about why the problem had occurred and he recommended that I buy an ancillary piece of equipment costing only $17.

I had just cleaned out my bank account paying for the major part so did not have the spare $17. The man in the shop said. "Here is the part. Pay for it the next time you are passing."

That is what I intended to do, and to remind me, kept the outer cover for the $17 part in my car, to remind me to pay the $17 next time I passed. Christmas came and went, and each time I saw that outer cover with the bar-code on it, I thought to myself - 'I must call in and pay that $17. Or alternatively put a check in the mail - but inactivity reigned.

After the earthquake we shifted to another city and I began to reason. 'It does not matter now about a mere $17? The business has probably been damaged by the earthquake and because businesses in that part of the city had been affected, maybe the business has closed by now so I do not need to worry about paying the $17."'

Further I reasoned. "I can't remember the name of the shop nor the address so there's no need to worry about sending a check for $17"

But! Somehow I knew in my spirit that the Holy Spirit wanted me to honor my word and repay this man's trust in me. However, I had the Holy Spirit cornered. I could honestly say to the Holy Spirit. "I can't remember the name of the business, or it's address. I know the road but not the number on the road or the name of the business."

After I had finished telling the Holy Spirit the truth, guess what? I turned to a Christian radio station that I do not normally listen to and heard the name and address of that company in an ad. Quickly after that, I mailed the check.

It was not a big sin, forgetting to pay the $17, but if we are to open to what Holy Spirit is saying - he may prompt us to return something, repay something or forgive someone. It may be little to us, but the Holy Spirit whose job it is to sanctify us – would like us to make progress in both the little character things and big things.

NB The Holy Spirit does not condemn us, but rather usually gently convicts us of something that may seem us as very minor, but is still a sin of unrighteousness.

Who knows, if I was allowed to get away with justifying a mere $17, then it would be an easy step to justify not paying a bigger sum.

It is to the credit of Holy Spirit, that He quietly and persistently let me know in my spirit that he wanted me to honor my word to repay this small debt to a man I did not know was a Christian. And the Holy Spirit knows the bigger picture. Maybe that small check of $17 was part of a series of payments necessary to keep the business afloat?

In the long run, we win - and others win when we are open to what the Holy Spirit is prompting us to say or do. And next time we may be the person on the receiving end of someone following the prompting of Holy Spirit, and they seek to rectify an action that has short-changed us.

Little is big in the kingdom of God!

## Chapter 5

  5. #  The Divine Person

During my first twenty years as a committed Christian, I thought the Holy Spirit was either some kind of divine electric current because Jesus promised the first disciples they would "receive power" when the Holy Spirit came on them, Acts 1:8

That was one picture – the Holy Spirit as some kind of divine electric current. The other image was of the Holy Spirit as a kind of divine vapor that filled people. In the book of Ephesians the Apostle Paul wrote

> "Be filled with the Spirit." Eph 5:18

So that was image number two. Either the Holy Spirit was a divine current or a divine vapor – or a combination of both.

It was only when I did a Bible study that included many verses about the personal nature of the Holy Spirit, that I realized the Holy Spirit was much more than an inanimate power or vapor. It was obvious from this study, that the Holy Spirit was and is a divine person or as I sometimes refer to him. A divine personal being.

Coming to understanding that the Holy Spirit is a divine person was one of the great leap forwards in relation to the Holy Spirit and Christian life.

Biblical teaching about the personal nature

Jesus taught that the Holy Spirit is a divine personal being; see John chapters 14-16. Before his crucifixion, Jesus took the disciples aside to teach them what would be necessary for them to know once He was gone. During that pre-crucifixion talk, Jesus frequently used the personal pronoun "He'' of the Holy Spirit, indicating that the Holy Spirit is a personal being. For an example, see John 14:16

Further, in what we now call the great commission, Jesus commanded the disciples to go into all the world

> "baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit". Matt 28:19

These words could be rendered . . . baptizing them in the names of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (italics added)

Or

baptizing them in the name of the Father and the name of the Son and the name of the Holy Spirit.

Only persons have names and in the great commission, three divine personal beings are named, one of them being the Holy Spirit.

But there are a number of other references in the Bible that indicate why the Holy Spirit should be considered a divine personal being. Consider the following verses.

  1. #####  The Spirit has a mind

The Holy Spirit teaches people John 14:26

The Holy Spirit reminds people John 14: 26

The Holy Spirit speaks. He said "set apart for me, Barnabas and Saul.... Acts 13:2

To teach people and remind them and make decisions about which two disciples would be best for a task (Barnabus and Saul), requires a mind.

  2. #####  The Holy Spirit has emotions

The Spirit loves Rom 15:30

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit Eph 4:30

The Spirit groans Rom 8:26

Only personal beings have emotions and love, grieve and groan.

Other Scriptures that imply the Holy Spirit is a divine personal being are:

> "that you have lied to the Holy Spirit" Acts 5:3

> "and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." 2 Cor 13:13

> "but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven" Luke 12:10

You cannot 'lie' to an impersonal source of power. You cannot have fellowship with something that is merely a vapor. You cannot blaspheme an electrical current, but you can blaspheme someone, a divine personal being.

This evidence that the Holy Spirit is a (divine) person has been there all along; it is just that most Christians like myself had not put it all together.

When I saw the collective evidence and realized the Holy Spirit is a person – I began to treat Him as such.

  3. #####  The mind of the Spirit

  4. #####

Among the characteristics of a person is that they have a mind. Paul wrote

> "And he who searches our hearts, knows themindof the Spirit. Rom 8:27

So what can we understand about the mind of the Holy Spirit? To understand the mind of the Holy Spirit and the intelligence he has, it is necessary to use a little imagination.

