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The Holy Spirit -Part 1
a. What is the Holy Spirit? One thing we need in our Christian walk to help us not to sin and live for God is the Holy Spirit. In every day life we are faced with many choices to make and sometimes we do not know which way to go and turn. However, God knows, but it is hard for people to hear from God. When you have His Holy Spirit, it does make it easier for us to hear from God. For years, there have been issues about the Holy Spirit, and what His function is in the Church. The Holy Spirit has been around even before the birth of Jesus Christ. In Psalm 51:10-12 - Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells in us, we are God's children and He has sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for us and rise from the dead for us. When we accept Jesus Christ in our lives, He comes to live within us. Then we can receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? As we can see the Holy Spirit was around when David was king. David was pleading to God not to take the Holy Spirit away. Isaiah also remembers the words of Moses asking God where the Holy Spirit was at. God was in the Beginning and so were Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness" The Holy Spirit is real and is here today, the problem is that many people are afraid of the move of God. Romans 9:1-2 Paul said "I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart." Because of the Holy Spirit, it was hard for Paul to lie. The Holy Spirit lays conviction on us when we sin. Ephesians 4:29-31 Let no corrupt words proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. So many people do not want to admit that the Holy Spirit is real, for they do not want to turn from their lifestyles. If preachers started to preach on the Holy Spirit then they have to preach on Sin, and many do not want to do this, because they are afraid of offending someone in their church. Some care more about their money, than peoples salvation. Jude 1:16-21 These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. 17But you, beloved, remembers the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: 18how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. 19These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. The Holy Spirit is also part of the Trinity: the Father, the Son, and The Holy Spirit. There are many Churches that do not believe in the Trinity and claim that the three are separate, that is only half true. 1 John 5:6-8 This is He who came by water and blood--Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. 8And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one. Some people claim that the Holy Spirit was only for the Apostles, but we have been promised this gift also. Acts 10:45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. The Holy Spirit is a Gift from God which Jesus promises us. Acts 1: 4-8 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me; 5for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." 6Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." A lot of Pentecostal churches believe that you must be baptized in the Holy Spirit to be saved. That is not true. Act 16:30-31 The Philippian jailer asked Paul "Sirs what must I do to be saved?" Paul answered "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 3:10 As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; So if we do not need the Holy Spirit to be saved, why should we have the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit can help us in times of need. For example, when we do not know what to pray about or how. Romans 8:26-27 "Likewise the Spirit also help our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself make intercession for us with groaning which can not be uttered. And he that searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God." The Holy Spirit is also our teacher and can help us learn. 1 Corinthians 2:12-14 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to Him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. There are going to be times when we have to stand up for Our Lord Jesus Christ. When this happens, the Holy Spirit is there to help us. Luke 12:11-12 "Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. 12For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say." The Holy Spirit is promised to all of us. The Holy Spirit was not a one time thing. Acts 2:38-39 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." When you gave your life to Christ, could you not felt something calling out to you? What condition must your heart be in to receive the Holy Spirit? The Gift is here today for all of us; all we have to do is ask for it. You can pray and seek His Holy Spirit, and you also can have the Church pray with you. We lay on hands on people for prayer. It was practiced in the New Testament. Acts 8:17-19 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. 18And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, 19saying, "Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit." |
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