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THE HOLY SPIRIT
By Jack Viljoen
The Holy Spirit is as real as you and I. And, He is busy working in the lives of people today whether they believe it or not. In fact, He has such a crucial role to play in the big scheme of things; if He were not here right now there would be no life on this earth!
The Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The three different Persons are One God. It can be said that God manifests Himself in three different Persons, yet each Person has His own identity, and all three are equal in all aspects. They all have the same character attributes. As such the Holy Spirit is a person in His own right and is not, as some would have you believe, simply a force. He, that’s right He, is very much God as is the Father and the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is not a “thing” or an “it”. As we shall see in this discussion He was involved from the creation of the earth, through the whole of the Old Testament times, into and throughout the New Testament, and is still working in the present.
In my last article, published on The Church in the Father’s Heart, I mentioned that the Holy Spirit was the one who would help you in your walk with the Lord. I also said that the Holy Spirit would help you to understand scripture and guide you and lead you through prayer. I intended for this to be a Bible study on the person of the Holy Spirit but as I finished the last sentence I felt led by the Lord to just share from my heart concerning the Holy Spirit and the church.
In the New Testament, when any of the apostles spoke concerning the Holy Spirit, there was no in-depth teaching or Bible study (there was in fact no bible as we know it today). No, they simple mentioned that there was another experience after rebirth and that was to receive what Jesus spoke of in the book of Acts. He said that we would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon us. We will also take a look at that POWER later on in this article. There has been so much wrong teaching and incorrect emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit in the “Christian church”. We have learned theologians with strings of letters after their names proclaiming with boldness and conviction that the work and gifts of the Holy Spirit ceased when the last apostle died. They have misled countless millions by stating that there is only one infilling of the Holy Spirit and that is at the time of rebirth. Why then did Jesus and the apostles teach otherwise? Where did they derive their erroneous teachings from? No doubt at seminaries founded upon humanistic interpretations of the scriptures. I sometimes wonder whether “PhD” does not stand for Post hole Digger. Strong words maybe but people need to wake up and know that the Bible, the infallible Word of God, says of itself that it was written by men under the prompting of the Holy Spirit. I apologise to those PhDs who do know and teach the truth. There is nothing wrong with qualifications unless of course they are killing you by “degrees”. The apostle Paul had even stronger words to say. It is also doubtful whether such people have in fact experienced the rebirth.
Little wonder then that “churches” have to resort to programmes, promotions and the like to keep their membership alive. There is only one way to bring life to people and that is through being born again by the Holy Spirit of God through having faith in the finished work of Jesus. Jesus said that He would build His church and, He is building with “living stones”. Organised religious institutions build with bricks and mortar. The church that Jesus is building is a living organism, not a structured organisation. His church is powered by love relationships through the working of the Holy Spirit in peoples’ hearts. Religious organisations are powered by programmes and the preaching of sermons concocted in the mind of man and “supported” by scripture. Those who “preach and teach” had better beware as the Bible says that they will be judged more severely. I need to say in the defence of religious institutions that God will use whatever man has to offer and turn it around for His purposes. Yes there are those sitting in man-made citadels who have found the Lord. They even love the Lord and so desire to really know Him but they are trapped and may never reach their full potential in God. They are however still His children. God loves them; yes and He also loves those who are responsible for keeping them in bondage.
The Holy Spirit was with the Father and the Son in eternity past. He was there at the point of the creation of the world. He was involved in creating the universe; casting the stars into their places.
All of the people that God used in the Old Testament were filled with the Holy Spirit. God does not work apart from His Spirit. The prophecies given by men concerning the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, were given in the power of the Holy Spirit.
The birth of Jesus, His ministry, His miracles, His death and resurrection, in fact every aspect of His life was enveloped in the Holy Spirit. Jesus taught that when He ascended to the Father that we would not be left alone but the Holy Spirit would be with us to the end. We can see the working of the Holy Spirit through all the New Testament writings.
The POWER that Jesus spoke of in the book of Acts was in fact the power of the Holy Spirit that would come into our lives to empower us to “be His witnesses”. To be a witness for Jesus is simply to live the lifestyle that He taught and that which was confirmed by ALL the New Testament writers. If we will just “be” then people will be able to “see” Jesus in our lives. The POWER was not to be used to demonstrate the gifts of the Holy Spirit in public meetings and in so doing “draw” people to our churches because “God is here”. The gifts of the Holy Spirit were given in order that we may live each day under His control only using the gifts as He directs to administer God’s love and encouragement to one another. The purpose being that the church (the people that comprise it) may be built up until we all reach the measure of the full stature of God. We were created in His image and likeness but sin caused us to be separated from Him. Through what Jesus accomplished by His death and resurrection we can be reconciled to God our Father. Now God is busy restoring us by His Holy Spirit.
In ending this article I would like to quote a few scriptures. -Romans 5:1-5 “Therefore since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.” -2 Corinthians 3:17-18 “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. -Jesus said “you nullify the word of God for the sake of your traditions.” Matthew 15:6.
Let us not grieve the Holy Spirit by denying Him access to our hearts.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.
With much love,
Jack Viljoen. jack@titfh.co.za http://www.tcitfh.co.za
Article Source: http://Amazines.com