  5. #####  Using our imagination

  6. #####

Anyone who considers the Bible to be God's word 'to us' will believe that any promise in the Bible is a promise to 'every' disciple of Jesus, where-ever they may live in the World. Let us take that principle literally; and apply that understanding to just one promise Jesus made about the Holy Spirit. Jesus said;

> "He will teach you much and remind you of all that I have taught you." John 14:26.

To understand the amazing mind of the Holy Spirit, it is necessary to consider the implications of that promise Jesus made. For the Holy Spirit to fulfill that one promise to teach or remind each person of Jesus words, means the Holy Spirit must know every language in the world, as there are likely to be Christians in every language-group in the world.

There are approximately 6000 recognized languages or subgroups of languages in the world. So the Holy Spirit must know all of them to be able to teach or remind any Christian who speaks any of these languages.

That is some undertaking, as anyone who has tried to learn another language or languages will realize. Most languages are 'distinctly' different. The different languages use different words, different grammar and different syntax to describe the same object or idea, as the following example illustrates. The sentence in English;

> "I always play tennis on Monday with my friend."

would be re-arranged like this by someone speaking German

> "Am Sontag spiele ich immer mit meine Freund tennis." - On Monday play I always with my friend tennis.

It is noticeable that different words are used and they are arranged differently. That is true of 'every' language. To the north of Australia are the Torres Islands. On those islands they speak a language called Torres Island Creole. In Torres Island Creole, Matthew 12:46 reads like this.

> Seimtaim nau wen Zizas I bin tok po dem bigmob pipol de, mada ane ol bala Zizas I bin sane tok lo wanman go po singaut Zizas kam ausaid po demla bikoz dempla wande tok po em.

German and Torres Island Creole are just two of the over 6,000 languages that the Holy Spirit must know to fulfill that one promise of Jesus.

Take a few other angles on languages. In Hebrew there are no consonants, and Hebrew script is arranged from right to left, not left to right as in most countries. There are many different alphabets in use today, and the Holy Spirit must know all of them if he is to fulfill that one promise of Jesus.

To fulfill that one promise of Jesus, the Holy Spirit must know every word of every language along with their unique alphabet and sentence construction.

After I realized the Holy Spirit was a divine person and then considered the size of the task the Holy Spirit has to fulfill that one promise of Jesus; my attitude to the Holy Spirit changed from one of casual appreciation to one of awesome respect. With my new understanding, I realized the Holy Spirit must have a huge intellectual capacity.

That Everest-size challenge of the Holy Spirit to know all of the Earth's 6000-plus languages, is not only determined by the number of languages there are, but also by the number of Christians in this World. There are an estimated 1.8 billion Christians in the world,.

To fulfill that one promise of Jesus, the Holy Spirit must not only know every language of the world, but also every Christian and their unique circumstances. A Scripture that is relevant to Christian no. 98,016,783; is not the right Scripture for Christian no. 723,859,102 or Christian no 3,450, 965.

I gave an example in an earlier chapter about how the Holy Spirit brought back to my memory the words "or where we are; high in the sky." The circumstances were I was flying at 20,000 ft in a plane of a communist airline on the other side of the World.

To remind me of those words, the Holy Spirit had to be tracking me round the globe, and know my thoughts about being alone. Then He searched through all 31,000 verses of the different translations of the Bible I had read, to find the right words for my circumstances and he will do that for all the World's 1.8 billion Christians, if they care to be open to his desire to teach and reveal and remind them of any truth that is applicable.

So 20 years into my Christian journey, my thinking about the Holy Spirit changed considerably. Changed from considering Him an almost irrelevant and mysterious force, to one of enormous appreciation and respect.

  7. #####  The personality of the Spirit

Apart from intelligence, the other characteristic of a person is that they have emotions. In both testaments of the Bible, the word 'grieve' is used in connection with the Holy Spirit. Isa 63.10 & Eph 4.30. In Isaiah, the word grieve was used in connection with the actions of the people of Israel. Isaiah contrasted the love and mercy of God to the Jewish people's rebellion. The Jewish people ignored the truth God gave them and the Holy Spirit grieved as they went their own way.

This word 'grieve' is also found in connection with the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. The context of the word 'grieve' in the book of Ephesians is the contrasting words and actions of the Christians there.

In his letter, the Apostle Paul wrote about a series of words and actions that the Holy Spirit rejoices over, and others that the Holy Spirit grieves over. The words and actions that 'grieve' the Holy Spirit include:

  * unwholesome words

  * speaking falsely

  * stealing

  * impurity

  * lust

The words and actions that please the Holy Spirit include:

  * helpful words

  * truthful words

  * honest work

  * righteousness

  * holiness.

The Holy Spirit, being a divine personal being also radiates positive emotions like joy. Luke wrote

> "Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit" Luke 10.21

Then there are the fruits of the Spirit

  * love

  * joy

  * peace

  * patience

  * kindness

  * goodness

  * faithfulness

  * gentleness and

  * self control

\- Gal 5:22

What most Christians do not readily think about when they read that list of fruits, is that those fruits must be part of his nature, in order for him to be able to give them to us. To make that point clearer, I have rewritten Galatians 5:22.

If you have the Holy Spirit in your life, He will give you His 'very own nature' which are the fruits of: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

  8. #####  Fellowship with the Holy Spirit

Another characteristic of a person is that we can have fellowship or friendship with them. Paul's final words to the Church at Corinth, were.

