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Further Study on the Gifts of the Spirit
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 | | The Trinity - Lee Strobel |
 | | Hillsong United - Holy Spirit Rain Down |
Some of the material in this lesson was adapted from
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The Holy Spirit is how we experience God.
Sometimes we think it would be easier to be a Christian, to believe in God, if we could see Jesus face to face. Maybe, maybe not. Nevertheless, Jesus promised that we would not be left alone, without access to God. He told us that God promised to send the Holy Spirit to be with us and comfort us. "I will ask the father, and He will give you another Advocate...The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name." (John 14:15, 16) |
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Article III
The Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Triune Godhead, that He is ever present and efficiently active in and with the Church of Christ, convincing the world of sin, regenerating those who repent and believe, sanctifying believers, and guiding into all truth as it is in Jesus.
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The Holy Spirit is the Third Person in the Trinity.
God the Holy Spirit is not a separate or third God. He is an eternally existent part of God, part of the mystery we know as the Trinity. We see this Trinity named in the often quoted words of Jesus as he was preparing to leave this world. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19)
Christianity 101 NPH 2008
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The Work of the Holy Spirit
The work of the Holy Spirit was not limited to Bible times. The spirit is still alive and working through Christians every day. In fact, the Holy Spirit does some very important work in us today.
It is through the Holy Spirit that God awakens in us our need for Him. The Holy Spirit deals with us even before we come to God by making us aware that something is lacking in our lives.
When we feel that twinkle of guilt for doing something wrong, that is the Holy Spirit at work. When we feel the need to offer a prayer, that is the Holy Spirit. When we finally realize our need to come to Christ and be cleansed of our sins, that is the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit is a vital connective we have to God, and through whom God communicates with us. It is by the work of the Holy Spirit that God makes us into new creations when we accept Christ as their Savior.
The Holy Spirit enables us to repent of our sins and find salvation. After we become Christians, God's Holy Spirit assures us that we are indeed children of God. "It is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God" [Romans 8:16].
The spirit of God is also the power that sanctifies us entirely. The Holy Spirit enables us to grow and become mature Christians.
And last, but by no means least, it is the Holy Spirit of God that will raise us up from our graves at the end of time. As the Bible says, "If Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you" (Romans 8:11)
(Christianity 101 NPH, 2008)
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The Holy Spirit has always existed
The Holy Spirit was not "born" when Jesus left this earth. The Holy Spirit has always existed because the Holy Spirit is God, just as the father and the son are. We can easily see this truth if we take a look back through the Bible.
In the Old Testament, we see that the Holy Spirit was present at creation. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." (Genesis 1:1-2)
Throughout the Old Testament narrative, the Holy Spirit was present, inspiring many people to prophesy. Examples of these events can be found in the following Scripture passages:
Numbers 24:2
1 Samuel 10:10
2 Chronicles 15:1
Ezequiel 11:24
The Holy Spirit is present in the stories of the New Testament as well. He is at the conception of Jesus, Luke 1:35 present in the story of Elizabeth and John the Baptist, Luke 1:41 in the prophetic message of Zachariah,
Luke 1:67 and in the inspiration of Simeon's words upon seeing the baby Jesus. Luke 2:25
The Holy Spirit was present throughout Jesus' earthly life. Three such examples can be found in Luke 2:32 (Jesus' baptism), Luke 4:1-2 (the temptation of Jesus), and Luke 10:21 (the return of the 70 sent ones).
The Holy Spirit was also visibly present at an event we know as Pentecost. This special day occurred shortly after Jesus ascension back into heaven. The Holy Spirit caused the gospel to be heard in different languages. And he gave the apostles, who were ordinary working men and women, the boldness to spread the gospel of Jesus everywhere they went. Acts 2:24
Christianity 101 NPH, 2008
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