THEOLOGY LESSON 27

LESSON 27 – HOLY SPIRIT – OTHER MINISTRIES

1 John 2:26-28

Romans 8:9-18

Psalm 119:105

Romans 8:26-28

1 Corinthians 12:7-13

The other ministries of the Holy Spirit comprise; giving of Spiritual Gifts, Teaching, Guidance, Assurance, and Prayer. When choosing friends and church Servants we have to look for these things evident in their lives. Not all Christians can be trusted. Many are out of fellowship and carnal much of the time, and such believers are often less trustworthy than an honest Unbeliever. Matthew 7:13-23 is an important passage on this subject.

1 Corinthians 3:11‑15 shows that the only things worth doing are those done under the power of the Holy Spirit which produces what is called gold, silver and precious stones.

SPIRITUAL GIFTS

This happens at salvation. Most believers are unaware of the gift that the Holy Spirit has given them at the point of salvation as it needs maturity to discern it.

Many believers never know what gift the Holy Spirit has given them because they never reach maturity and use it properly under the filling of the Spirit.

The Greek word for spiritual gifts is “charisma” or grace gifts. It is a God given ability for service. A natural talent that one has as an unbeliever such as the ability to sing may be used but is not the spiritual gift which is bestowed at salvation. If you are a successful businessman it does not mean that you will be a great deacon, if you are a public speaker it does not mean that you will be a great pastor or should be a pastor at all. If you have not been given the gift of pastor or teacher at salvation, you are not a pastor or teacher.

If a person has a gift they need to be checked against the Scriptures to see if they conform to the requirements such as in the Pastorals. The Lord can use people irrespective of their natural talents. A good example is Moses who had a stutter. He was not a gifted public speaker but he became the pastor of Israel. There is danger in the ministry to have a person with great natural ability in the wrong position in the church and not walking in the spirit. Many of the liberals come from this background.

In 1 Corinthians 12 it is clear from verses 11‑13 that no one should ask for gifts from the Holy Spirit as the Spirit gives as He wills. The Spirit decides what gifts are needed. He did it at the point of salvation so it is too late to ask. You do not ask for a gift, if you do it is no longer a gift. The Holy Spirit looking down the corridors of time knew precisely what your gift would be and how you would use it.

A true Spirit filled Church will ask for the gifts of the Holy Spirit and usually the gift of tongues will manifest itself for their edification. Every believer receives at least one gift. Every gift is necessary for the church to function. The Holy Spirit decides what gifts are needed, in what mix so that a church can function. We have no need to second guess the Holy Spirit; he knows what the church needs and what our part in his plan is!

If you have ten people in your church you have all the gifts that are needed. You just need to have the people in the church filled with the Spirit to function. Those who use their spiritual gifts under the power of the Holy Spirit are satisfied.

In a number of areas all believers are told to function. For instance we are all told to witness but there is a gift of evangelism which will allow a special ability in this area. We are all told to give and pray but there are gifts to give a person a special ministry in that area.

1 Corinthians 14 says that the congregation should desire the gifts with communication benefits because it is those which allow people to know more about the Lord and grow.

The word desire is in the third person plural so that it is the whole congregation should desire this and not an individual. In this chapter Paul made it clear that he was trying to curb the use of tongues in the Corinthian church and promote the gift of preaching and teaching as having more importance.  However the gift of tongues if used correctly and at the proper time can be of great benefit to individual Christians and to the Church in general.

TEACHING MINISTRY

1 John 2:26‑28 is a commentary on John 16 which refers to the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit. It is important to note that the Apostle John ends this passage with the importance of abiding in Christ. We have to use 1 John 1:9.

You do not need to be taught as you have a teacher inside you who is going to lead you into all truth. There is no lie in the Spirit's work. However there are seducers about. This is the point that John is bringing into focus. If you are not being taught by the Holy Spirit you are being taught by the other side and receiving worldliness or human viewpoint. They are fooled about what is happening and are led away from the truth.

John is not deprecating human teachers but saying that the Holy Spirit is in you and needs to be in control if you are going to understand spiritual things. John, for instance, was communicating the truth to them as he was given the truth by the Holy Spirit. Man is the means of communication, the Holy Spirit is the dynamic force involved in the teaching. When you go out to teach God's Word in your own strength you will fail because it is you rather than the Holy Spirit.

GUIDANCE

This is one of the more difficult ministries. You will have people coming to you in the ministry seeking guidance as to what God wants them to do from day to day, seeking Divine guidance.

Guidance does not come out of a vacuum; guidance comes out of a context. Guidance depends on the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit, fellowship of the Lord Jesus Christ and your own spiritual growth. In Romans 8:9‑18 we are told that we are led by the Spirit of God and are the sons of God. If you do not deal with sin in your life you cannot receive guidance from the Holy Spirit. Guidance therefore depends on fellowship.

Being led by the Holy Spirit is one of the signs of being a child of God. You can be led in two ways, by the Holy Spirit being quite firm with you as per Hebrews 12, or you can be led by the hand and listen to the voice of the Lord like a good student with a mature attitude. You have to know the Lord Jesus Christ so well that you know in your spirit that he wants the best for you.

When your mind is saturated with correct scriptural understanding you are looking into the eyes of the Lord. Every decision you make is therefore made in the light of eternity.  It is the closeness of your fellowship as to how well you are going to be guided. We have to ask the Lord about this matter and what is important. We need to ask ‘how does it affect me personally? Then seek the Lords guidance and make a decision on that basis.

In Psalm 119:105 we have the Hebrew word for light which is the word for little light like a torch rather than the sun. We therefore have sufficient light to see the next step but not a clear view, miles ahead. You only see what you need to see but need to be aware that He who provides the light knows the complete picture. Do not expect there to be a fantastic vision of the future. While Paul knew that the Lord wanted him to go west there is nothing to say that he knew well in advance what the Lord wanted him to do. Paul did not know what was going to happen to him in five years time, neither do we.

It did not worry Paul and it should not worry you. The Lord will show you what you need to know when you need to know it. Your life is in the Lord's plan and it is His timing that counts. If you are walking with Him you will be not stumble. You must be willing to be guided if you are to progress in the Christian life.

In Acts 11 guidance to Peter was through prayer in v 5, by thought, the Word of God and providential circumstances v 10‑11, the filling of the Spirit v 12, fellowship with others v 13‑14.

ASSURANCE

This is not something that can be separated from the other ministries of the Holy Spirit - Romans 8:16. When the Holy Spirit guides you, you will have assurance and comfort within.  This confidence grows as you mature in the Christian life.

The normal worry of the young believer is whether you are saved or not.  As a mature Christian however this is not a problem as you can look back on the performance of God in your life and His proven faithfulness.  All the ministries of the Holy Spirit are real in the life of the believer who walks with the Lord.

When you have been a Christian for a long time and have experienced not only the effect of the Holy Spirit but the convicting ministry when you have been out of fellowship you know you are saved and saved on a permanent basis.

You can be sick, depressed or in pain but you know you are in a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ because he is real and active in your life. Assurance can also be seen in 2 Timothy 1:12 where Paul, just before his death, says that he is absolutely persuaded that God is able to keep him. This is the assurance that people should have facing death. You only have it if you are fellowshipping with the Lord and walking with him.

Dying grace is also a feature of this. The Lord provides assurance as you go through the valley of the shadow of death. One day we will all walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you need to walk through it in fellowship and you need to have walked in fellowship for as long as possible.

Walking with the Holy Spirit is not just about emotion, but rather an intimate relationship with him in every aspect of your life.  When you are under pressure you cannot rely on a past ‘emotional action or reaction’ and hope that it will sustain you.  You need to be in a close loving relationship with the Holy Spirit all the time in order to withstand the low times in your life.

PRAYER

We see the Holy Spirit assisting us in our prayer life in Romans 8:26‑7. This is obviously not the gift of tongues as it cannot be uttered. When you are going through things too deep for words the Spirit is praying for you. Sometimes you get to a situation where you cannot pray and you have to leave it to the Lord, the Spirit will pray for you. The Spirit never ceases to make intercession for us. We also have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. 1 John 2:1‑2

DOCTRINES

GUIDANCE: THE WILL OF GOD

1. Three categories of will in history

a) Divine Will (sovereignty)

b) Angelic will.

c) Human will.

2.  Main areas of the will of God (1 John 3:23)

a)  For the unbeliever - salvation (2 Peter 3:9)

b)  For the believer - spirituality (Ephesians 5:18)

3.  Christ has free will (Matthew 26:42, Hebrews 10:7, 9)

a)  No free will in mankind; would imply no free will in Christ.

b) The basic principles of divine guidance however is based on the fact that man possesses free will to choose for or against God.

4. Type of will of God as related to the human race (e.g. Balaam)

a) Directive (Numbers 22:12) -what God directs.

b) Permissive (Numbers 22:20) - What God allows

c) Overruling (Numbers 23) - When God overrules

5. Principles of Guidance

a) Knowledge of biblical principles in the believer (Psalm 32:8, Proverbs 3:1-6, Isaiah 58:11, Romans 12:2)

b) Surrender and filling of the Holy Spirit (Romans 6:13, Romans 12:1-2, Ephesians 5:17-18, 1 John 1:9)

c) Growth - to eat meat and not rely on milk (1 Corinthians 3:1-4)

6. Categories of the will of God

a) Viewpoint will of God - What does He want me to think?

b) Operational will of God - What does He want me to do?

c) Geographical will of God - Where does He want me to be?