> "... and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all" 2 Cor 13.14

More often than not, we Christians miss out on fellowship with the Holy Spirit because in our worship services we want to be singing all of the time, or tune into the person speaking, when ideally we will allow for times of silence – time for fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Perhaps we are afraid of silence?

There are several conclusions we can draw from the fact that the Holy Spirit is a divine personal being. When I first realized that the Holy Spirit was not just an impersonal force but a divine personal being, I asked myself. "Can I pray directly to him and ask him things? Or must I ask God the Father to convey my requests to the Holy Spirit?"

There is Scriptural precedent for asking God to send his Holy Spirit but does that mean we cannot pray directly to the Holy Spirit? Eventually I came to the conclusion that because the Holy Spirit is a divine personal being, we must be able to pray directly to him.

Hymn writers of the past and chorus writers of today have all come to same conclusion and address the Holy Spirit directly. These words of a hymn are one example of addressing the Holy Spirit directly.

"Come Holy Spirit, our hearts inspire"

Another example is the words of a contemporary chorus

"Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me".

There is another conclusion we can draw from the realization that the Holy Spirit is a divine personal being. For some reason I thought of the trinity worked like this. When-ever the affairs of the Church or events on the Earth were discussed in heaven. God the Father and Jesus the Son would meet together in the throne-room and discuss these affairs and events, while the Holy Spirit was waiting out in a back-room; waiting to be summoned and told whatever decisions, the other two had made.

However, when I realized that the Holy Spirit is a divine personal being with great knowledge, power and intelligence; I realized that the Holy Spirit would be there as an equal partner in these round-table discussions. That equality is implied by the Great Commission. Matt 28:29.

This Holy Spirit embodies a number of factors. A memory and intelligence far beyond the most powerful computer in existence. An intimate knowledge of billions of human beings. Emotions like joy and grief and yet, most amazing of all. He wants 'fellowship' with people like you and I. He wants to share the fruits He has..

He wants to guide us and teach us God's ways and God's truth. He wants to touch us for our good and liberally distribute the love of God into our hearts

## Chapter 6

  6. #  Led By The Spirit

> "...for all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God." Rom 8.14 NLT

The context of this verse is the two choices we have in life. One choice we have is to be led by our sinful nature, and the other to be led by the Holy Spirit. Every day we have these choices. Further, as Christians, it is equally important - not only what we say and do and think, but 'how' we do anything; and e our motives for doing these things. The Holy Spirit through his leading; can be involved in all these.

The leading of the Holy Spirit is not to replace every day Christian living such as the instructions found in Proverbs and Matthew chapters 5-7 or in Romans chapter 12. The leading of the Spirit is for times and situations we are not aware of – or only aware of in a general way.

Someone might need our prayersor our support or our advice – and we may not be aware that the Lord wants us to be involved; so sends his Holy Spirit to prompt us.

Included among words found in Romans chapter 8 is the word "Controlled" - meaning controlled by the Holy Spirit. Some might say I don't want to be controlled by the Holy Spirit but that control is voluntary and is for the purpose of making us more effective disciples.

Paul wrote in the book of Ephesians that God has works prepared for us. Eph 2:10 These works are works that fit our abilities, our circumstances and personalities. These are works God knows need doing and God knows we can do them; and all that is required is for us is to be willing to do them; and follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit; to do them.

The benefits of being controlled and led by the Holy Spirit are enormous. Paul lists some of them in Romans Chapter 8:

  * Set free form the law of sin and death 8:1-2

  * Experience "life and peace". 8:6

  * Please God (implied) 8:9

  * Helps us put to death our sinful nature. 8:13

  * Considered God's children. 8:14

  * Creates a desire in us to call God "Abba, Father" 8:15

  * Helps us in our weaknesses. 8:26

  * Helps us to pray for solutions to any situation. 8:26

It is implied in these verses and other verses in the Bible that to be controlled by our sinful nature results in 'living death' and a troubled conscience; while to be controlled by the Holy Spirit results in "life and peace".

Staying with the word "controlled", several other points need to be made. Our relationships with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are always voluntary! They will 'never' force us or coerce us to do anything against our will. They want us to 'desire' what they have to offer.

They want us to invite them into our lives. The picture of Jesus knocking at the door of our lives (Revelation 3:20) is symbolic of the invitation that the Father/Son and Holy Spirit wait for us to give.

Because they never force us to do anything, we have to 'desire' to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. When we invite the Holy Spirit to lead us. He wants to be the controlling factor in our lives; for our sake, the sake of others and the sake of the kingdom of God.

Paul offers a hint that the Holy Spirit controlled him in this way. He wrote

> "I speak the truth in Christ – I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit." Rom 9:1

That is 'one' way the Holy Spirit leads us, by being a gentle but honest friend whose motive is to help us be true sons and daughters of God.

When we are led by the Holy Spirit we do not lose our personality or our ability to think clearly, or make good decisions. The Holy Spirit values these.

Being led by the Holy Spirit helps us achieve one of the goals of Christian life – to do the "will of God." "The Spirit prays in line with God's will" and wishes to lead us in line with God's will. See Rom 8:27

  1. #####  How To Be Led By the Spirit of God

The 'how' is not as important as a willingness to be led by the Spirit of God. The 'how' is less important because the Holy Spirit often leads different Christians in different ways. The starting points are these:

  * The Holy Spirit 'wants' to lead us for our good, to make us more like Jesus, and cause us to live as children of God.

  * We all have spiritual antennas which enable us to tune into the Holy Spirit's wavelength.

The Holy Spirit can guide or lead us in a number of ways:

  * Speak to us in plain English or whatever our native tongue is.

