Holy Spirit 101 Acts chapters 1, 2
"Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for
salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is,
when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in Spi-
rit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship
Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must wor-
ship Him in Spirit and in truth." (kjv) John 4: 22-24
"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come
upon you: and ye shall be witness unto me both in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part
of the earth." kjv-Acts 1: 8
You will notice the word, "Ghost," in the passage. Later
translations of this passage render it, "Spirit." The terms are
generally considered by most English speaking believers to
be interchangeable. There are those who hold the term,
"Holy Ghost," to be an important distinction. This distinction
is beyond my sphere of knowledge. If you read this and are
able to shed light on this distinction, please email me and I
will, with permission, publish your remarks.
jlrsbnch@msn.com
With reverence for our Lord God, the Lord Christ and the Holy
Spirit, the following is presented as humbly as I know how. I
hardly think of myself as an authority on this or any other sub-
ject of Scripture. I have had exposure to preaching and teaching
from the Bible on this and the insights of the late Dr. Bill Bright
that has been very helpful to me, (Campus Crusade for Christ)
since 1970. The reason for dealing with this doctrine is; it is cri-
tical to an understanding of how things get done in the Kingdom
of God. It is the Lord's doing, we are merely instruments in His
hands as we yield to the leadership, wisdom and power of the
Spirit of God. ( We are not puppets and in every instance are in
control of our spirit and knowledge of that done in the Spirit of
God.)
Although the story concerning the spectacular appearance of the
Spirit in Acts 1: 8 is well known, there are still misunderstandings
and misapplications of the event and it's ramifications on the life
of believers in Christ. Our purpose here is to discuss the basic and
essential purposes for the Spirit's presence and power in the life of
the church. The Scripture in no sense teaches one to emphasize
Spirit power in an individual life, but to trust and rely upon the power
and presence as needed for service in the Kingdom of God. In other
words, the Spirit did not come to testify of Himself, but to testify of
Jesus Christ. When we say we are trusting Jesus Christ to make a
change in life, we are referring to the Spirit of Christ. When we say
the Lord has led, we mean the Spirit is leading us. Romans 8: 14,
"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of
God." We use the terms interchangeably, since our Lord said He
would send "His" Spirit to be with us, comfort us, and bring to mind
things He taught as he walked among men in His incarnation. (John
14: 16-21) With permission, there is one more thing to add here. I
keep hearing well meaning followers of our Lord say things like;
"The Lord has given me a message for 'you'," or (The Lord has
directed me to do or to say something.) Try as I may, there are diffi-
culties that arise with these scenarios:
In my limited experience, there has never been an audible voice one
might attribute to the Lord God. There have been impulses and even
impressions, but one could hardly state without equivocation;" these
come from the Lord." One wag said, "There have been many impres-
sions attributed to the Lord that came, most likely, from poor digestion."
So why not say; one believes he has the mind of Christ in a matter, and
leave room for human error. Since our plans often come to nothing or
become debacles, let's never bring reproach on Him for our poor judge-
ment. Grant us wisdom, O Lord, to know the difference...
The Holy Spirit does not magnify Himself. He speaks of Christ who did
not magnify Himself, but His Father in Heaven. (If one were to testify of
himself, the witness would be suspect. If one testifies of another, it's belie-
vable.) As we walk, talk and work in the presence, power and wisdom of
the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ, we do not make an issue of being empo-
wered. Our testimony is always to be of Jesus Christ in life. We never
boast of Holy Spirit Power. Persons within and without the church are
more able to identify with Jesus Christ than a Spirit. The work of the
Holy Spirit is to be taught to the believer who is ready to receive it, but
the teacher must never present himself as being mature in the Spirit, but
as a disciple (learner) just like the rest of us. (NO SUPER SAINTS) In
James 4:5 there is a reference to the "spirit" of man. This, of course, is
not the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of Jesus Christ. With this "spirit" in
control of a life, the Spirit of Jesus Christ will be quenched or grieved.
