God The Holy Spirit; The Third Person of the Trinity. Part II
I said before that God the Holy Spirit is hardly mentioned by Christians because the majority of believers have little understanding and comprehension, if any, of who the Holy Spirit really is. It may come to a surprise to many that He is equal to God the Father and God the Son. This sounds amazing I know, but it is true. And what is more amazing is that He is the dominant God in the world today. We are in the dispensation of the Holy Spirit. Just as Jesus, God the Son brought Glory to God the Father in the Old Testament, God the Holy Spirit is to bring Glory to God the Son. (John 16:14) I know some are saying this is confusing, I guarantee it will get easier and if you follow this teaching you will qualify yourself as an authority on this subject.
So far we have seen in the Scriptures that the Holy Spirit speaks, teaches, helps, and intercedes just like any person would. If we begin to think of Him as a very powerful person who protects us and fights our battles and win for us, we would do very well for our selves. (1John 4:4) Jesus said: “If I do not go away the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” (John 16:7) We know that on the day of Pentecost this promise was fulfilled. When we read the Bible today we would not understand it unless the Holy Spirit counsels our hearts and reveals the meaning of God’s message to us. It is the Holy Spirit who dictated these biblical messages to the writers, and it is Him who now reveals the meaning to the readers.
Let us look further into what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit’s activities. Acts 9:17 states that the Apostle Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit when Ananias, the priest, prayed for him and laid hands on him. The word filled means to energize the body and the spirit, and strengthens one’s faith. As a result, Paul’s vision was restored. He gives assurance to the believers and instills the peace of mind that we are not alone, and that He is always with us. What a joyful feeling to know that all is well with our souls.
In Acts 8:17, we read that Peter and John went down to Samaria when they heard that the Samaritans received God’s Word and were baptized. The apostles laid hands on them and the Samaritans received the Holy Spirit. The infilling and receiving of the Holy Spirit simply means that the believer is given assurance and confirmation of our faith in Christ. It is as if the Holy Spirit takes the center position in our lives and sits in the throne of our lives. This is illustrated in Acts 16:6 where the Holy Spirit forbade Paul and his companion to go to Asia and preach.
Before Jesus left his followers he prayed for them as well as us when he said, “I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word.” (John 17:20) Another function of the Holy Spirit is that he emboldens and gives courage to be witnesses (Acts 1:8). The word witness is described as bringing fruit as an offering to God’s kingdom (Leviticus 15). That happens on the fiftieth day, which is the day after the seven weeks.
I can go on endlessly speaking about the person of the Holy Spirit who grieves when we do wrong (Ephesians 4:30), and who intercedes as an advocate on our behalf (Romans 8:26). Another important work of the Holy Spirit is that He appoints individuals to serve in certain positions of authority within the Church (Acts 20:28). When he does appoint the preacher and the teacher, you as the believer will certainly know it. Unfortunately, very few leading our churches today are appointed by the Holy Spirit. This may be the reason why the church of today too often does not display the same power and miracles similar to that of the church in Jerusalem, which consisted of believers gathering in one another’s homes. My favorite part regarding the Holy Spirit is that He resides in your heart, and in mine. We are his temple (2 Corinthians 6:16). There is much more that will follow in our study of the Holy Spirit, but for now, thank Christ for the person of the Holy Spirit.
So far we have seen in the Scriptures that the Holy Spirit speaks, teaches, helps, and intercedes just like any person would. If we begin to think of Him as a very powerful person who protects us and fights our battles and win for us, we would do very well for our selves. (1John 4:4) Jesus said: “If I do not go away the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” (John 16:7) We know that on the day of Pentecost this promise was fulfilled. When we read the Bible today we would not understand it unless the Holy Spirit counsels our hearts and reveals the meaning of God’s message to us. It is the Holy Spirit who dictated these biblical messages to the writers, and it is Him who now reveals the meaning to the readers.
Let us look further into what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit’s activities. Acts 9:17 states that the Apostle Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit when Ananias, the priest, prayed for him and laid hands on him. The word filled means to energize the body and the spirit, and strengthens one’s faith. As a result, Paul’s vision was restored. He gives assurance to the believers and instills the peace of mind that we are not alone, and that He is always with us. What a joyful feeling to know that all is well with our souls.
In Acts 8:17, we read that Peter and John went down to Samaria when they heard that the Samaritans received God’s Word and were baptized. The apostles laid hands on them and the Samaritans received the Holy Spirit. The infilling and receiving of the Holy Spirit simply means that the believer is given assurance and confirmation of our faith in Christ. It is as if the Holy Spirit takes the center position in our lives and sits in the throne of our lives. This is illustrated in Acts 16:6 where the Holy Spirit forbade Paul and his companion to go to Asia and preach.
Before Jesus left his followers he prayed for them as well as us when he said, “I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word.” (John 17:20) Another function of the Holy Spirit is that he emboldens and gives courage to be witnesses (Acts 1:8). The word witness is described as bringing fruit as an offering to God’s kingdom (Leviticus 15). That happens on the fiftieth day, which is the day after the seven weeks.
I can go on endlessly speaking about the person of the Holy Spirit who grieves when we do wrong (Ephesians 4:30), and who intercedes as an advocate on our behalf (Romans 8:26). Another important work of the Holy Spirit is that He appoints individuals to serve in certain positions of authority within the Church (Acts 20:28). When he does appoint the preacher and the teacher, you as the believer will certainly know it. Unfortunately, very few leading our churches today are appointed by the Holy Spirit. This may be the reason why the church of today too often does not display the same power and miracles similar to that of the church in Jerusalem, which consisted of believers gathering in one another’s homes. My favorite part regarding the Holy Spirit is that He resides in your heart, and in mine. We are his temple (2 Corinthians 6:16). There is much more that will follow in our study of the Holy Spirit, but for now, thank Christ for the person of the Holy Spirit.
posted by Rev. Alfred Batarse, PhD. | 2:00 PM
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