7. An example of the will of God (Acts 11) - the Guidance of Peter

a) Guidance through prayer (vs 5)

b) Guidance through the mind (vs 6)

c) Guidance through the word (vs 7-10)

d) Guidance through providential circumstances (vs 11)

e) Guidance through the filling of the Spirit (vs 12)

f) Guidance through fellowship and comparison of data (vs 13-15)

g) Guidance through remembering Scripture (vs 16)

HOLY SPIRIT: COMFORTER

The Holy Spirit is the Comforter (paraclete = one called alongside to help)

1. He abides forever with the saints. (John 14:16)

2. He dwells in the saints and is known by them. (John 14:17)

3. He teaches the saints. (John 14:26)

4. He imparts hope. (Romans 15:13, Galatians 5:5)

5. He gives us the love of God. (Romans 5:3-5)

6. He testifies of Christ. (John 15:26)

7. He communicates joy to the saints. (Romans 14:17, Galatians 5:22, 1 Thessalonians 1:6)

8. He edifies the church. (Acts 9:31)

HOLY SPIRIT: TEACHER 

GIFTS: SPIRITUAL GIFTS

1. Three general passages which list spiritual gifts (Ephesians 4:11, 1 Corinthians 12:28-30, Romans 12:3-8).

2. The purpose of spiritual gifts is to serve and build up the church (Ephesians 4:8-13)

3. The gifts are given by the Holy Spirit at the point of salvation (1 Corinthians 12)

4. Some gifts were temporary (1 Corinthians 13:8-10) and others permanent (1 Corinthians 12:28. 1 Corinthians 13:8)

5. The operation of a spiritual gift depends entirely on the filling of the Holy Spirit to be effective (Acts 2:4)

THEOLOGY LESSON 26

LESSON 26 – HOLY SPIRIT – FILLING

Holy Spirit – Filling

1 Thessalonians 5:19
Ephesians 4:30
Galatians 5:16
Hebrews 4:1-4, Romans 12:1-2
2 Timothy 1:6
Hebrews 12:5-13
1 John 1:9
Galatians 5:16, 22-23
Ephesians 5:19-21 Holy Spirit – Filling
Spirituality

INTRODUCTION

In Ephesians 5:18 we are told "Be filled with the Spirit". This is in the present tense which means continuous action.

DEFINITION It is the spiritual state where the Holy Spirit is fulfilling all that He came to do in the hearts and lives of the individual believer.

The filling of the Spirit did occur prior to Pentecost but it was limited and was observed only in a small number of individuals prior to the start of the Church

Since Pentecost however the Holy Spirit indwells all believers in New Testament times. Everybody therefore has the opportunity to be filled with the Spirit and can now conform to Ephesians 5:18.

EFFECT OF THE FILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

There is an observable difference in the daily life and character of Christians who are filled with the Spirit. Unfortunately there are few who can be characterized in this way. This is based on the failure of man rather than the lack of provision by God.

With Satan so active in the world we are told to be filled with the Holy Spirit. This is very important on a moment by moment basis. You need to be spiritually led by God. If you can get your congregation to live under the control of the Holy Spirit you are going to have a wonderful church, active, blessed and very productive. If you are going to achieve this everything else will happen, you will never need to seek funds, there will be evangelism and spiritual growth, blessing and impact.

If you do not stress the Holy Spirit you will have a hymn singing social club. You will be counseling and have a mess on your hands which you will call a church. Without the dynamic power of the Holy Spirit in your church you will have to have all the gimmicks to get people to give.

It is important that people come to church to know the Lord without coercion. If you teach systematically, verse by verse, stressing the filling of the Holy Spirit, they will come freely. If they are not interested it is a sign that they are not filled with the Spirit. If the people do not come the pastor should look at himself as to whether he is teaching or not.

In the church you should refer to the filling of the Holy Spirit every week. The Holy Spirit is the dynamic of the Christian life. If you have not got the Spirit you are not a Christian. This topic and your attitude to it, is going to determine how you are going to run your church.

The secret of church growth is for the individual to pray the prayer, "let there be a revival and let it start with me." You should walk with the Lord in the Spirit, study and teach the Word systematically. As you see people come alive you ask them to pray. Two or three people can change a church or a nation.

Filling of the Holy Spirit Contrasted with Spiritual Maturity.

The filling of the Holy Spirit can occur if you are mature or not. Maturity occurs as one spends a lot of time in the filling of the Holy Spirit. The filling of the Holy Spirit should be the normal Christian life. It is only in that state that you are going to grow spiritually. The longer and more often you are under the control of the Holy Spirit the quicker you will mature. The baby believer does not spend a lot of time working under the power of the Holy Spirit. Spirituality is therefore not the same as maturity. You are only spiritual if God rules in your life as He intended it to be. You are spiritual if there is no sin in your life.

Three Conditions for the Filling of the Spirit,

[a] Quench not the Spirit 1 Thessalonians 5:19,

[b] Grieve not the Spirit Ephesians 4:30,

[c] Walk in the Spirit Galatians 5:16 and do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

Quench not the Spirit.

Do not put out the fire, is the literal meaning from the Greek. Do not smother the Holy Spirit's work. There are three components to a fire, fuel, air and heat.

If you want to put the fire out you eliminate one of the three items, remove the fuel, air or heat and the fire will go out. A great example of a Christian getting cold is given by the ember that is taken from a glowing fire. As the ember is removed from the fire and laid aside it ceases to glow and becomes cold. It does not matter how strong a Christian you are, if you lose your ardor you will grow cold. Stay with the fire and do not quench the Spirit. Sometimes it gets tough in the Christian life but we must keep the heat on.

This can also happen if you have no fuel or the wrong fuel. In John 14 16 the Lord says that the Holy Spirit will lead you into all truth. It is important to feed upon the Word of God and not people's experiences however moving they may be they are not fuel for the Holy Spirit they are fuel for your emotions. Only God's Word will strengthen you as a believer.

The third way to put a fire out is to rob it of air; also if you do not breathe you do not live. Inhale taking in the Word exhale letting God's Word work through you into every detail of daily life. After breathing in by means of a good message you breathe it out with a great worship songs or hymns at the end of the service.

Paul says to Timothy, “stir up the gift that is in you”, 2 Timothy 1:6 – literally he is saying, keep the fires burning. Throw more fuel on the fire. You can be smothered by the cares of the world, concerns of family and friend or work pressure, especially if you are surrounded by non believers all the time. Do not let yourself get smothered by the evil of the world.

Romans 12:1 2 shows that you have to commit yourself to your spiritual life. Present yourself a living sacrifice. Throw yourself into this life because it is important.

Grieve not the Spirit:

Ephesians 4:30, shows that you do this when you have sin in your life. You can deal with it quickly using 1 John 1:9. If you do not use that verse you will be subject to Hebrews 12:5 13, which gives divine discipline. You are either going to be living under the power of the Holy Spirit or under Divine discipline. You will be miserable because the Spirit is quenched, miserable because the Spirit is grieved, miserable because of divine discipline. This is why disobedient believers are the most miserable and obnoxious of people on the planet!

Walk in the Spirit:

The word walk means to advance in ranks, making use of the assets you have. Believe the Word, feed on it and apply it. The Christian life is difficult as we are in Satan's world and are surrounded by evil, the world, the flesh and the devil. If you do not walk in the Spirit you will be walking with the enemy. You are either strong in the Spirit or you are being beaten about by the enemy. You have to have the intestinal fortitude to fight, you have the equipment, use it or you will become a casualty. There is a battle being fought out here and the Lord wants winners. The Lord won on Calvary. If you are in Him, you are a winner.

Characteristics of the Filling of the Holy Spirit:

What are going to be the characteristics of the Filling of the Holy Spirit?

[a] Christ likeness, the fruit of the Spirit Galatians 5:22 23. Do not be overly impressed by miracles, signs and wonders; because some people are going to be told to depart from the Lord on judgment day because they are unbelievers, even though they have done miracles in the Lord's name. Matthew 7. A lot of people claim miracles, but even when the miracles seemed to be legitimate it only shows that the ‘Healing Ministry’ had power. The question is whether the power is from God or not. It is the fruit and not the signs that are important; as Jesus said by their fruit you will know them.

[b] You will have an evangelistic involvement, if they have no desire for souls, if they are not involved in teaching God's Word there is something wrong.

[c] Praise, worship, thanksgiving and submissiveness Ephesians 5:18 this shows the basis of submissiveness that Christians should be mutually submissive. The basis of submissiveness is the filling of the Holy Spirit in Ephesians 5:18. Once you are submissive one to another you can be submissive husbands and wives as you are in submission to the Spirit. We as ministers need to lead as examples.

Characteristics of the Filling of the Spirit:

[a] The Power of the Spirit

[b] Holiness of Life

[c] Ministries of the Spirit

[d] Teaching you wonderful things

[e] Guide into all things

[f] Assurance of Salvation

[g] True worship of the Lord.

[h] Good prayer fellowship.

The major problem in the church is Christians who have grown cold. Obedience is the answer to spiritual coldness; we warm our spirit and soul by obeying the revealed Word of God and letting the Spirit loose again through confession of our sins. Do not be distracted by strange and weird things, for God is straight forward. The devil does not need to go after most believers for they trip themselves up easily by their sin and laziness. If you get someone spouting “words of wisdom” in a convoluted manner you know it is not of the Lord because the Lord is clear and succinct. The Lord is not into dramatic things, he is into transformed and holy lives, living to praise his name.