(1 Thessalonians 5: 19, Ephesians 4: 30)
Another consideration along this same line is the fact of Jesus' limita-
tion of Himself during his incarnation and the lifting of those limitations
through the presence of the Spirit in Christ's stead. Our lord was limited
to being in one place at a time. He was further limited by the frailness
of his human body. (John 4: 6) Being free of sin, yet tempted in the
same sense we are, to sin. Hebrews 4: 14-16, (vs. 15, "For we have not
an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities;
but was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin.) The Spirit
of Christ is not just omnipresent; every act, thought and attitude is perf-
ormed in His presence. Secondly, His power is that of God the Spirit
without limitation. He does as Christ did on the earth in that he always
does the Father's will and is one with the Father. He is not limited in
any way by time, space, or energy. (Is it not evident to you and me; the
Lord God in any of his manifestations, Son of God or Holy Spirit is not
concerned with status, eminence or who gets credit for anything done?
The glory always goes to God the Father who is a Spirit, not known in
the flesh, but the Spirit through faith. )
Praise his Holy name. I only hope this lesson is not lost on us as we
seek to honor and serve the Lord God here, in the Spirit. If we serve
our Lord with an expectation of recognition, praise or gain, we are in
the "flesh," and cannot please Him. We must be "like Christ." Our ser-
vice is not compulsory, nor self centered and we always give praise
and glory to our Lord. In that way we may have the Spirit on and in us
and in that way, may be "like Christ."
"God is a Spirit: and they that worship
Him must worship Him in Spirit and
in truth." John 4: 24 kjv
There is also the important concept of faith as we deal with the work
of the Spirit of God. In every facet of the Christ life, faith is essential.
No one has seen the Spirit of God. He is not experienced through any
of the five senses. One must be given the gift of faith. "So then, faith
cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." Romans 10:17.
In Hebrews 10:38 we read a passage we associate with Martin Luther,
"Now the just shall live by faith..." ( In Hebrews 11:6, "But without
faith it is impossible to please Him; for he that cometh to God must
believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek
him.") As one begins to study the how of every facet of Kingdom endea-
vors, we find worship, prayer, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, wit-
nessing to the gospel, and living a life above reproach, and anything we
might consider, must be done "in/by faith." (Faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ, enlightened by the Spirit to the glory of God the Father.)
Hebrews 11: 6 (see above)
Finally; In his incarnation, Jesus Christ was always outside mankind,
seeking to bless, teach, serve, heal and lead. The Spirit is involved in
the effort of bringing men to Christ by the conviction of sin, righteous-
ness, and judgment. The Holy Spirit is with, on, and in every believer
to create within that believer the image of our Lord, Jesus Christ. This
is the goal of our Lord; to perfect a spotless bride for Himself through
the sanctification or cleansing of individual believers making up his
church, through efforts of His Holy Spirit, as the believer is enlightened
thru the Word of God. God never acts contrary to, or apart from His
Word. (Holy Scripture)
The key to all of this is the act of individual believers, in fellowship
with the local church, immersing themselves in God's Word and learning
first hand, how the Holy Spirit is working in their lives. If one does not
become a disciple of Jesus Christ through personal, in-depth study of the
Word, and fellowship in His church he will never be all he could be in the
power of the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ. He will never know how our
Lord works in the lives of believers and will be guilty of "neglecting" His
salvation. How then shall he escape the censure of our Lord when he
stands before Him to give account for the deeds done in the flesh. In the
book of Hebrews, chapter 2, verses 1 thru 4 we see, "Therefore we must
give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.
For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every trans-
gression and disobedience received a just reward, (recompense) how shall
we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be
spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,
God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various mira-
cles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will? (You might
want to read chapters 1-2 of the book of Acts at one sitting.)
donporter 2.23.13 (edited 1.23.15)
No comments:
Post a Comment