The Holy Spirit - Pursuing Intimacy With God
The Holy Spirit
Who is the Holy Spirit and why did God send Him ? What is the role and function of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer, and in the church, and in God’s kingdom work ?
We will look into God’s word to find the answers to these and other questions about God’s Spirit.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Trinity – God The Father, Jesus The Son, and The Holy Spirit
When you study the entirety of God’s word the Bible, you clearly find the 3 distinct parts of the Trinity. First is God the Father, and then Jesus the Son of God. The Holy Spirit makes up the 3rd part of the Trinity. Each is a distinct part of who God is. The Holy Spirit is a Person, not just an invisible force or source of power. He is the Living Spirit of the Living God.
Here are some Bible verses that show the 3 parts of the Trinity:
Luke 1:35 “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.”
2 Corinthians 13:14 “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.”
Matthew 3:16-17 “After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “ This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”
Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
What Jesus Said About The Holy Spirit
Here are some things Jesus said about the Holy Spirit in John 16:5-7:
“But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (the Holy Spirit) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.”
Jesus promised that after He died on the cross and rose again to heaven He would send the Holy Spirit to all believers. This was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2.
Jesus added these things about the Holy Spirit in John 16:12-15:
“I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.”
The Spirit Of Truth
In John 14:6 Jesus said “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Truth is not a concept or a series of religious beliefs or rules. Jesus is truth. In John 16:12-13 Jesus said that after He returned to heaven He would send the “Spirit of Truth”. The Holy Spirit has many functions and roles, one of which is to guide us into all the truth.
One of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to reveal and teach us the many great truths of God’s word. He also reveals to us the Person who is truth – Jesus. Since Satan is a master at deceiving people and the father of all lies, it is important for us to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will help us to discern between what is right and what is wrong. He will also help us to discern what is truth and what is not. And what is false teaching and truth. The Bible warns us that there will be many false teachers in the end times. We are surely in the end times now, and we very much need the help of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit Reveals or Discloses To Us What Is To Come
In John 16:13 Jesus says “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”
2 Peter 1:21 ” for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”
Another role of the Holy Spirit is to reveal to us the plans and will of God the Father. The Spirit reveals what God’s will is for your life, your ministry… The Holy Spirit also reveals or discloses to us the things God wants us to know about the future and the end times. The Holy Spirit takes the word of God and reveals the wisdom and truth of God to us. He also reveals and gives us discernment to understand the prophecies in the Bible and what is come.
God Reveals His Wisdom & His Will Through The Holy Spirit
In 1 Corinthians 2:9-11 Paul says “But just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him. For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.
Verse 9 tells us that no one has seen or heard all that God has prepared for those who love God. First of all, who are “those that love God” ? All people that go to church ? No. All Christians ? Not necessarily.
Here are the people Paul is talking about… “those that love God”:
1 John 5:13 – “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.”
John 14:15 Jesus – “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
The Holy Spirit will reveal all that God has planned to the people who love Him and obey His commands. The Holy Spirit will reveal God’s plans and His will to them, through the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:10-11 shows us that it is the Holy Spirit who reveals these things to us.
“For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.” – 1 Corinthians 2:10-11
The Holy Spirit
Who Knows The Thoughts And Will Of God ?
1 Corinthians 2:11 “Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.”
The Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. God’s wisdom and His will, and the great truths in God’s word are hidden and concealed, like buried treasure. We need to seek God and His will, and God needs to reveal His wisdom and His will to us. God will reveal these things to those “who love God”, through His word and His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit reveals the great truths of God, and His plans and will, as we humbly obey Him and seek Him.
God Speaks To And Leads His People By The Holy Spirit
God mainly speaks through His Word and through the Holy Spirit. When we prayerfully study God’s word and when we prayerfully seek God, God uses the Holy Spirit to speak to us. God guides and calls His people using His word and His Spirit in combination with each other.
When you prayerfully seek God and His will & calling on your life, God will speak and guide you. You need to be careful to make sure that what you sense that God is saying in your heart lines up with the Bible. The guidance from the Holy Spirit will never conflict with God’s word.
Acts 13:2 “While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Other Things That The Holy Spirit Does
The Holy Spirit Comforts God’s People
Acts 9:31 “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria [ a ] enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
The Holy Spirit
God Strengthens Us Through The Spirit
2 Corinthians 12:9 “And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness ” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”
Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
The Holy Spirit Helps Us To Pray As We Ought To (According to God’s Will)
Romans 8:26-27 “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”
The Holy Spirit Empowers Us To Love Others Like God Does
Romans 5:5 “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
The Holy Spirit Empowers Us To Serve God And Others
1 Corinthians 12:4-6 “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons.”
1 Corinthians 12:11 “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.”
In Part 2 we will look at the role of the Holy Spirit in the kingdom work and mission of God. God’s kingdom work and mission is to share the Gospel and help lost people to have salvation and a restored relationship with God. The 2nd part of kingdom work is to help believers to grow spiritually and become fruitful and mature disciples. The Holy Spirit leads and empowers us to fulfill the Great Commission and God’s kingdom work and mission.
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