  * Speak to us without speaking - sometimes we just know!

  * Speak to us in a vision

  * The Holy Spirit can prompt us, inspire us and motivate us. Any number of sermons, songs, books, works of art and crafts have been created at the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Several examples from the Bible. When the Holy Spirit began to work in Samson, we read. "The Spirit of the Lord began to stir him".... Judges 13:25, and Paul wrote, "And now compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem,"...Acts 20:25.

What exactly Samson experience was of being stirred by the Holy Spirit, or Paul's experience was of being compelled" by the Spirit is hard to understand exactly. In the past, I have been both stirred and compelled, but not often.

This is where instruction manuals can only go so far. At a certain point a person has to say to the Holy Spirit "You teach me Holy Spirit."

Wesley L Duewel wrote

> "God gives many practical inner suggestions and moral and holy impressions. These are given you by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit's voice occasionally comes as a sudden impulse or restraint. Often however, it comes as a gradually deepening conviction. "

Let God Guide You Daily p105 (Duewel Literature Trust)

Usually Christians are aware it is the Holy Spirit inspiring them, but sometimes they may not be aware – and it will only be by looking back that they will say - "I am sure it was the Holy Spirit who was motivating and inspiring me at that time."

The leading of the Holy Spirit can be in 'every' area of our lives. Ed Cole wrote about a business man who felt prompted to check the details of a building his firm had just signed to build, and found an error in the plans. By recognizing the error, it saved his firm legal action once the building was complete. Another example.

The leading of the Holy Spirit can be in business matters, personal matters and spiritual matters. My wife prays about needs for clothing and often feels compelled to go to a certain shop and finds; just what she needs!

If we are open to the Holy Spirit's leading, he can guide us in personal matters such as where to buy clothes or tools or where to go on holiday.

Another time He may remind us about a particular verse in the Bible that He wants us to remember. Other times the Holy Spirit may prompt us to do good for someone. Sometimes the so called little acts of kindness; are what the Holy Spirit rejoices in most.

His leading may be to do with business matters, with some aspect of Church life, the needs of others, or about our personal needs. There is no such thing as a separation between the 'secular' and 'sacred' with the Holy Spirit.

When a person is led by the Spirit, their thoughts and actions are directed to do something close to the heart of God. Those who obey the Spirit's promptings find far greater satisfaction than from any other source. Said Paul

> "The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace." Rom 8: 6 (NIV)

Being led by the Spirit may also involve doing things which our natural mind may argue against, and we may think that if we obey the Spirit's prompting, we will look foolish. Philip was asked by an angel to go to the road between Jerusalem and Gaza. When Philip was on that road, he noticed an important Ethiopian official coming along in his chariot. Then the Spirit said to Philip

> "Go to that chariot and stay near it." Acts 8:29.

It is possible Philip thought "If I go and run by that chariot, I will look silly or I could be rebuffed by one of the attendants of this important official."

Philip was not told to go to the Chariot and evangelize that important person, but urged by the Spirit to go and run beside it.

Being led by the Spirit is dependent on these factors implicit in Romans 8.14

  1. That it is possible to be led by the Spirit.

  2. That God wants us to be led by the Spirit.

  3. That we have to desire to be led by the Spirit.

  4. That we have an attitude of wanting to 'learn' how to be led by the Holy Spirit.

If we are led by the Spirit, it can become a normal, natural, everyday experience. The leading of the Spirit may be for the purpose of going on a missionary journey, but for most Christians, His guidance will be about everyday things.

  2. #####  Learning to be led by the Spirit

Probably the three most over-looked words in the Bible are these words 'I have learned' Phil 4:11 The context of those words are "...for I have learned to be content in whatever the circumstances." Paul did not come into this life 'programmed' to be content in whatever circumstances he found himself. Rather, he had to 'learn' to be content.

No Christian is programmed from birth to be led by the Spirit of God, nor can it be taught in school. We can only learn by our own experience, sometimes by trial and error. Paul told the elders of the Church of Ephesus.

> "And now compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there." Acts 20:22

Where and how did Paul learn to be "compelled" by the Spirit? It was not during his training as a Pharisee. Perhaps it was during the years he spent in Arabia, tent making and doing other ordinary jobs?

As I look back on life, I see ways that I have learned to obey the leading of the Spirit. Among the lessons I have learned is

if the Holy Spirit wants me to do something, that impression will not go away.

The impression will not be be a nagging or hassling urging – that kind of leading comes from the other side of the track. Rather it will be a gentle and persistent urging.

Also if something is troubling me in my spirit day after day, I now recognize that it is most likely that the Holy Spirit is asking me to reconsider the method I am doing something or my involvement in a particular activity.

As an example, between 20 and 26yrs old, I was heavily involved in long-distance running. I was the under-19 yrs champion in my country over both 5000 meters on the track and cross-county. So as an adult, there was every reason to continue training hard with hopes of success and perhaps of representing my country as a senior. I believed then as I do now, that people should use their God-given talents.

As I struggled to be successful as a senior athlete, I wondered why I was not fulfilling the promise shown as a junior athlete because of all the hard work I was putting in. I did not know that a piano shifting accident at the age of nineteen had dislocated my spine so that I could never be as successful in adult grades while my spine was twisted.

It was not till I was 38 that a chiropractor analyzed my problem correctly. In the meantime, I was training hard with dreams of being a successful senior runner.

I put in time and effort running 100 miles (160 km) a week, endeavoring to use the gift God had given me. By putting in that constant effort I was picking up places in national events and was either first or second in local events. I have a scrap book full of clippings with my name and photos from newspapers.