Many of the healings that take place in special "healing" services are found over time to have been psychological and ‘hyped up’. Many that have been followed up medically have been shown not to be healings at all. Paul towards the end of his ministry was not able to heal his close friend who he had to leave behind in Troy. Miracles are rare, but they do occur; it is important however to be cautious over ‘hyped up’ healing events. We must always be aware that the Lord is the healer and not some ‘anointed’ healing evangelist. The Lord’s name and the faith will be held in derision by the unbeliever who will see through false miracles easily! Paul also used the healing ministry to present the gospel. He did not heal for healings sake, but worked miracles whenever the Lord opened the door. He also saw a vision of heaven which he was told not to speak about and he kept silent on what he saw. Paul was not into drama, he was into obedience to the Holy Spirit and the Word; so must we be!

The Word of God is all important, not the signs and miracles; where they are bone fide they will always lead to evangelism and to people studying the Word and growing through obedience to it. The filling of the Holy Spirit is all important, and the evidence of that is the fruit of holiness in their life.

DOCTRINES

HOLY SPIRIT: FILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

1. The Holy Spirit indwells every believer. We are commanded to allow Him to fill (or fully control) our lives (Ephesians 5:18).

2. The filling (controlling) of the Spirit can be broken by:
a) Grieving the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) - sin, doing something you shouldn't.
b) Quenching the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19) - not doing something you should (like quenching a fire, allowing the flame to go out).

3. The filling (controlling) of the Spirit can be restored by confession of sin and full surrender to do the will of God (1John 1:9)

4. The Spirit produces the very character of the Christ in the believer: (Galatians 4:19, 5:22, 23, Ephesians 3:16, 17, Philippians 1:20, 21, 2 Corinthians 3:3)

a) The fruit of the Spirit:
i) Galatians 5:22-23 - Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control.
ii) Romans 14:17 - Righteousness, Peace, Joy.
iii) Colossians 3:12-15 - Compassion, Kindness, Humility, Gentleness, Patience, Forgiveness, Love, Peace, Thankfulness.
iv) 1 Thessalonians 1:3 - Faith, Love, Endurance, Hope.

b) Rejoicing in Christ (Philippians 3:1, 4:4).
c) Loving one another (John 15:12, Romans 12:10, Ephesians 5:2).
d) Striving for the faith (Philippians 1:27, Jude 3).
e) Putting away all sin (1 Corinthians 5:7, Hebrews 12:1).
f) Abstaining from all appearances of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22).
g) Submitting to injuries (1 Corinthians 6:7).
h) Subduing the temper (Ephesians 4:26, James 1:19).
i) Shunning the wicked (2 Thessalonians 3:6).
j) Abounding in the works of the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58 1 Thessalonians 4:1).
k) Showing a good example (1 Timothy 4:12, 1 Peter 2:12).
l) Following after that which is good (Philippians 4:8, 1 Timothy 6:11).
m) Perfecting holiness (2 Corinthians 7:1, 2 Timothy 3:17).
n) Hating defilement (Jude 23).
o) Overcoming the world. (1 John 5:4-5)
p) Adorning the gospel. (Philippians 1:27, Titus 2:10)
q) Forgiving injuries. (Romans 12:20)
r) Living peaceably with all. (Romans 12:18, Hebrews 12:14)
s) Visiting the afflicted. (James 1:27)
t) Sympathising with others. (Romans 12:15, 1 Thessalonians 5:14)
u) Honouring others. (Romans 12:10)
v) Submitting to authorities. (Romans 13:1-7)
w) Being content. (Philippians 4:11, Hebrews 13:5)
x) Walking worthy of the Lord. (Colossians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 2:12)
y) Walking in the newness of life. (Romans 6:4)
z) Walking as children of light. (Ephesians 5:8)
aa) Glorifies Christ in his body. (Philippians 1:20, 21)
bb) Christ is at home in his body. (Ephesians 3:16,17)
cc) A lifestyle which honours God in the presence of men. (2 Corinthians 3:3)

5. The filling of the Holy Spirit in every believer only occurs in two dispensations:
a) Church age Ephesians 5:18, Galatians 5:22, 23
b) Millennium - Joel 2:28, 29 (characterized by ecstatics)

THEOLOGY LESSON 25

LESSON 25 – BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT


Holy Spirit - Baptism

Ephesians 4:5
1 Corinthian 12:12-13
Ephesians 5:18
Acts 1:5
Galatians 3:26-28

Baptism of Holy Spirit In Christ

INTRODUCTION

In Ephesians 4:5 we are told of One Lord, One Faith One Baptism. This is a very controversial verse and theologians do not all agree as to the meaning of ‘one baptism’.

Many believe that this verse is not talking about water baptism at all; but a totally different baptism all together. They teach that the ‘one baptism’ we all share in; is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit which marks the beginning of the believer's association with Christ. Yet other theologians claim that baptism in water is ‘that which saves us’ and go as far as to teach that unless we are baptized in water we are not saved

The verses in 1 Corinthians 12:12, 13 seems to contradict this argument, as they show all Christians are baptized by one Spirit into one body and drink the one Spirit. This event is common to all believers in the Church age. If you have not been baptized by the Holy Spirit you are not a believer. This is clearly seen in the Greek and it is therefore important to analyze it. We believe that water and Holy Spirit baptisms are important and should be a part of our Christian walk with our heavenly Father.

Baptism - What is it?

Baptizo, the Greek verb, means to baptize. It is in the aorist passive indicative, aorist means a point of time in the past or passive, we can receive it at the point of salvation, but not always. You as a believer should have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit at some time in the past; you did not earn it or deserve it, as it was freely given to you. Nothing was done to receive it. It was grace all the way. There are no exceptions. Even the poorest believer should receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

The meanings of "Baptizo" is to totally dip or immerse, to wash. However the primary meaning is to identify one object with another so that the first object is changed. A historical example was the baptizing of the hunting spears of the Greek soldiers.

In the day of Alexander the Great, before the army headed off towards modern Turkey, many of the Greek troops had not been in a battle. In order to enhance their performance the hunting spears which they took with them were dipped in a bucket of pig’s blood in the belief that it changed the nature of the hunting spear into a warrior's spear. By analogy once we were part of the world but the Holy Spirit so identified us with Christ that we were changed into part of His body. This shows how critical the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is.

Definition

The baptism of the Holy Spirit should enable the believer to come into union with Christ and the ‘Body of Christ’. This gives the believer their identity as a Christian. I am a member of the Christian Body; I am a member of the Body of Christ. This is done so that a love relationship may grow with Him and in Him. This opens the channel of blessing for us because it relates us to His church, His Body on earth.

Your attitude to the Holy Spirit will determine your attitude to the local church. The local church should be based on the reality of the Work of the Holy Spirit, but many are not. The Biblical teaching is that we have been Born Again once and for all by the Holy Spirit into the church. Some groups do not realise this important fact and do not even recognise the baptism of the Holy Spirit as an important event to accepting Jesus as their saviour.

We also need to recognise that this is also different from asking for the Holy Spirit to fall on the believers and fill them up with dunimas power, but many leaders get confused over this issue.

Origin of the Church

One of the main reasons for confusion in this area is because some people believe that the church began in Abraham's tent or with the ministry of John the Baptist. This makes it much more difficult to understand rather than believing that it started at Pentecost where the first Baptism of the Holy Spirit took place. Baptism is often taken as a synonym to the filling of the Holy Spirit but this is associated with the ministry of regeneration in the church age. As a result we are special. Many of the problems that occur are because Christians do not understand just how special they are.

It is important not to study Acts by itself. At Pentecost everything happens at once and is therefore unique. They are sealed, indwelt, regenerated, baptized and given spiritual gifts as mature believers. The following day Peter was preaching the Gospel with boldness, which was unusual as he had denied the Lord out of fear only a few weeks before this occurrence.

In Ephesians 5:18 we are told that Christian’s should not get drunk, but be filled with the Spirit. This is a command, present passive imperative; you are commanded not to get drunk habitually. A literal translation would be to keep on letting the Spirit fill you.

In 1 Corinthians 12:13, if you think that the Baptism and filling of the Spirit is the same, you have a problem as there is a contradiction in the passages reviewed. You only need to be baptized once and for all; but you need to be habitually filled. We need to deal with sin in our lives and let the Holy Spirit control us.

In Acts 1:5 when did it occur in the person's life? This is ten days before the time when they are going to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit had not baptized anyone before that and everyone was looking forward to the feast of Pentecost.

Results of the Baptism of the Spirit

Two results of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit it joins us to the body of Christ with all of our individuality (1 Corinthians 12:13) there being many varieties in the body. The unity is the baptism of the Spirit. It is only a relationship with the Lord that allows you to have a relationship with other believers. You are part of Him and therefore joined to other believers. This is our co crucifixion with Christ. It also identifies us with the death, resurrection and glorification of the Lord. We are left on earth to learn more about what it means to be in union with Christ. If you are in an intimate relationship with the Lord you also have a great responsibility along with it.

Every relationship has responsibilities, husband and wife, parent and child. The responsibility for us in Christ is to be obedient. The Lord's responsibility is to keep us safe. We should also get to know and love Him more. This is going to modify how you think about the Lord the result is that you should walk worthy according to your calling.

