One of the things that are hampering Christians to grow in the Lord is a lack of knowledge of the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit being given full authority in our lives, we will not have a victorious life in Christ. In this blog I will try, to address the Holy Spirit as the third person in the Trinity.
Who is the Holy Spirit?
1. The Holy Spirit is the third part of the trinity and therefor God
2. The Holy Spirit is a person, not a force or power
3. The Holy Spirit was present in the beginning of time (Gen 1)
Who has the Holy Spirit?
1. You receive the Holy Spirit when you come to Christ. Accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior at the moment of salvation
2. The Holy Spirit is a gentle Spirit. The Holy Spirit can only work when you give Him the authority to work in your life.
3. The filling of the Spirit is an ongoing process in the Christian life. While we hold that the baptism of the Spirit also occurs at the moment of salvation, some Christians do not. This sometimes results in the baptism of the Spirit being confused with "receiving the Spirit" as an act subsequent to salvation.
4. Being obedient to the Holy Spirit and becoming more Christ-like is a long-life journey. It is difficult as the evil one will put stumbling blocks in our way. But the power of the Holy Spirit will allow us to overcome. Perfection will only become a reality when we are in heaven.
Wat is the role of the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit has a number of names in the Bible. Through the names, we will explore what the Holy Spirit does.
1. Convector of Sin: (John 16:7-11) The Spirit applies the truths of God to men’s own minds in order to convince them by fair and sufficient arguments that they are sinners. He does this through the conviction in our hearts that we are not worthy to stand before a holy God, that we need His righteousness, and that judgment is certain and will come to all men one day. Those who deny these truths rebel against the conviction of the Spirit. This is the most important role of the Holy Spirit. Once you are a child of God you have full access to the other roles of the Holy Spirit.
2. Author of Scripture: (2 Peter 1:21; 2 Timothy 3:16) The Bible is inspired, literally “God-breathed,” by the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity. It is the only way one can describe the Bible. It is amazing when you look at Scripture how consistent the message is and how accurate the predictions are in the Old Testament of the Lord Jesus Christ. This does not mean that Scripture is not with its challenges. However if the Scripture is read in contexts, what seems as differences, is in fact not contradictory but complement each other.James 2:20 - You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Versus: Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. James refers to acts of thankfulness for God’s saving grace. It has nothing to do with salvation. Ephesians is about salvation. Nothing we do can enhance our salvation. It is a free gift.
3. Revealer / Spirit of Truth: (John 14:17; 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:12-16) Jesus promised that, after the resurrection, the Holy Spirit would come to “guide you into all truth.” Because of the Spirit in our hearts, we are able to understand truth, especially in spiritual matters, in a way that non-Christians cannot. In fact, the truth the Spirit reveals to us is “foolishness” to them, and they cannot understand it. But we have the mind of Christ in the Person of His Spirit within us. What makes this role of the Holy Spirit so important for us today is the upsurge of false profits and false preachers. Many of them appear to be “genuine” but the Spirit of Truth will enlighten you. You have to trust the Holy Spirit and allow your minds to be changes by God.
4. Intercessor: (Romans 8:26) One of the most encouraging and comforting aspects of the Holy Spirit is His ministry of intercession on behalf of those He inhabits. Because we often don’t know what or how to pray when we approach God, the Spirit intercedes and prays for us. He intercedes for us “with wordless groans,” so that when we are oppressed and overwhelmed by trials and the cares of life, He comes alongside to lend assistance as He sustains us before the throne of grace. What is amazing is that when we “hand over” our prayers to the Holy Spirit, He will bring someone to your mind to pray for. If you let the Holy Spirit take over, you will find, if you enquire, that the person you prayed for was in need of prayer. That is the amazing part of the Holy Spirit
5. Guide: (John 16:13) (1 Corinthians 2:14). Those who belong to Christ have the indwelling Spirit who guides us into all we need to know in regard to spiritual matters. Those who do not belong to Christ have no “interpreter” to guide them to know and understand God’s Word. People who do not have the spirit are “blind” to spiritual truths. They will think that your actions are foolish. I have learnt that you need to trust the Holy Spirit. You will find out that the foolishness of the world is actually wisdom from the Lord.
6. Comforter / Counsellor / Advocate: (Isaiah 11:2; John 14:16; 15:26; 16:7) All three words are translations of the Greek parakletos, from which we get “Paraclete,” another name for the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is there to comfort, console, and guide those who belong to Christ. Especially I times of persecution. The Holy Spirit will also assure you that you are a child of God when the evil one attacks you when you make a mistake. I find it amazing that in times of trouble you can be at absolute peace as you know your future is secure in the arms of God.