However, over a period of months in the mid to late twenties, I considered the whole situation. I was still getting my name in print in the local newspapers but my questioning revolved around these thoughts. Success in athletics or any sport requires a lot of time and energy and I had to ask. Is the amount of time and energy required to gain that success justified?

I was often physically and mentally tired at work and in Church; which meant I could not give one hundred percent to either my work, or Church. There was a deep unhappiness in my spirit about putting that amount energy and time into a sport as an unpaid amateur (today I could have applied for Government sponsorship) which drastically limited the amount of time and energy I had for important things like work, people and church. And there was no time for courting my future wife.

There was no clear voice at this time, just an unhappiness in my spirit about the large amount of time and energy I was investing in Sport for reasonable success. At that time I understood John's words about Jesus. He wrote

> "Jesus was troubled in his spirit" John 13:21

After a period of time I decided that I had to pull out of active involvement in running. It was only after I had been obedient to that prompting of the spirit and ceased active involvement in running that the rationale for the Spirits' prompting came to mind. It was the words of a hymn.

> "This worlds empty glory is costing me too dear."

My name continually being in the newspaper was good for the ego, but it was coming at a price - and it came to a point where I had to realise that the the price was not worth it, which is what the Holy Spirit wanted me to see.

P.S: In the immediate period after giving up competitive running I met my wife – and have enjoyed over three decades of happy marriage.

The Holy Spirit will lead us equally with both the big decisions and with small decisions. In big ministry and small acts of ministry.

There is, I suspect, a connection between being willing to be led by the Spirit in the seemingly small and insignificant matters of life, and being led by the Holy Spirit to do much more significant and noticeable actions.

Said Jesus to two of the servants in the parable of the talents

> "You have been faithful with a few things.. but later was to add, "For to everyone who has will be given more." Matt 25:21& 29

Being led by the Spirit often involves choices between the way we want to go and the way the Spirit wants to lead. This is a choice between our desires and the desires of the Spirit. Between the things that will satisfy our lower nature and flesh, and our higher nature in a realm where the Spirit lives. Rom 8: 1-14

Being led by the Spirit is not hard, it is very easy! What makes being led by the Spirit a challenge for some, is its simplicity! And for some, being led by the Spirit will go against the grain of our modern life-style because we live in a push-button age where pushing the right buttons often leads to immediate results, and the results we want.

But with the leading of the Spirit, the opposite to a push-button mentality is at work. The Spirit comes to push our buttons, so-to-speak instead of us pushing the Holy Spirit's buttons. Instead of us being in control; it is the Spirit of God – who is in control.

Then there is the bigger picture. Even if you are a Christian who has learned to led by the Spirit many times before and are confident of the Spirit's leading; do not rest on your laurels for there is always more. Today's opportunities and tomorrow's possibilities.

There are fresh pages of the book of Acts, waiting to be written about Christians who are open to be lead by the Holy Spirit. Old Simeon who was called righteous and devout, was still being led by the Holy Spirit at the end of his life. Luke 2: 25-28

  3. #####  Being led by the wrong party.

New Christians in particular may be a concerned that they could be led by the wrong spirit. It is helpful to be aware of that possibility. Satan has been, and always will be, opposed to anything God does and prefers that people be either neutral in spiritual matters or are open to his promptings.

He started this practice in the garden of Eden and will continue to do so till he is chained up at the end of this era. That makes being led by the spirit a little more difficult because we have to learn to distinguish between who is attempting to lead us along with and our own thoughts and desires.

For those who are worried that Satan's representatives might attempt to misdirect them (as if it were the leading of the Holy Spirit) the Bible offers some clues about distinguishing between the two sources of guidance. The devil and his colleagues are 'restless'. Job Chapter 1 and Luke 11.24 They cannot bring peace when they speak or when they prompt a person. If you are being troubled by an 'urgent' or 'nagging' thought or voice, I would be wary about its source. By contrast, peace is a natural attribute of all three members of the trinity. Of God Phil 4:7, of Jesus John 14:27 and of the Holy Spirit. Gal 5:22

The prompting of the Spirit may be regular, but not nagging. It will be in the nature of the words of the prophet Isaiah"

> "in quietness and confidence shall be your strength." Isa 30:15

There is another check. The leading of the Spirit will never go against any clear teachings of Scripture. You will never be led by the Spirit to steal, or have an affair or murder or take revenge or hold resentment against someone. The leading of the Holy Spirit will always align with Scripture.

How do we know it is the Holy Spirit and not our own thoughts? Well here is a simple guide. Often the prompting of the Spirit goes against the natural grain of what we want to do. Once when my wife was very tired, I strongly felt prompted to do the dishes. It was not my turn and if the Holy Spirit was going to prompt me, I would far rather him have prompt me to go somewhere where someone was waiting to give me a check.

Doing the dishes was not something that appealed to me. We may be prompted to give someone a sum of money or give them something they need and which we have. The only thing preventing that occurring, might be our 'natural' selfish nature.

So we can run checks past the promptings of the Spirit. The nature of the prompting. Is it nagging or calm. Is it against the teachings of Scripture or in line with them. Is it against our natural inclinations to think of self; or is this an act which we are being prompted to do; which has the good of others in mind.

Finally in this chapter, the words of Jesus.