The filling of the Holy Spirit allows you to do the work of the Lord and is evidence of baptism of the Holy Spirit. Many Christians have wasted a lot of time trying to ‘work up’ the baptism of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Many believe they can chase after some kind of ‘special impartation or anointing by an anointed celebrity’ but this hinders them. In the Hyper Charismatic movement there is a lot of emphasis on praise and worship but it is often shallow. That is why many who have heading up ‘Praise the Lord’ Television show’s and been regarded as ‘special’ prophets or ‘healers’; have been living a life totally contrary to Bible teaching. Quite a number of them have been committing serious sins in their own personal lives. So if you are going to be involved with just ‘experiences and emotions’ you are not going to have the Holy Spirit control your life. Living with the Holy Spirit is a daily walk with him.

DOCTRINES

BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

1. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is mentioned in (1 Corinthians 12:13) "By means of one spirit are we all baptised into one body". Once we obtain the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, it allows us to achieve being a part of the Body of Christ and confirms our salvation as part of the body.

2. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is different to His other ministries: Indwelling, filling, sealing, regeneration, distributing spiritual gifts.

3. The basis of unity and union of believers is achieved by Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:5) "One Lord, one faith, one baptism" - we have one faith in one Lord and receive one baptism, which unites us in the Body of Christ.

4. The implication of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is given in (Galatians 3:26-28) - all believers are united and "equal" in standing before God.

5. The Baptism of the Spirit provides identification with Christ - as the Body of Christ, we share everything that He has (his righteousness, heir-ship, priesthood, kingship, etc) (Ephesians 1:3, Colossians 2:12)

6. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit was promised by Jesus Christ. (John 14:19-20, Acts 1:5)

7. The Baptism of the Spirit did not occur in Old Testament times. It is unique to the Church Age. Only Church Age believers are "in Christ" - that is, part of the Body (and the Bride) of Christ. (Colossians 1:25-26)

8. The Baptism of the Spirit begins the Church Age. In (Acts 1:5) Jesus said "Ye shall be baptised with the Holy Spirit not many (10) days hence". In (Acts 2:3) no mention of the Baptism of the Spirit is made but the experiential side of these happenings are described. In (Acts 11:15-17) Peter says that they received the Baptism of the Spirit just as it was in the beginning and quotes (Acts 1:5).

9. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit has nothing to do with water baptism, nor with speaking in tongues, but tongues often come out of a person who has just been baptised by the Holy Spirit. The Baptism of the Spirit is not just an experience; it is not always manifest or seen, felt, or experienced. (1 Corinthians 12:13)

10. The incidence of tongues at Pentecost was because many nations were present in Jerusalem at that time. Tongues fulfilled two requirements initially evangelisation and later within the congregations, tongues could be spoken but required interpretation and there were also tongues for edification. (1 Corinthians 14:2-4)

IN CHRIST

1. At the point of salvation (being infilled by the Holy Spirit), every believer in the Church Age is entered into the Body of Christ, and is therefore united with Christ. Our position is now, "in Christ".

2. The baptism of the Spirit is how we are united with Christ. (Acts 1:5; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 4:5) The Holy Spirit places the believer in union with Christ.

3. Positional truth belongs to the carnal as well as the spiritual believer, to the apostate believer as well as to the mature believer. (1 Corinthians 1:2, 30)

4. Positional truth protects the believer from divine judgment in eternity, as long as they remain in Christ. (Romans 8:1)

5. Positional truth qualifies the believer to live with God forever:

a) Eternal life (1 John 5:11,12)
b) Imputation of God's righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).

6. Positional truth is the key to both election and predestination (Ephesians 1:3-6).

7. Positional truth creates a new creature. (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:10) based on who and what Christ is, therefore what grace accomplishes - not what changes we make - at salvation or thereafter.

8. Positional truth guarantees the eternal security of the believer, unless he/she renounces the Lord and never repents for their actions. (Romans 8:38, 39, Hebrews 6:4).

9. Positional truth has two aspects:

a) Past - identification with Christ in His death (Romans 6; Colossians 2:12; 3:3)
b) Present (and Future) - identification with Christ in His "new resurrection life".

10. Current positional truth implies that the believer shares certain things in union with Christ:

a) Eternal life (1 John 5:11,12)
b) Righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21)
c) Election (Ephesians 1:4)
d) Destiny (Ephesians 1:5)
e) Son ship (John 1:12; 1 John 3:1,2)
f) Heir ship (Romans 8:16,17)
g) Sanctification (1 Corinthians 1:2,30)
h) Kingdom (2 Peter 1:11)
i) Priesthood (Hebrews 10:10-14; 1 Peter 2:5, 9).

11. Our new position in Christ means we are and must be separated from the world (Ephesians 2:6).

12. As new creatures in Christ, we have a new ministry as ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17-21, 1Corinthians 3:6, 6:4).

13. In Christ, we are never alone, (Colossians 3:4, John 17) we have communion with Him, and with His body (other Christians).

14. We are united with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit forever- we are in the Father, He is in us - Ephesians 4:6, we are in Christ, He is in us - John 14:20, Colossians 1:26, we are in the Spirit, He is in us - Romans 8:9.

15. We are members of His body, branches of His vine, living stones of His building, sheep of His fold, part of his Bride, priests in his kingdom, saints set apart for his glory.

16. The characteristics of positional truth are six-fold:

a) It is not an experience - neither emotional nor ecstatic.
b) It is not progressive - cannot be improved in time or eternity.
c) It is not related to human merit, ability, or human good. Here are the implications of retroactive positional truth. There is no place in the plan of God for human good.
d) It is eternal in nature; it cannot be changed by God, angels or mankind.
e) It is known only through the Word of God.
f) It can be obtained totally at the point of salvation, but often a believer gets baptised by the Holy Spirit at a later time.

THEOLOGY LESSON 24

LESSON 24 – HOLY SPIRIT – INDWELLING AND SEALING


HOLY SPIRIT

Indwelling and Sealing

Romans 8:9-11
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
2 Corinthians 5:5
Ephesians 1:13, 14
Ephesians 4:30 Indwelling of Christ
Seal

INTRODUCTION

There are a number of ministries of the Holy Spirit which occur at the point of salvation. Two are the indwelling and sealing of the Holy Spirit. The first time this occurred was at Pentecost. John 14:16, 17, 20. At Pentecost uniquely the ministries of the Holy Spirit were set up, sealing, baptizing, the giving of gifts, indwelling and regenerating. This occurred within people who had been believers for sometime; but were now taken over by a totally new phenomena and the effect was dramatic and revolutionary.

The power in these people was so great, that they acted as if they were drunk and had no inhibitions, which is unlike most Churches in our day. In fact when most ‘religionists and church people’ see this same phenomena happening in these later days, they will often claim this cannot possibly be from God and so must be from the enemy.

When a believer seeks to be filled by the Holy Spirit, they must also be compelled to obey the Word of God, and walk in the Spirit on a daily basis.

The effects of this are recorded in Romans 8:9 11 which shows the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit. This is the proof of the person being a believer. If you are not indwelt by the Holy Spirit you are not a believer. The Spirit allows you to deal with sin and produces the certainty of the resurrection.

Ministry of the Holy Spirit

In 2 Corinthians 5:5 the Spirit is called the earnest of our inheritance. Earnest money was a deposit on an item in the ancient world but unlike us nowadays when you put down earnest money you owned the item. It was a covenant and the item could never be lost.

1 Corinthians 6:19 20 relates to dealing with sin in your life. Your body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Notice it is the temple which is a permanent structure and not the temporary tabernacle that is in view here.

The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit

The indwelling Spirit is a gift of God to all believers, a gift that is not earned or deserved. In Christ Jesus we are all recipients of the gift. This is pure grace as in sin none of us deserve anything.

1 Corinthians 2:14, Romans 8:9, Jude 19 show that if you do not have the Holy Spirit you are unsaved. It should be noted that sinning believers are still indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but are in a dangerous position if they do not repent. The Holy Spirit will be grieved and will keep trying to convict the Sinner to repent. However if the grieving and resisting of the Holy Spirit continues, so that the person eventually surrenders to Satan and denies Christ and the Holy Spirit, they will be lost. We can only lose our Salvation if we throw it away by sinning against the Holy Spirit to which there is no more forgiveness of sins possible.
Hebrews 6:4-6

Is it Permanent?

Reviewing the sins of the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians it is hard to imagine a sin which they did not commit especially when you think of the believer who was committing incest with his mother in chapter 5. Many Christians believe you are lost if you sin, this is not true; providing the believer repents and turns away from the sin. The two commands to believers are to neither grieve, nor quench the Holy Spirit. Therefore you cannot grieve or quench the Spirit unless you are involved in a relationship with the Spirit. The permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit also ties in with the sealing of the Holy Spirit.

Some times during your Christian walk you are going to be aware of a lack of vigor in your life. It maybe because you have walked away from the Lord or something has come between you and an active living fellowship with him. This would be quenching, and is remedied by confession of sin and obedience to the Word. But in some cases, it could also be caused by a ‘bitter root’ that has been allowed to fester in your mind and heart. Bitterness can be caused by many things from our past or our forebears past. If there is; unforgiveness, ungodly beliefs, witchcraft, or any involvement with the Occult, Freemasonry or religious cults, then these sins need confessing, renouncing and breaking off our lives; so that we can be set free. Even if you personally did not practice any of these things, but a relative did, it can affect you, by means of the ‘soul tie’ with that person. So you must deal with your sin in order to re establish yourself with the Lord. If you do not know these doctrines however you are going to be easy prey to false teachers who will tell you that Jesus loves you whatever you do.