7. Indwells (Lives within us) Believers: (Romans 8:9-11; Ephesians 2:21-22; 1 Corinthians 6:19) The Holy Spirit resides in the hearts of God’s people, and that indwelling is the distinguishing characteristic of the regenerated person. (We are the temple of the Holy Spirit) From within believers, He directs, guides, comforts, and influences us, as well as producing in us the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). He provides the intimate connection between God and His children. All true believers in Christ have the Spirit residing in their hearts. He also gives gifts to the church (1 Cor. 12) to build the church and to glorify His name. (See section on Fruit and Gifts of the Holy Spirit below. Because the Holy Spirit lives within us, God himself, He is stronger than the evil one and empowers us to overcome any deception or attack from him.
There are more names for the Holy Spirit, but I will leave the others for you to discover yourself.
What is the difference between the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5) and the Gifts of the Spirit (1 Cor. 12)
• The fruit of the Spirit is the character that all Christians should have. Galatians 5:22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. This is part of the journey to become more Christ-like. It is a difficult path as our natural sinful tendencies are the opposite. Yet, if God says that we must show these characteristics, it must be possible to achieve in our lifetime on the road to become holy. My experience has been that if you desire the Fruit of the Spirit, God will change you.
• Gifts of the Spirit on the other hand, are gifts that God gives the church to build the church and to glorify God. If you read 1 Cor. 12, you will find out that:
o Every Christian has at least one Gift
o These gifts come and go as the Lord pleases.
o Every Christian can have more than one gift during his/her lifetime depending upon circumstances
o If you do not exercise your gift, God can take it away.
o If you become proud full, God will take away your gift
o There are more gifts than in 1 Cor.12. The other gifts include: To serve (Rom 12: 7), Encouragement (Rom 12:8), giving (Rom 12:8), leadership (Rom 12:8), helping others (Rom 12:8), natural talents dedicated to the Lord, apostles (Eph. 4:11) evangelists, shepherds, pastors, teachers, to proclaim the Gospel (Rom. 12:6), proclaiming the Word of God (1 Pet. 4:11)
o God also instructs us to give more glory to the gifts that are not as is visual. These “other” gifts are extremely important as they carry the church. That is why, if you have the more visual gifts, you must be humble before God. It is a privilege and also a huge responsibility to apply them correctly. Many churches have split because of the undisciplined use of the gifts, in particular pride.
What are these gifts (1 Cor.12)?
1 Cor. 12: 4 - There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
1. Wisdom, this is not knowledge but may use knowledge. This is wisdom from God to give Godly direction to people.
2. Word of Knowledge. This is normally used in counselling but can manifest itself at any time. It is knowledge that God gives you about what is going on in peoples’ lives that you have no foreknowledge of. It is normally to help in the process of healing.
3. Faith. This is not the faith that saves us. This is extraordinary faith in difficult times to overcome adversity, persecution and still stay true to the Lord.
4. Healing. This gift is the same as Jesus had to heal people. The sad part is that many people apply this incorrectly. God heals when God decides and it always to His glory. Many false profits will pray for healing and if it does not happen, they blame the faith of the sick. They are placing bondage on the person that is not what should happen. God also works through doctors, nurses and medicine, but, it is ultimately God and God alone that heals.
5. Miraculous powers to perform miracles. This is normally given for God to show people who His is. It is normally towards the unbelievers. However there are other miracles as well. Most of the miracles are done through people who are obedient to the Holy Spirit to sow blessings in other peoples’ lives. They pray for relief and the Holy Spirit convict you to assist. To them it’s a miracle. To you it is the joy of obedience.
6. Prophecy. The correct word, for the right person at the right time. Prophecy will never be in conflict with the Word of God. People that claim they have a new revelation outside the Word of God are false profits. The proof of a genuine prophet is that the prophesy is always about God and that his prophecy comes true. In telethons of charismatic churches, you will on many occasions her word like: “I have just had a revelation. The first 5 people that donate R 5,000 will receive R 100,000 in a weeks’ time”. You never hear about the R 100,000 but they have banked your money. Test prophecy that it aligned with Scripture.
7. Distinguishing between spirits. This is normally given where people are possessed with evil spirits. One must understand that you need a lot of covering in prayer if this is your gift. You also need to know that you are just an instrument in God’s hands. It is God who releases people from demonic forces. God does not need us to release people from demonic bondage. I have been personally in a situation that we could not release the person from the demonic and God released the person without our intervention; Also remember that people that have been released, have to be guided and all openings that could allow the demonic to come back, must be removed. If they open themselves to the demonic spirits, they will come back 7 fold.
8. Speaking in different kinds of tongues. There are 3 types of speaking in tongues.
a. Speaking in a known tongue. This happened when 3,000 people came to Christ in one day. Whether you speak in your own langue and God changes that into the language of the listener, or whether you speak in the language of the listener, are not relevant. What is relevant is that this gift allows the listener to hear the Gospel in his/her own language. What an amazing gift.
b. Speaking in an unknown tongue. This language is a heavenly language not known to the person. It is normally when God has a message for the church. It is a requirement that this message needs to be interpreted by someone that has the gift of interpreting tongues. This is the most problematic speaking in tongues as many churches allow speaking or praying in tongues without interpretation. This is against the teaching of the Word and the leader in charge must stop such speaking in tongues and declare that it is not from God.
c. Praying in tongues. This is exercised in your quiet time when you are alone. The purpose is to edify you and encourage you. In my experience, this gift is given to many people that, due to their faith in Jesus Christ, has been rejected by their family
9. Interpretation of tongues. This gift is to translate the message of God to the church in an understandable language. It should be taken very seriously by the church and they must obey what God says.