> " _He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches."_ _Rev 2:7_

## Chapter 7

  7. #  The Gifts of The Spirit

The main teachings about the gifts of the Spirit are found in the book of First Corinthians, chapters 12 to 14. But for now let us take a closer look at the record of the Holy Spirit throughout the Bible. The Bible tells us that God does not change (James 1:17) and that Jesus remains the same, yesterday and today and forever. Heb 13:8. The Bible does not say categorically that the Holy Spirit has always been the same, but it is a reasonable assumption, for He is called 'the eternal Spirit'. Hebrews 9:14

The word 'eternal' implies that the Holy Spirit has always been the same, and existed long before human beings came on the scene.

Although the disciples saw the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove at Jesus' baptism, and in the form of flames of fire during the feast of Pentecost, which were new revelations of the Holy Spirit, most other activities of the Holy Spirit we read about in the New Testament Church were not new.

These same activities of the Holy Spirit were evident in the lives of people in the Old Testament – it is just that in the Old Testament they were not called the gifts of the Spirit.

  1. ##

* ##  **Characteristics of the Holy Spirit, common to both Testaments**

Characteristics | Old Testament | Jesus Ministry | New Testament Church

---|---|---|---

Boldness | Judges 6:34 | Matt 7:28 | Acts 2:4&14

Prophecy | 1 Sam 10:6 | Mark 10:33&34 | Acts 11:28

Healing | 2Kings 5:14 ** | Matt 8:14-17 | Acts 5:15

Dead Raised | 2 Kings 4: 32-35 | John 11:38-44 | Acts 20:9-10#

Spirit given to a group | Num 11:17 | John 20:22 | Acts 8:15

Spirit poured out | Isa 32:15 |   
 | Acts 2:17

Grieve Holy Spirit | Isa 63:10 |   
 | Eph 4:30

  1. #####

  2. #####

* #####  Unique to one Testament

Gives skills at craft work Exod 31:1-5

Ability to interpret dreams Dan 4:8

Ability to speak in language of angels 1 Cor 13:1

Ability to speak in foreign languages Acts 2:4

We can see from the examples in the boxes on the previous page that for virtually every activity of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament, there were parallel examples in the Old Testament. Because the Holy Spirit is eternally the same, we can assume that He has 'always' been the giver of gifts'.

This is demonstrated by the comparable miracles in the chart on the next page.

Characteristics | Old Testament | Jesus Ministry | New Testament Church

---|---|---|---

Knowledge | 2 Kings 5:25&26 | Luke 5: 4-6 | Acts 5:3

Miracles | 2 Kings 4:38-44 | Matt 8:23-27 | Acts 5:12

Wisdom | Deut 34:9 | Matt 22:22 | Acts 6:3

Faith | 2 Chron 20:14-20 | Matt 8:5-13 | Acts 11:24

Characteristics | New Testament Church

---|---

Ability to speak in language of angels | 1 Cor 13:1

Ability to speak in foreign languages | Acts 2:4

Praying in different tongues | 1 Cor 1

 |

Interpretation of tongues | 1 Cor 14

* Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit Luke 4.14

** Elisha was filled with the Holy Spirit

# Paul associated miracles with the presence of the Holy Spirit. Gal 3.5

From these parallel lists we can see that the Holy Spirit has always been the giver of gifts and will always be the giver of gifts; until Jesus returns and there is no longer any need for the gifts of the Spirit. 1 Cor 13:10

In the period after the twelve died, the gifts of the Spirit continued to be manifest in the Church. St Augustine's book, City of God, written 300 years after the time of the Apostles is full of miracles.

During the Dark Ages, teachings about the gifts of the Spirit and many other foundational truths largely disappeared from the Church. However that was not God's plan. In God's plan, the gifts of the Holy Spirit were meant to be part of the Church. That is, until Jesus returns. 1 Cor 13:10

About these gifts, the Apostle Paul gave this counsel. They are given:

for the common good 1 Cor 12:7

as the Spirit determines 1 Cor 12:11

each person has a gift 1 Cor 12: 1-11

each person's gift is important in the body 1 Cor 12:14

love* is vital to the gifts 1 Cor 13:1-3

We note that when Jesus did miracles, often he was moved with compassion for the person. The many different ways Jesus healed people suggests that he was being prompted by the Holy Spirit in each situation. That is why there is no set method for the operation of the gifts.

## Chapter 8

  8. #  Our Attitude to the Holy Spirit

    1. #####  Valuing the Holy Spirit

I was in the shop of a client on business. The client was a Muslim man. He was just about to talk to me when he was called out the back to take a phone call. As I waited, I noticed a letter on the counter from the leader of the local Mosque, urging all who read the letter to leave no stone unturned in their efforts to be totally devoted to their worship and practices. The letter told of many who were not getting to heaven because their efforts were less than total.

This letter made me think about the differences between our faiths, and also between our faith and Christian sects. Two differences between the Christian faith and Islam, is that in Islam there is no grace for lack of performance. The same is true of some Christian sects. One sect I am familiar with insists on regular attendance at Church which is marked down in a book.

In this sect, if for any reason people do not attend regularly, they are summoned before a judiciary panel to explain themselves and told that unless their performance improves they are out and will be totally cut off from all fellowship. Ungrace prevails.

There are some distinct differences between religions like Islam, the Christian sects, and Bible based Christianity.

  * One is grace.

  * The second difference is that we believe the Bible teaches we can have a relationship 'with' each member of the trinity.

  * Salvation is by faith in the redeeming death of Jesus Christ.

  * Another is the Holy Spirit.

There is no equivalent to the Holy Spirit in any other religion or in the sects. In sects, there is a vague acknowledgments of the Holy Spirit in but in my observation, there is no reality to the Holy Spirit, and little attempt to teach what the Bible teaches about the Holy Spirit.