If you are practicing sin in your life the Lord will not hear you; this is recorded for us in the book of Psalms. Lack of this knowledge will facilitate some well-meaning Christians coming along and telling you that you have not got the Spirit and convince you that you need the baptism of the Holy Spirit to move forward. Although it is very important that you get baptized into the Holy Spirit it is imperative that you display the fruits of the Spirit first. We cannot display the fruits of the Spirit if we are practicing the ‘works of the flesh’. Galatians 5:16-24, Matthew 7:13-23, John 16:8 11, Ephesians 5:18. So firstly we should examine ourselves and see what has come between us and the Lord.

Acts 5:32 Note this verse and ask, isn't obedience part of indwelling? If you take the verse out of context it may seem that way. Who are being spoken to, it is the unbelievers, the Pharisees?

The Bible is full of the temporary empowerment of the Holy Spirit and that was mostly before Pentecost. However in John 14:16 the Lord promised that he would send the Counselor and Helper and that is what he did at Pentecost. Therefore we are to let the Spirit do his work in our lives. We can only do this through obedience to the Word and rejection of sin! Therefore we always call upon the Lord to send the Holy Spirit to empower us afresh, or in other words ask the Holy Spirit to fill us up with his power.

The Samaritans

An area of confusion occurs for some concerning the giving of the Spirit to the Samaritans, which appears to be both selective and subsequent to salvation. It has caused some people to go off on a tangent and seek a so called second blessing. The Samaritans were a special case where the Lord wanted to prove to them that their new Christian faith was not a rival to the church in Jerusalem, and prove to the Jewish believers that the Samaritans were in no way inferior to them. This reflected that the Jews and Samaritans were one in Christ and was thus delayed until the Jewish apostles were with them and did away with the possibility of the developing of two churches rather than one.

When one was a young believer one was not aware of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in your life but as you grow you become aware of the power of the Spirit. This is not however a second blessing. It is maturity and should be every believer’s experience.

You need good Bible teaching and proceed with your Christian life. As you mature you will be able to do more and more in your life. The laying on of hands was a picture of the delegation of authority. This was to show that they were to follow the apostles from Jerusalem from where the policy came.

What about the situation in Acts 19 - What does this passage show? As soon as they heard of the Lord Jesus Christ they were saved, baptized and received the Holy Spirit. The Apostles would spend hours with the new believers telling them about the Scriptures and soon after that they were baptized. In the early church there was no evidence for waiting a long time after salvation to be baptized.

The permanence of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is seen in the sealing of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit enters the believer into union with Christ. That person is then God's and ‘only sinning against the Holy Spirit’ can separate that person from Him. The New Covenant is Gods agreement with a Christian that he is saved by confessing Jesus and sinning no more. Romans 8:1; says that there is no more condemnation for those who are in Christ…but we must remain in him.

Sealing of the Holy Spirit

All believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit Ephesians 1:13, 14, 4:30 the sealing on Gods part is permanent until the day of redemption, or until the Lord brings you home to glory.

Seals were a sign of nobility in the ancient world and showed ownership with security. A father and a son would have the same signet rings which would indicate ownership of an article which was sealed. God sets His seal on you. Once the mark of ownership is on you, you are His, and no one can change it Romans 8:38 39. Your life is hid with Christ in God as you are sealed at the point of salvation Acts 2:38.

The seal is unto the day of redemption Romans 8:23, Ephesians 4:30. We are God's responsibility. Ramifications of the seal are security and purity; a seal meant you were secure in the ownership of the one who held the seal, and the purity aspect was seen in the sealing of wine. We should be stable as a believer, secure in our position, and holy. There are many unstable people who are trapped by ‘extremist’ Christian groups. You will also strive for purity; you will desire it. The world needs to see stable Christians. Pray that you remain a steady and clear witness to others and remain steadfast in the truth of Gods word.

However in the book of Revelation the Lord reveals that some who were chosen as sealed ones and written in the book of life, could have their name erased if they did not repent, here is the verse:

“He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels” Revelation 3: 5. The parable of the Prodigal Son highlights this situation, the Father did not go running after the Son, he only run to him when he repented and turned away from his sinful ways.

DOCTRINES

INDWELLING OF CHRIST

1. The prophecy of the indwelling of the Lord Jesus Christ. (John 14:18-20)

2. There is a distinction between the indwelling of the Lord Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

3. The Lord Jesus Christ indwells for fellowship (Galatians 2:20), and a sign of the believer's position. (Romans 8:10)

4. In contrast the Holy Spirit indwells to teach, guide, direct, empower and correct. (John 14:26, 16:8-15, Romans 8:11, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

5. The purpose of the indwelling is that the believer may grow in fellowship with the Lord, learning to know and love him more. (Colossians 1:27, Ephesians 3:17-19)

6. We fellowship with the Lord within as we allow the Holy Spirit to teach us through the Word. (John 6:63, 8:31-32, Colossians 3:16)

7. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is meant to be permanent even though He may be quenched or grieved, but the Lord Jesus Christ can be locked out of the soul by the presence of sin or a negative attitude towards the Word. (2 Corinthians 13:5)

8. When the Lord is locked out, the Holy Spirit convicts the believer, the believer is miserable, with the Lord knocking at the door for admission. (1 John 1:9, Revelation 3:19-20)

SEAL

A seal has a number of different implications:-

1. Sanctification. Exodus 28:36-38 - Example: Seals on official documents set them apart from normal documents.

2. Identification. Ezekiel 9:4 - Use of the signet ring in 1 Kings 21:8; Esther 8:8-10

3. Possession. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 - Example: A "sea!" on one's book

4. Utilisation. Ephesians 1:12-14 - Example: Bank account number.

5. Glorification. Ephesians 4:30 - Example: Letters are stamped and sealed so as to arrive at their destination.

6. Preservation. Revelation 7:3 - Example: Locks on doors or the seal on the tomb of Christ.

7. Destination. Revelation 22:4

THEOLOGY LESSON 23

LESSON 23 – HOLY SPIRIT – REGENERATION

John 3:3-8
Titus 3:5
Ephesians 5:25-26
John 6:63, 3:13-36
John 6:40-48
Ephesians 4:20-24
Colossians 3:10

INTRODUCTION

This is the work of the Holy Spirit which changes us from unbelievers to believers and therefore sons of God. This creates a mockery among those who do not believe that they need a Saviour. The unbeliever has to realise that only God can provide the power and the will to come to newness of life.

Regeneration

In John 3:3 9 we see that regeneration means to be born again. The Holy Spirit is the agent of regeneration. We note that there are two ministries of the Holy Spirit, the convicting ministry and the enabling ministry. This is why the man who rejects the gospel is without hope at the Day of Judgment. That person has also rejected and spurned the work of the Holy Spirit.

Therefore he has three things against him, he has ignored the Word of God, he has ignored the testimony of creation, the plan of God which is clearly working out, he has also ignored the command to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. He has been actively rejecting God in all three persons.

Ministry of the Holy Spirit

Romans 1:16 32 having cast aside the ministry of Christ in their life the rejection shows that there is no hope. Another passage which reflects this ministry is 2 Corinthians 3:6. "The letter kills but the Spirit gives life."

Ensure you take the evaluation in context. He does not mean that an evaluation of the Scriptures kills and the Spirit gives life. The contrast is between the written word in ink and the word written on the heart. It is the Spirit which brings the letter to life.

The Word of God justly brings death but the Spirit gives life. No amount of preaching irrespective of how orthodox it is will regenerate unless the Holy Spirit works. It is He and He alone that convicts a man so that he becomes a new creature.

Regeneration is the giving of a new nature, the nature of God. 2 Peter 1:4. It is the Holy Spirit who imparts this to us, makes us partakers of the divine nature. It is done through the Word. To put it in a word: The human heart is the soil, the preacher or teacher is the sower, the word of God is the seed; the Spirit of God quickens the seed, and the Divine nature is the result.

Not by works done in righteousness by ourselves but by his mercy we are saved. We can do no work of righteousness ourselves; ‘nothing’ an unbeliever does can satisfy God. Their righteousness is as filthy rags in His sight.

Analogy of Washing

Both Paul and John used the same analogy of washing. The picture of cleansing and water comes through. Beware of people who try to twist this into Baptismal regeneration; that you are saved by total immersion. Baptismal regeneration is not taught here. There are no sins washed away when you are baptised. It is a sign of something that has already happened to you. It is a picture or memorial. Paul continues with this concept in Titus 3:5-7, Ephesians 5:25 27, John 6:63.

These passages need to be tied together in your mind. The connection of water and regeneration is given in 1 John 5:5 6. Here the water is linked to the Word of God and the spirit is the Holy Spirit. The work of regeneration involves the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. The two come together in a unique way in the life of the believer if they accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour. Regeneration takes place when the Holy Spirit takes the Word and enlivens it in their life by grace into a relationship of son or daughter of God.

We are in error if we equate the filling with the baptism of the Spirit. It is clear from Scripture however that the baptism of the Holy Spirit often occurs at the point of salvation, but not always, as many BA Christians do not even realise that they are can be baptized by the Holy Spirit enabling them to do things beyond what is normal. The filling of the Holy Spirit can occur when we ask the Lord to send the Holy Spirit to give us extra power to enable us to carry out his will in us. In order to get filled with the Holy Spirit the following section will elaborate.

Confession

The Scripture commands you to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Whether you are filled with the Holy Spirit is up to you. If people believe that the Holy Spirit is in them He needs to be let loose in their lives. This is accomplished by confession of sins as per 1 John 1:9.