PLEASE TAKE NOTE:
a. You are allowed to pray for a gift from God. However, if God denies your request, you should not feel that you are not worthy. God knows what is best. And if God grants your wish, use it responsibly. Don’t be afraid to ask. You will not lose control of yourself. You can even choose to e.g. speaking tongues or not. You may be disobedient, but always gives us a choice in obedience.
b. You don’t have to have any of the 1 Cor.12 gifts to be a child of God. The false preacher will e.g. tell you; that if you are a child of God you must speak in tongues. They are placing a burden on you that is not from God. I was accused of this lack of speaking in tongues and it lead me to investigate the Holy Spirit and the workings of the gifts to come to the conclusion that such preachers are wrong.
c. Speaking and interpretations of tongues should be done by people that you trust. We have tested the “genuiness” of interpretation. Our pastor, who is a scholar in Hebrew, went to a charismatic church and decided to recite Ps 23. The interpretation was anything but that
d. The evil one can copy every one of the gifts for his purposes. We had an incident where a very prideful person in a prayer session of Alpha leaders suddenly started praying in tongues. I did not feel comfortable and prayed that God must intervene if it was not from Him. A soft spoken lady that has the gift of tongues, sudden spoke in tongues in a very loud voice that was uncharacteristic of her personality. Another lady that had just received the gift of interpretation started crying hysterically when asked to interpret. After dispersing the group, I took het aside and asked her to tell me what God said. It was simple and clear: “Do not play with Me”. That speaking in tongues was demonic. It has taught us to be very careful. I always tell my leaders that I expect two Fruit of the Spirit to be dominant in them. They are humbleness and love. This precludes people becoming prideful and an instrument in the evil one’s hands. Subsequent to this experience, and with the standard set, we have never had another experience like this.
e. What is also phenomenal in the interpretation is that God always supplies a person that can interpret. Someone that is in the background can suddenly get this gift and interpret. What also amazing is that most of the time the leaders will have an idea of what the speaking in tongues was about because the same Spirit that is present in the person speaking and interprets is in us.
How do you get your body under the control of the Holy Spirit? Many people think that by sheer determination, they will get their sinful urges under control. They invariable fail. Why, because we need the Holy Spirits power to overcome evil. In the schematic growing, I will try and illustrate the correct process below
The way of the Holy Spirit - God's way
1, Holy Spirit helps you to build intimate relationship with God
Spirit:
o Conviction The HOLY SPIRIT convicts you to become a child of God
o Relationship Tuning to God. Builds relationship with God, HOLY SPIRIT can now whisper to you, listen to what the HOLY SPIRIT reveals to you. Being quiet in God’s presence an important element
o Conscience The HOLY SPIRIT builds your conscience to become that of God. It teaches you the truth as it is the Spirit of Truth. The Word of God becomes the foundation and the norm of your life.
2. Holy Spirit brings your soul under control
Soul:
o Will As the HOLY SPIRIT works in you; you start to submit your will to the will of God. You now submit and do what God’s will in your life is. No longer exercising your own will
o Emotion Very strong inner impulse. As your will comes under control of the HOLY SPIRIT, your decisions are no longer based on impulse. Your faith and actions now reflect the truth of God and not what you feel.
o Intellect As your will and emotions are now under control, the HOLY SPIRIT brings your intellect under control. Although your logical thinking is not taken away, you now seek the face of God for wisdom to make decisions. You now submit fully to the will of God. Even if the “answer” God gives is not entirely logical. “My thought are not your thoughts”
3, Soul brings the body under control
Body:
• Senses
• Sexuality
• Survival instinct
The Holy Spirit is in control of your life. You have the power to overcome. You are a new person. Your mind is renewed. You have freedom!
Satan's way (Illustration)
1. Satan starts with the external (Body: Senses, Sexuality Survival instinct)
Car advert designed to create dearies within you to activate
To be successful (keeping up with the Joneses) you need e.g. the BMW.
You desire the car (I want it, I need it, cannot do without it. )
2. Your desires overrides your soul
Your emotions controls your intellect
Your intellect overrides your will
You buy the vehicle without asking God for wisdom (God not in the picture)
3.. Possible results:
Monthly payments in excess of your financial capability
To keep the car, you change your priorities. You work longer hours to be able to pay the car
Don’t have time for quiet time with the Lord. The Holy Spirit’s work is doused in your life.
Cant hear God’s voice clearly anymore. No longer obedient to God
Neglect your family
Possibility of stealing to keep payments up to
Go bankrupt
End in jail
Wonder why God does not bless you
The evil one is in control of your life!
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