We Christians are so fortunate to have the Holy Spirit, for He has been given for one overall purpose. The following Scriptures indicate that one overall purpose.

The Holy Spirit:

  * teaches us John. 14:26

  * reminds us of Jesus' teachings. John 14:26

  * guides us into truth. John 16:13

  * gives gifts to Christians for the building up of the Church. 1 Cor 12:7

  * assists us to give an account of our faith. Luke 12:11

  * testifies with our spirit that we are God's children Rom. 8:16

  * helps us pray. Rom 8:27

The word that summarizes all these different actions of the Holy Spirit is the word 'helper'. Some translations call the Holy Spirit 'the helper'. John 14.16 In Paul's second letter to Timothy, he urged him to guard the deposit of sound teaching "with the help of the Holy Spirit." 2 Tim 1.14 N.I.V

We Christians have the goal of finishing the race of faith. When we get to the finish line, it will be with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Much of the ground work for this chapter about valuing and appreciating the Holy Spirit has already been laid during the previous chapters of this book. In the first chapter, the point was made that the Holy Spirit is 'of God', sharing the same attributes and qualities as God the Father. Acts 5:3 &4.

In chapter three, readers were asked to think about the incredible intelligence of the Holy Spirit. An intelligence so great that he knows each of Earth's 6000 languages and the earth's 1.8 billion Christians.

Then there is the power of the Holy Spirit, a subject which has not been touched on in this book. In the book of Revelation, when the elders offered God worship, they offered God worship because

> "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power ..." Rev 4:11

In the Greek language, the word power is rendered Dynamis. Rev 4:11. Jesus started his ministry

> "in the power (dynamis) of the Spirit." Luke 4:14

And Jesus promised the disciples that they would receive (dynamis) 'power' when the Holy Spirit came upon them. Acts 1:8.

The Father, Son and Holy Spirit all have the same immense (dynamis) – power. It is a power we will never fully understand this side of heaven. We may think our car is powerful but if our car had a rocket engine in it; we would recognize how little power it actually has, compared to what could be.

I suggest the Holy Spirit has the power of all the rocket engines that were ever made, but we think He only has the power equivalent to what is under our car's bonnet.

Then there is the everywhereness (for lack of a better word) of the Holy Spirit. The prophet Joel said God would pour out his Spirit on 'all' people. Joel 2:28 That means of course, every human group between the Arctic and the Antarctic. People living in every continent of the world.

We tend to think of the activity of the Holy Spirit in our lives or in our group or Church. But the Spirit is at work in the lives of 'every' Christian and group and Church, who allow him entry. The Spirit's work is past, present and future; and involves every person on Earth – even those who resist him so strongly.

David reiterated the idea that the Holy Spirit is everywhere when he asked this question.

> "Where can I go from your Spirit,..." Psa 139:7.

It is inferred from this question that wherever we can go in the universe, we will find the Holy Spirit.

If we even 'begin' to grasp how amazing the Holy Spirit is, words like: respect, awe, amazement - are appropriate.

Have you noticed the attitude of the other two members of the trinity to the Holy Spirit? Jesus said to the disciples "It is for your 'benefit' that I go away because if I do not, the Holy Spirit will not come."

We cannot tell if there was excitement and awe in the voice of Jesus when he spoke those words, but from the disciples point of view, it must have seemed incredible. Jesus was in effect saying.

Someone. Something, 'better' than me, is coming to replace me.

That same awesome respect for the Holy Spirit is implied in something else Jesus said. On one occasion he spoke about an unforgivable sin which has led to some believing that there are words they can say or actions they can do (such as lying or stealing or adultery, or what-ever) which not be forgiven by God.

If Jesus words are read carefully, there is nothing we can say or do, and not be forgiven - with one exception. And that exception being:

> "... anyone who says something against the Son of Man can be forgiven; but whoever says something against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven – now or ever." Matt 12:32 (GN)

There has been much debate in the Church about the unforgivable sin but that debate misses a significant point. Such was the respect for the Holy Spirit held by Jesus (and by implication – God the Father) that to openly speak against the Holy Spirit is to say words that are unforgivable. Wow!

Do you grasp what Jesus was saying? You or I can blaspheme God's name, but we will be forgiven if we sincerely ask God to forgive us. We can use Jesus' name in vain, and be forgiven, if we sincerely ask to be forgiven. However, that same grace does not apply to the Holy Spirit.

It is as if Jesus was saying. You might think less of the Holy Spirit because you cannot see him – because He works behind the scenes - but the Father and I consider the Holy Spirit to be of such immense value and importance, that blaspheming the Holy Spirit is the only unforgivable sin.

In Luke's' Gospel, Jesus indicated God's attitude towards the Holy Spirit.

He said

> "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:13 NIV)

In God's eyes then, the best gift he can give any person, is not a new car or an untroubled life, or great wealth and health. God's best gift to any Christian is the Holy Spirit.

As I admitted at the beginning of this book, as a new Christian, I once thought of the Holy Spirit as merely like an electrical current who could be turned off and on at will. Or the Holy Spirit was like some mysterious divine vapor who filled people. Eph 4:11

For all the reasons listed in this book, there has been a 'quantum change' in my attitude towards the Holy Spirit. It is now one of huge admiration and awe and appreciation.

It is by grace that the Holy Spirit leads us and shares with us, all that God has for us. The Holy Spirit is passionate about us fulfilling our God-given potential what ever that may be and that is why he comes to assist us.

What the Holy Spirit has done during nearly two millenniums of Church history and will continue to do till Jesus returns, is similar to what was recorded of Jesus during his time on earth. About Jesus' time on earth, Paul wrote.