Most of the questions you will be asked in the ministry are to do with the people not knowing the meaning of the words they use such as regeneration, expiation, propitiation and the like.

We should ask them what they mean by a term to ensure that they are aware of its true doctrinal meaning. It depends whether you believe in a body soul and spirit or just body and soul and that you get a spirit at the point of salvation.

Irrespective of the concept it is clear that at the point of salvation the believer's life is changed to such an extent that they can now understand spiritual phenomena. It is also clear that relationship with God is spiritual and can only be attained through rebirth. We receive a new nature, we have been reborn, we are re created, we are resurrected; there are many implications to the act of regeneration.

We can have relationship with God; we are born again and will live eternally with the Lord. Our body however will fall apart but we have a resurrection body. We are regenerated for eternity. We should always give praise for the work of the Holy Spirit for it lasts forever.

Our New Birth

Although we are still the same nature (sinful humanity) we now have the New Spirit Birth which gives us the ability to obey Gods commands. We now have the ability to produce righteousness and true holiness. We have taken off the old and put on the new. We are new creatures in Christ. We are challenged every day to live worthy of the gift that we have been given, the gift of eternal life.

If we recognize that everything we have as a believer is something we have received from God, we can pray that the Lord will help us to live worthy of the great salvation. If a person gave us everything we ever needed but we were never in a position to repay him, we would be eternally grateful to that person. This is exactly what Christ has done for all those who willingly and truly accept him as their Lord. We have been given everything in Christ Jesus. Do we see our position in Christ in the way the Scriptures say it will be? This is the gospel played out in a daily form in the believer’s life.

DOCTRINES

REGENERATION: BORN AGAIN

1. General Scripture - (John 3:5-8) 'Ye must be born again [born from above] (v7). You are born of the Spirit. (v8) We then become new creatures in Christ.

2. Natural man cannot understand spiritual phenomenon (1 Corinthians 2:14). He lacks the ability to enter the Kingdom of God. (John 3:5). They are unable to please God. (Romans 8:7, 8)

3. New birth is a creation of the Holy Spirit. (John 1:12, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 2:10, 4:24). Through the Holy Spirit we become aware that we are joint heirs with Christ. (Romans 8:16, 17)

4. The requirement for the new birth is belief on Christ, that He is crucified and risen. (John 1:12, 3:16-18, 36). New birth occurs at the instant of belief in the atoning blood of Jesus Christ and confession of our sins.

5. Through new birth (Regeneration) the believer lives in Christ and Christ in the believer. (Galatians 2:20, Ephesians 2:10, 4:24, 1 Peter 1:23-25, 1 John 5:10-12).

6. Once you are born you cannot be unborn. However we can throw it back in Gods face and that would entail sinning against the Holy Spirit. Hebrews 6: 4-6

“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame”.

THEOLOGY LESSON 22

LESSON 22 – HOLY SPIRIT MINISTRY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

Holy Spirit Ministry – NT
John 14:16-17
John 20:22
Luke 24:49
Acts1:1-9, 2:1-4 H S - New Testament

HOLY SPIRIT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

We see a change in the work of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament compared with the work in the Church Age and in the transition period with the Ministry of the Holy Spirit during the period of Christ’s Ministry.

As the Cross is a focal point in the unfolding drama of redemption so Pentecost is the turning point in the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers.

The gospels really belong in the period of history still covered by the rules of the Old Testament or the Dispensation of the Jews rather than those of the New or Dispensation of the Church.

The exception is John chapters 14-17, where Jesus speaks of the age that is coming at Pentecost. In the Gospels the Lord Jesus Christ is teaching the disciples to become apostles or sent ones not only to Israel but also to the whole world. This ministry of the Holy Spirit which we now enjoy they longed to enjoy. We have a superior spiritual position than they did, than Isaiah and Jeremiah did.

So many people fail to live up to the tremendous position they have in Christ, the Old Testament saints longed to have it but we are not using it. The thought of it should purify us, and make us keen for service as we are sealed, guided, empowered, indwelt and baptised. The three years before Pentecost, during the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ was a time of transition.

The change commences in John 14:16 17. Before Pentecost the Holy Spirit assisted believers often for a limited time to have a special function in the plan of God, since Pentecost the believer is indwelt forever, He is not with us but in us. How you view this will determine how you view spirituality and the Bible.

It has to be remembered that a lot of things which are said prior to Pentecost are going to be different once Pentecost occurred. Once the Lamb of God died on the Cross; believers no longer had to bring lambs to be physical sacrificed. Nowadays we obey Scripture by confessing our sins to God.

As a Christian you do not go to Leviticus to find out what you do about sin; but this does not mean that you do not read Leviticus as a book, because it shows the need for the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross. In Leviticus now we discover wonderful things about the Lord and his sacrifice, about what they mean. We do not however go there to find out what we are to do about sin today

Similarly the ministry of the Spirit as seen prior to the Cross is not relevant to us today due to the change that took place at Pentecost. If you are going to live as a Christian now you need to take into account the Cross and Pentecost.

We have a superior position than believers before in that we have a position in Christ and the Spirit is in us. We are in a position where we can really advance in our Ministry if we know what the Bible is teaching about the Holy Spirit, but we need to believe it and apply it in our lives.

This topic is vital in our day as we are living in dramatic times; so it is essential that you teach the true doctrine of the Holy Spirit to people so that they do not get confused. We should therefore understand our place in the plan of God. We are members of the Body of Christ and the Bride of Christ. We must live as the body and the bride. The central point of this is the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

We need to look at it in three stages:

[a] The ministry of the Holy Spirit in Old Testament times,

[b] The transition ministry during the Lord's earthly ministry,

[c] The ministry of the Holy Spirit during the Church Age.

In Genesis 1:2 the Holy Spirit is said to flutter, like a hen fluttering its feathers over its nest over the face of the waters. It is clear from Scripture that the Pre-Incarnate Lord Jesus Christ (Word/Logos) is the Creator. So why is the Holy Spirit fluttering over the waters? In Deuteronomy 32:11 we see the co operative work of the Spirit in relation to the Word/Logos in Creation. The Spirit is involved in creation with the Word who later became our Lord Jesus Christ.

He is also involved in revelation 2 Peter 1:21, 2 Samuel 23:2, Micah 3:8. In each case the Holy Spirit is involved with speaking or the writing of the Word of God. Prior to Pentecost the Holy Spirit convicted men of the need to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is seen in Genesis 6:3 where before the flood the Spirit had a ministry which was being ignored. The Lord showed that there was a limit to what the Lord was willing to do.

The Lord said that the Holy Spirit would not always strive with man. This verse says that they have got 120 years but of course man has not got that time now. Progressively the life span was cut. Genesis 6:3 dealt with a time when man was living up to 900 years of age.

The Spirit strives with man that he needs to find God because once he is dead it is too late. The word "strive" means to judge or convict. Today we have at most around 70-80 years to respond to the gospel.

We have not only the evidence that the blood of Christ covers all potentially but that the Spirit strives with all. With the exception of the eight who were saved at the time of the flood the Holy Spirit strived with multitudes of people for 120 years yet they rejected Him.

This convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit continues in a more detailed way in John 16:8 11. Another area in which the Holy Spirit has been universally involved in over man's history is regeneration. The Holy Spirit is the agent of regeneration.

In Psalm 51 David speaks of his experience of walking with and failing to walk with the Holy Spirit. It deals with the time of David's terrible sin of adultery with Bathsheba, followed by the arranging of the murder of her husband, Uriah the Hittite. David was under great conviction and realised that he was under conviction by the Spirit and that it had a terrible influence on the Spirit in his life.

In this Psalm we have the Old Testament form of 1 John 1:9. Here he pleads the loving kindness and tender mercies of God having dealt with his sin. I acknowledge my sin; my transgression is forever before me. In verses 10 12 David asks the Lord to create in him a new heart. All he has now is conviction and pressure.

In verse 11 he says not to take the Holy Spirit from him. This is a bona fide for David but not for us today. After this time David went on to write Psalms and was therefore controlled by the Spirit again. If we sin after receiving the Holy Spirit and do not repent, we are in a seriously dangerous position because we cannot enter heaven for the following serious Sins:

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus; and by the Spirit of our God”. 1 Corinthians 6: 9-11 KJV.

We cannot argue with the Bible and this is what it states and Paul was writing to the Corinth Church with these words. God will not be mocked and we cannot plead that we are saved and therefore immune from any punishment for Sins carried out after we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.

So to reinforce what the Bible teaches in the above quoted verses, here is an explanation of what the Apostle Paul was referring too

According to the above verses in I Corinthians 6:9-11:

(1) Fornicators shall not inherit the kingdom of God. This term refers to those who engage in sexual activity which God has declared sinful. He has not declared all sexual activity. In fact, He condones and even encourages lawful sexual activity according to His design and purpose (I Corinthians 7:2-4; Hebrews 13:4). Fornication refers to sexual activity outside of the marriage relationship between a man and a woman. It would include premarital as well as extramarital sexual relationships of whatever duration from a one night stand to an on-going affair. Such activity was rampant in first century Corinth. It is rampant today in our own society. But it matters not how commonly it is practiced, it is still unrighteous and it will keep one from entering heaven.

(2) Idolaters shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Those who offer to others what belongs unto God are idolaters. A person's idol might be a huge, grotesque image carved out of stone before which he bows. Or it might be his own desires. It is anything that a person adores more than God. Idolatry will keep one from entering heaven.

