HOLY SPIRIT

St. John 16:7. "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you."

The Lord Jesus said that it was expedient for Him to go away, or the Comforter would not come to the disciples.

The Holy Spirit does so much in the lives of believers that it cannot be fully told on this page. Yet we need to know His works and believe them, for the Holy Spirit makes us alive. John 6:63.

The Holy Spirit regenerates us when we come to Christ for salvation. Titus 3:5. He baptizes us into the Body of Christ. 1 Cor.12:13. The Holy Spirit lives in our human spirit, manifesting Christ in us. We correctly say that Christ dwells in our heart by the Holy Spirit. John 14:7b; 16:13.

Apostle Paul prayed that God would grant saints to be strengthened in our inner man by the Holy Spirit. Eph.3:16.

All of the above functions of the Holy Spirit come under the title Paraclete, used by Jesus in John 14:6. E.g., the Holy Spirit is a strengthener, a teacher, a guide, a helper, an inter- cessor, and a revealer of Divine things to man in general, and especially to believers.

According to 1 Cor.2:9-15, mankind CANNOT know the things of God, unless the Holy Spirit shows them to us. Even if we read the Scripture, without the Holy Spirit's help, we WILL not and CANNOT know the depths of what is said.

Jesus taught that the world, (unbelievers, un born again people) CANNOT receive the Holy Spirit, and so He does NOT dwell in sinners. John 14:17.

There is another activity of the Holy Spirit that is so precious, and for which we should be so thankful. 1 John 2:27 (Please read it now) says that the anointing (of the Holy Spirit) abides (dwells) in us (born again believers).

The teaching activity of the Holy Spirit is for every born again believer, since all born again believers have a measure of the Holy Spirit, even if they have not been baptized with the Holy Spirit, per Acts 2:4, 10:44-45, 19:6. Even so, they do NOT have the measure available to them in the Baptism with the Holy Spirit.

The anointing will teach us the Word of God, whether we are hearing it preached or taught, or if we are simply reading/studying it. It is most blessed to have the Holy Spirit reveal the Scripture to us. We should especially desire this activity of the Holy Spirit when we attend Church, study the Bible or have times of fellowship with God in prayer, praise & worship.

Surely, it was Christ's intent that EVERY believer should have this blessed function of the Holy Spirit. The Scripture shows that Jesus never intended for any believer to omit the Baptism with the Holy Spirit. John 7:38-39.

People who suppose that the Bible pattern of the Baptism with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8,2:4) passed when the Apostles died, are mistaken.

Per Acts 2:39 the baptism with the Holy Spirit accompanied with speaking in other tongues is for all believers from then onward.

The Lord Jesus told His disciples in Acts 1:8 that they would receive power after that the Holy Spirit was come upon them. That power was expressed in miracles, signs and wonders and supernatural knowledge, wisdom and grace.

In 1 Cor. 12:7-11, there is a list of the special manifestations of the Holy Spirit (called gifts of the Spirit in the KJV). In addition, Paul mentions the Spirit of Revelation in the knowledge of God, in Eph.1:16.

Let us mention the Inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 2 Tim.3:16 says: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God...". There is also a lesser degree of Divine Inspiration that accompanies preaching and teaching, especially at times.

Because of the above information, I have come to regard the Holy Spirit as the Executive Agent of God's power. Remember that it was the Holy Spirit that came upon the Virgin Mary, when Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit in her womb. Lu. 1:35. The Holy Spirit was also present at the time of Genesis 1:2-31.

The Holy Spirit is so vital to us that Rom. 8:9 says that if any man does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. This means the Presence of the Holy Spirit in the reborn ones, not the baptism with the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus, as noted in John 16:7 considered it VERY IMPORTANT for the Holy Spirit to come to His disciples.

In the words of Acts 19:1-2: "Have ye received the Holy Ghost since you believed?" This means the baptism with the Holy Spirit, which EVERY believer should receive.

God bless you, I love you.