"Who, being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth,..."

Phil 2:8-10 (NIV)

These were the deserved accolades Jesus received after the completion of his mission to Earth. Many have probably not considered that similar accolades will given to the Holy Spirit at the end of this age - and the completion of his mission to prepare the Church to be the bride of Christ.

Those future accolades may read like this.

The Holy Spirit, who is of very nature - God,

Who was with the Father in the creation of the heavens and earth,

and worked in tandem with Jesus to create the Church.

The Holy Spirit, who despite having limitless knowledge;

graciously and patiently waited to share that knowledge with any human beings, who would listen.

The Holy Spirit, who, despite having limitless power;

patiently waited to help any human, in any way, who was a disciple of Jesus.

The Holy Spirit, who despite being eternal, never once sought to glorify himself; but only sought to glorify the Father and the Son.

Now honor is given to the Holy Spirit in heaven because - for over two millenniums, the Holy Spirit interceded for individual Christians with the Father and sought to help them in numerous ways. He has sought to build up the Church through giving guidance to disciples of Jesus. By giving them assurance and through giving them the fruits and gifts ( of the Spirit).

Therefore.......

We do not know what words will follow the therefore....... but the Holy Spirit will be greatly honored for what he did for God's people in the Old Testament, during the ministry of Jesus, and in the Church since then.

#  Summary

As followers of Jesus, we need to recognize we are a temple of the Holy Spirit. 1 Cor 3:16. In other words, we humans are not merely mind, soul and body. We become a permanent temple or dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.

  2. #####  Desiring the Holy Spirit

The Christian life has been compared to a long race, or a journey, or pilgrimage. It is a journey in which we can welcome the Holy Spirit to fill us daily and be our helper as we live our life as a disciple of Jesus.

There are measures of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christian.

  * "Born of the Spirit."

  * "Filled with the Spirit."

  * "Anointed by the Spirit."

We determine which measure it will be by our attitude to the Holy Spirit.

Jesus had a picture of his disciples as conduits of life-giving water, bringing life to dry arid soil. That picture of disciples as conduits of life-giving water is encapsulated in these words

> "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.".. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this he meant the Spirit, John 7:37

Being thirsty for drink, is not a good experience. Being thirsty for the Holy Spirit to fill us, and then for God's Holy Spirit to overflow from our lives into the lives of others; is a wonderful desire.

Following on is a summary of the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of individuals and the Church.

  1. #####  Holy Spirit - The creator

  * Of the earth Gen 1.1

  * Helps people create skillful artistic works Exod 31.3

  * Creates new birth in an individuals life. John 3.6

  1. #####  Holy Spirit - The Educator

  * Teaches us John 14.26

  * Reminds us John 14.26

  * Reveals God's truth 1 Cor 2.10

  1. #####  Holy Spirit - Who convicts, but does not condemn.

  * My Spirit will not always strive with man Gen 6.4

  1. #####  **Holy Spirit - The Evangelist**

  * Came upon Jesus, to preach the Gospel. Luke 4. 18-20

  * Gave disciples many languages to convince foreign Jews. Acts 2.6&7

  * Convicts people of sin. John 16.8

  * Provides power to witness. Luke 4. 18 -20

  1. #####  **Holy Spirit - Personal**

  * Assurance of Salvation Rom 8.16

  * Assists in our prayer Rom 8..26

  * Grows fruit in us Gal 5.22

  1. #####  **Holy Spirit – works with other members of trinity**

  * To bring glory to Jesus.

  * Searches deep things of God 1 Cor 2.10

  1. #####  **Holy Spirit - Guide**

  * Led Jesus John 4.1

  * Leads us Rom 8.14

  1. #####  **Holy Spirit and Church**

  * Gives gifts for the 'good' of the Church. 1 Cor 12

  11. #####  **World wide role**

In the last days, God says

I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophecy,

your young men will see visions,

your old men will dream dreams.

even on my servants, both men and women,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days,

and they will prophecy.

I will show wonders in the heaven above

and signs on the earth below,

blood and fire and billows of smoke.

The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood

before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.

And everyone who calls

on the name of the Lord will be saved. Acts 2:17-21

But what can we say other than ...

"Come Holy Spirit!"

Fill me today.

Fill me each day.

May we be friends.

Lead me to do God's will.

Let your fruits be evident in my life and

make a space for my spiritual gifts.

Guide our local Church leaders.

And may the church universal become

more and more like the bride of Christ;

because it is following your prompting.

#

#  About Philip Watson

I have grown up and live in New Zealand - Aotearoa (the Land of the Long White Cloud), currently residing in Auckland, our largest city with a population of 1.5 million people. It is the Bible and an intelligent and informed explanation of it's contents that is the wind in my sails of the books I write. I am unashamedly Bible based in my writings.

After finishing Theological College in New Zealand, I traveled to the Middle East to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, to get a glimpse of the life he would have lived on this earth. Some of those insights are found in my books.

I enjoy telling stories in my books and informing readers about the richness of truth found in the Bible. The richness of the history of the biblical lands and the truth of the Bible has moved me to reach out in Discipleship Books Ministry to ordinary in the hope that their faith in Jesus Christ our savior; will grow and flourish.

These books I have put on Amazon are the culmination of 20 years of research, discovery and worship in the Christian Church. In many ways these books map my journey as a Christian coming to grips with the meaning of being a true follower of Christ and how to be the best disciple of Jesus I can be.

I pray that these insights I reveal in my books will create the same positive enlightenment in you as they have in me.