(3) Adulterers shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Adultery seems to be more specific a term than fornication. It is usually limited to sexual unfaithfulness to a marriage partner. Adultery will keep one from entering heaven.

(4) The effeminate shall not enter the kingdom of God. When we see this word, we think of a sissy. But the word goes beyond that. It refers to one who is soft, specifically, to the passive partner in a homosexual relationship. Being effeminate will keep one from entering heaven.

(5) Homosexuals shall not enter the kingdom of God. This word is used twice in the New Testament; in the text we are examining as well as I Timothy 1:10. It denotes one who would take the leading role in a homosexual relationship. It is not fashionable today to suggest that such activity is unrighteous and will keep one out of the kingdom of God, but that is what the Covenant of Jesus Christ says. Practicing homosexuality will keep one from entering heaven.

(6) Thieves shall not enter the kingdom of God. There is no excuse for taking that which rightfully belongs to another. Whether its shoplifting, pilfering, short-changing or armed robbery, fraud and extortion, it is thievery. Whether the person doing the stealing is rich or poor it will still keep one from entering heaven.

(7).The covetous will not enter the kingdom of God. This has to do with having an uncontrollable desire to possess a certain thing. It motivates one into committing sin in order to satisfy greed. Coveting that which belongs to another will keep one from entering heaven.

(8) Drunkards shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Children of God have no need to cloud their perspectives nor dull their senses. We must be able to think and reason clearly. Drunkenness causes one to lose focus and rationality. Those who give themselves over to intoxication will find that it keeps them from entering heaven.

(9) Revilers shall not inherit the kingdom of God. There are many to speak boldly about things that they know little about. Many men and women of God have had to endure reproach for their faith. Not even the Son of God escaped verbal abuse. But they will not have to endure it forever because there will be no revilers in heaven.

(10) Swindlers shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Seducers and smooth talkers of all kinds are included here. The religious con-man belongs to this group as well as the secular. Those who prey on others by trying to take advantage of their misfortune would also be included. Swindlers cannot take their ill-gotten goods with them when they leave this world, nor will they enter heaven.

AND SUCH WERE SOME OF YOU

"And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God." (I Corinthians 6:11). The Christians at Corinth had been involved in these things before their conversions. During that time they had no hope at all of heaven. Also, any Christians returning to such practices would forfeit their eternal home with God, unless they repent and turn away from the Sin.

But these things were now a part of the past. The disciples at Corinth had been washed, sanctified and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. This happened when they obeyed the gospel from the heart. This obedience involves those who have come to believe in Jesus repenting of their former conduct and being baptized in the name of The Father the Son and the Holy Spirit. Thus they had been washed (baptized), sanctified (set apart from their old manner of life and dedicated to a new purpose) and justified (declared forgiven and made righteous by God's grace). God took people who were heading toward eternal destruction, and by His power and grace had changed their direction. He continues to do this amazing thing today. Those who live according to His purpose shall inherit the kingdom of God.

The Apostle John also recorded Jesus own words for us in Revelation:

"And nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it (the holy city, New Jerusalem), but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Revelation 21:27). As we have seen above Paul listed all of things which, he termed "unrighteous" and said that those who practice such things "shall not inherit the kingdom of God." However if one is engaged in such activity, all is not lost as these ones can take the steps of repentance in order to remedy the situation

THE EXTENT OF THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.

Three important areas:

He was in certain believers: Joseph: Genesis 41:38, Joshua: Numbers 27:18, Daniel in Daniel 4:8, 5:11-14,

He came upon some: Numbers 24:2, Judges 3:10, 11:29, 1 Samuel 10:10, 2 Chronicles 15:1

He filled Bezaleel Exodus 31:3, 35:31

Not all the believers in the Old Testament experienced the ministries of the Holy Spirit beyond that of regeneration.

After regeneration the normal Old Testament believer understood the Word of God and applied it to their lives. In addition they tried to keep the Mosaic Law and of course failed many times. When sin occurred they brought animal sacrifices, and then through each year they kept the feasts and festivals as a testimony that they actually believed in the plan of God for their history. In the New Testament believers are saved by the same means, but we do not bring an offering but rather accept the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross as the Lamb of God; and grow by walking in the Spirit. The Old Testament believers were not asked to walk in the Spirit.

As shown above some people were given a special unction or anointing of the Holy Spirit which came upon them to function in a special way. When that job was over the Spirit was taken from them and they waited for Messiah to come.

Many say that they would like to go back to the simplicity of the Mosaic Law but we are in so much a superior position as to make such a thought quite inappropriate. From this it is clear why the apostles said that the Old Testament prophets longed to see this day.

If you feel that way or the people you fellowship with do, then you are not walking in the Holy Spirit and will not be aware of the amazing ministry he has for you on a daily basis.

A thorough study of these doctrines gives us good information for those who are involved in Spirit Filled Churches. If we are busy being led, taught, encouraged, corrected, convicted, and strengthened by the Holy Spirit, tongues and other manifestations will occur by means of the Holy Spirit and not the flesh. In the Old Testament there was no Fruit of the Spirit, Baptism, Indwelling or Sealing ministries of the Spirit.

The only person we know who was assisted by the Holy Spirit for his whole life was John the Baptist who the Scriptures tell us was assisted from out of "ek" his mother's womb.

It is reasonable to assume that from Pentecost onwards there would be a greater working of the Holy Spirit than in previous ages. Two examples of people at the time of Christ who were assisted by the Holy Spirit - Zacharias - Luke 1:11, Simeon the priest Luke 2:25 who waited his whole life to see the Messiah and to give a single prophecy which is recorded in Scripture and which was a source of great blessing as Mary remembered it. Simeon's whole life culminated in this event for which he had the assistance of the Spirit.

DOCTRINES

HOLY SPIRIT: MINISTRY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

1. TO THE UNBELIEVER

a) RESTRAINING (2 Thessalonians 2:7)
If unbelievers were unrestrained in the Church Age the one world system which Satan is trying to establish would come. So after the rapture of the Church it will come.
b) CONVICTING (John 16:7-11)
i) Sin - the barrier which remains in unbelief.
ii) Righteousness - God is totally righteous, man is only relatively righteous and needs God's righteousness for salvation.
iii) Judgment - Satan and all unbelievers are judged.

c) REGENERATION (John 3:5)
Man without the spirit cannot understand spiritual things. The Gospel is Spiritual; the Holy Spirit makes the gospel a reality to the unbeliever when one believes and is "born again" or regenerated. (1 Corinthians 2:14)

2. TO THE BELIEVER AT SALVATION
a) Regeneration (John 3:1-16, Titus 3:5)
b) Baptism (Acts 1:5, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Ephesians 4:5). We are baptized into union with Jesus Christ and become part of the body of Christ. This is not to be confused with the Filling of the Holy Spirit.
c) Indwelling (Romans 8:9, 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20). From receiving salvation onwards the believer is indwelt by the Spirit.
d) Sealing (2 Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians 1:13, 4:30). This ministry relates to your future with God, the guarantee of eternal security.
e) Distribution of spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:11) All true believers receive a spiritual gift at the point of salvation in order to function in the body of Christ.

3. TO THE BELIEVER AFTER SALVATION (Spirituality)
The Ministry of the Holy Spirit after salvation is the means by which we live the Christian life ordained by God (Ephesians 2:10, 5:18)
a) The Filling of the Holy Spirit (spirituality through confession of sin and surrender of the life). (1 John 1:9 Ephesians 5:18)
b) The character of Jesus Christ is produced by the believer when he is filled with the Spirit. (Galatians 4:19, 5:22, 23)
c) Glorification of Christ (John 7:39, 16:14, 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20)
d) Fulfilment of the Law. (Romans 8:2-4)

THEOLOGY LESSON 21

LESSON 21 – TRANSITIONAL MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

John 16:8-11
Luke 1:12-17
Luke 2:25 -26
Luke 11:9-13
Matthew 12:22-37
Mark 3:22-30 Holy Spirit Ministry to Jesus
Holy Spirit – Sins against

INTRODUCTION

This period occurred from the ministry of John the Baptist until the Day of Pentecost. This is a change that the Lord prepared the people for during His ministry. We have a position in Christ with the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit and we are in a highly superior position compared with the Old Testament saints. Most Christians do not understand what they have

Three stages in the expanded ministry of the Holy Spirit are given in the Gospels

Stage 1 - Luke 11:9 13 where the Lord tells the disciples to ask for the Holy Spirit which was something that had not occurred in the Old Testament. This was just after the commissioning of the twelve in verse 8. As the people went out round the nation to preach, to heal, to raise the dead and cast out demons a dramatic and taxing spiritual service they came back knowing that they needed power to do the job. This gave Jesus the opportunity to teach the principle of empowerment by the Spirit.

They realise that there are major enemies to be fought and inner resources greater than man can supply is needed. He therefore says ask for the Holy Spirit. It is of interest that none of the gospels divulge whether any of the disciples took up the offer. It was so novel that they were all a bit hesitant about doing it.

Stage 2 - John 14:16 17 where He explained that the Holy Spirit would be in them rather than with them. This is about a year later than the passage in Luke. They realise that the Spirit is with them and that they need more and the Lord says that there will be more. He explains that on the day of Pentecost the Father will send the Holy Spirit and that they will not be left comfortless.

What is seen here is that the resources to face the enemy after the Cross will need to be bettered and the Lord is going to upgrade it by sending the Spirit. Rather than being with them on a temporary basis it is going to be a permanent indwelling of the Spirit.

Stage 3 - John 20:21 22 where the Lord gave them the Holy Spirit to assist them until Pentecost. It is clear that the Lord is tasking the disciples with replacing Him, as his witness in the world; a task we now have. This is shown clearly in Matthew 28:20 which is the great commission. As it is given both here and in Matthew 28 it is of great importance.

The Lord says that he is sending them out but not in their own strength but in the power of the Holy Spirit. This temporary gifting of the Spirit is going to last them for the ten days until the full giving of the Holy Spirit at the feast of Pentecost.

First He says ask, next that he will pray, and thirdly He breathes on them to give them a temporary empowerment.

Luke 24:49 this is a few days after John 20. It is clear that what was happening in John 20 was temporary until the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1:4 8 Luke is the author of Acts and thus the book of Acts follows. As the Cross is the centre point of human history so Pentecost is the start of this new period of human history. The expanded ministries of the Holy Spirit since Pentecost are very important, intricately related to the angelic conflict.

INTENSIFICATION OF THE ANGELIC CONFLICT

The activity of Satan and his angels since the Cross has been greatly intensified over what it was before. The Cross is the defeat of Satan strategically (Genesis 3:15). A strategic defeat means that the enemy is beaten but he is not finished. Although Satan was defeated at the cross, he still causes havoc amongst the world of mankind. The Apostle Paul warned that Christians need to put on the complete suit of armor, so that they can stand firm against the Devils attacks (Ephesians 6:10-18).

Satan knew from the Cross that he was finished and it was from that time that he went into top gear with his evil attacks upon the Church Of God. Therefore if a Christian does not understand the absolute necessity of living and walking in the Spirit they are in trouble, as they will not have the resources to deal with Satan. The Apostle Peter made this clear when he spoke about Satan being like a roaring Lion seeking to devour Christians (1 Peter 5: 6-8)

Many believers fail because they do not walk in close fellowship with the Spirit. The normal Christian life should be one lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. People that fail do so for one reason or another; allow sin to encroach upon them, get lead away from the protection and guidance of the Holy Spirit. As a believer we must learn to live and walk in the Spirit.

As Born Again ‘Spirit Filled’ Christians we need to understand the power that we have within us. Jesus sent his followers out to teach people all the things he had commanded. He also provided them with the power of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to be able to achieve this work. (Matthew 28:19, 20) (Acts 1: 8; Acts 2).

Therefore a Christian can be certain that he/she can call upon the Holy Spirit at any time to give them ‘super natural power beyond what is normal’

THE HOLY SPIRIT'S MINISTRY IN THE LIFE OF OUR LORD

The Lord said that the believers would produce greater works than He did (John14:14-16). What do these unusual verses mean? This is based on the fact that whilst the Lord had a ministry of just over three years to perform supernatural signs and wonders. He told us that his followers would be able to do ‘greater works’ in his name than even he did.

Any work done in the power of the Holy Spirit is doing the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus told his followers to ask for ‘anything’ in his name and he would do it. That is a great honour and privilege to be able to do the same type of works that even our Lord Jesus did. But these works in themselves are secondary to the greatest work of all and that is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the nations.

Therefore the greatest mission as a minister is to get your people out of the pews and into the communities declaring the Gospel by means of the Holy Spirit within them. But sadly Many; ‘churchgoers’ will find this work uncomfortable and will not want to be obedient to God's Word.

The sustaining work of the Holy Spirit was deliberately misconstrued by the Pharisees who said that Jesus was demon possessed and using the powers of Satan. This according to the Lord was the unpardonable sin.

THE UNPARDONABLE SIN

Many denominations will accuse others of blaspheming the Holy Ghost when they criticize their own view of the ‘Gifts of the Holy Spirit’ in our day. Jesus said; preach the Gospel and obey my commandments and I will send a helper to you. As we know from Acts 2, the Holy Spirit fell in an amazing way and he is still with his people today. So accusing others of blasphemy over differences of interpretation of the ‘Gifts of the Holy Spirit’ is really a misuse of Scripture. You often find that those who cry loudest about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit are quenching the Spirit in some way themselves. Differences over this issue do not constitute the committing of the unpardonable sin.

The unpardonable sin in Jesus day was to accuse him of being satanic and reject him as saviour. He is not present today to do such a thing personally, but the unpardonable sin remains as total rejection of him as saviour. No believer can commit that sin as long as they remain in Christ and continually accept him as saviour. The most serious sin in the believer’s life today is the quenching, grieving and resisting of the Holy Spirit. A believer cannot commit the unforgivable sin unless he totally rejects the blood of Jesus and repudiates the Holy Spirit. (Hebrews 6:4-6) So we need to be resisting sin in any form and cling to the Word of God.

THE DAY OF PENTECOST

In Acts 1:8 14 they were to be baptised in the Spirit not many days hence. They were promised power after the Holy Spirit came upon them. They were waiting for the Spirit to come upon them from John 14 via Luke 24:49 to empower them for the rest of the ministry on the earth.

In Acts chapter 2 we have a record of the event. The Spirit came upon them and they were totally baptized by the Holy Spirit for the first time as a group of Christian believers. Acts 2:1-4.

These people as a result went out and preached the gospel in many languages which were understood. Many people were converted as a result of hearing the gospel on that day. In verse 4 they are filled with the Holy Spirit and from verse 5 onwards it shows what happened.

The disciples who were gathered in the upper room on that occasion were already Born Again and in Christ, but at this event, something totally different happened. It is obvious to us that they got baptised by the Holy Spirit and at once were made alive in him. The outward signs were staggering as they reacted as if they were drunk and spoke in various tongues. Therefore baptism in the Holy Spirit has a profound affect on a believer and makes them do something that is unusual and often dramatic. This is the favour of God on a Christian’s life and is an outward demonstration that they are truly Spirit filled Christians.

However a Christian must always remember that they are still imperfect humans who will continually make mistakes. So you still need to be alert to the enemies tactics, when he tries to tempt you to sin and ‘quench or grieve’ the Holy Spirit. Even though you are ‘indwelt’ by the Holy Spirit the ‘carnal/fleshly’ can still control your life if you allow it too. You may even be ‘working’ for the Lord; but success is dependant on you being in fellowship with the Holy Spirit at all times.

If you are going to live for Christ you have to do it in the power of the Holy Spirit, if you are not filled with the Holy Spirit you will fail. So keep asking for the Holy Spirit to fill you up and try to get a trusted prayer partner who is also baptized by the Holy Spirit to pray with you and ‘keep on asking’ and ‘keep on knocking’ for the Holy Spirit to fill you up.

DOCTRINES

HOLY SPIRIT: MINISTRY TO JESUS CHRIST

1. The ministry of the Spirit in sustaining Jesus Christ was prophesied in the Old Testament. (Isaiah 11:1-3, 42:1, 61:1-3)

2. The virgin birth was only possible by the work of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 1: 18, 20, Psalm 40:6, Hebrews 10:5.

3. The Holy Spirit was given without measure (constant unhindered filling) to the humanity of Christ. (John 3:34)

4. The Holy Spirit was related to the baptism of Jesus. (Matthew 3:16)

5. The Holy Spirit sustained Jesus Christ during his earthly ministry. (Matthew 12:18, 28, Luke 4:14, 15, 18)

6. The Lord acknowledged the work of the Spirit in his works and miracles. (Matthew 12: 8. Quoting Isaiah 44:1, 18, 28, Luke 4:14-21).

7. The sustaining ministry of the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the Lord when he bore our sins on the cross. Matthew 27:46, Psalms 22.

8. The Holy Spirit had a part in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:11, 1 Peter 3:18)

9. The present ministry of the Holy Spirit relates to the risen Jesus Christ. (John 7:39, 16:14)

10. The same sustaining ministry of the Holy Spirit is passed on to us at salvation, and we are commanded to make use of this ministry

11. To grow thereby. (Galatians 4:19, 5: 16, Ephesians 3:16, 17, 5:18, Romans 13:14)

HOLY SPIRIT: SINS AGAINST THE SPIRIT

1. RESISTING THE HOLY SPIRIT (Unbelievers only) (Acts 7:51, John 16:8-11). This is hardening to the convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit.

2. BLASPHEMY AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT (Unbelievers only) (Matthew 12:31) the purpose of the Holy Spirit was to reveal the person of Jesus Christ. The Pharisees rejected this by claiming He was demon possessed.

3. LYING TO THE HOLY SPIRIT (Believers only) (Acts 5:1-3) A sin of false motivation. - Ananias and Sapphira.

4. GRIEVING THE HOLY SPIRIT (Believers only) (Ephesians 4:30). Any fleshly sin which the believer commits

5. QUENCHING THE HOLY SPIRIT (Believers only) (1 Thessalonians 5:19) A believer who is not allowing the Holy Spirit to exert His full influence.

6. UNPARDONABLE SIN (Matthew 12:22-32)

a) Rejection of Jesus Christ as God and Saviour is the only sin which cannot be forgiven. This unbelief is shown in Matthew 12:24, denying the person and power of Jesus.

b) It is impossible for a believer to commit the unpardonable sin providing he remains in Christ. (Romans 8:1, Isaiah 1:18, Isaiah 44:22, 1 John 1:7) However if a believer rejects Jesus Christ and does not repent, then he can no longer depend on Gods mercy (Hebrews 6:4-6)

Bless you

David