Burtchurch Rooted and Grounded (Colossians 2:7)

Spirit of the Living God

As Christians, we believe the Holy Spirit is the person of God that guides us, leads us to faith in Jesus, and gives us the strength and self-control to lead a Christian life. The Holy Spirit is like “unseen hands” that guide and direct us in God’s way. The Spirit is active not only in our lives but also in the church and in the world.

We also believe that the Holy Spirit is God living with us.  That’s not just a metaphor.  Scripture repeatedly tells us that the Holy Spirit lives with us and in us.  We receive gifts from the Holy Spirit, we receive strength and power, and filling our lives with the Spirit produces the fruits of a happy and abundant life.  Ephesians 5:18 commands us to “Be filled with the Spirit!”

The Breath of God

The Greek word from which we get “Spirit” is the word pneuma. Another translation for pneuma is the word “breath”. So the New Testament you can literally translate the Holy Spirit as “the breath of God”.  Now, remember YHWH from Session Two? The breath of God?  That is a wonderful way to think of the Holy Spirit.  The breath of God, perhaps whispering into your ear, perhaps gently blowing you down the path of his purpose for you.

 The Holy Spirit of the Old Testament

In class we looked through the Bible at different passages about the Holy Spirit to get a better idea of just what this form of God is, what the Holy Spirit does, and how we can receive it. First, look at a few stories from the Old Testament where the Spirit is active in the world.

Genesis 1:1-2 The Spirit is with God at the very beginning of the Bible, present at the creation.

Numbers 11:25-26 The Lord came down to Moses and the 70 elders and “took of the Spirit that was on him and put the Spirit on them” and “when the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied.” So this Spirit is part of God, and God places it onto people. And upon receiving it, they perform actions guided by the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is mentioned many times by Old Testament prophets as something that will be fulfilled. The prophets keep connecting the Holy Spirit with the coming Messiah.

Joel 2:28 God says “…I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy…” Just like in the Moses story. This was quoted by Peter on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:17-21)

Ezekiel 36:26-27 Prophesy that God will “give you a new heart and put a new Spirit in you… and I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.  This adds to what we read in Joel, telling us the Spirit will be in us and move us. 

Isaiah 42:1 God says “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.”  Yet another new idea, that the Spirit will be upon the Messiah.

The Holy Spirit of the Gospels

The Holy Spirit first shows up in the New Testament before even Jesus. In the first chapter of Luke, the Holy Spirit is mentioned several times. Verse 15 has the angel of the Lord declaring that John the Baptist will be “filled with the Holy Spirit from birth”. Verse 35 has Gabriel telling Mary that “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of God will overshadow you” to conceive Jesus. In Verse 41 Elizabeth is “filled with the Holy Spirit” as her unborn son John the Baptist “leaped for joy” when Mary entered the room!

Luke 3:21-22 When Jesus is baptized the Holy Spirit descends upon him in bodily form like a dove” Fulfilling the Isaiah 42:1 prophesy that Jesus is the one in which God delights and puts the Spirit on him. And what happens next, in Luke 4:1 the Spirit leads him into the desert. So we have the Spirit dwelling in Jesus, and leading him, guiding him, or if you read Mark 1:12 NKJV, driving him.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus mentions this Spirit that has been put upon him (again, from Isaiah) and promises that the Spirit will be a Counselor sent to the disciples from God on Jesus’ behalf.  Note the different qualities of the Holy Spirit that Jesus describes:

John 14:15-17 Jesus will ask the Father to send another Counselor, the Spirit of truth. The Spirit will live with you and be in you.

John 14:25-26 Jesus says the Holy Spirit will teach us all things and remind us of everything Jesus said.

John 15:26 Jesus says the Holy Spirit will testify about him.

John 16:12-15 The Spirit will guide you into all truth. Will tell you of what is yet to come, will bring glory to Jesus by making Christ known to us. The Sprit will make known to us all that belongs to the Father.

In Acts, (which we called “Acts of the Holy Spirit” in Sunday school) Jesus delivers on his promise at Pentecost. Power comes from on high!  The disciples received holy boldness and they spoke in new tongues.  People from faraway places understood them talkintg about the mighty acts of God in the languages that they normally spoke (the visitors from foreign lands). Peter is led to preach a powerful, Scripture based sermon and 3000 people come to the Lord taht day! Then we see ways in which the Holy Spirit empowers and guides the early church. The Holy Spirit is mentioned in Acts 57 times.

Acts 2:1-4 Tongues of fire separated and came to rest on each person, filling them with the Holy Spirit. Peter preaches from Joel 2:28-32 that this is the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised. (v. 33)

 The Holy Spirit keeps falling on each new group of believers that joins the church: Jews (4:31), Samaritans (8:17), Gentiles (10:44) and John the Baptist’s disciples (19:6).

It is what Jesus promised in John 16:7 – that God actually became present in each one of them, making His activity in the world more widespread than ever before. Jesus was one man. But through the Holy Spirit, he could spread to and dwell within many.

Paul’s Teachings on The Holy Spirit 

Paul’s letters discuss the Holy Spirit in detail, describing both the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Gifts are things given. Fruits are the qualities that the gifts produce in people who receive the Holy Spirit.

Romans 12:6-8 We have different gifts: prophesy, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leadership, compassion. 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 Different gifts of the spirit: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miraculous powers, prophesy, discernment, speaking in tongues, interpreting tongues. 

Galatians 5:22-23 The fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Paul is preaching that if you allow yourself to be guided by the Holy Spirit, receive it’s gifts, then you will produce these fruits and not give in to acts of the sinful nature.

The Holy Spirit in Our Lives Today

My own life changed when I considered the fruits of the Holy Spirit, and I decided that I needed those in my life.  I prayed, and I spoke to God and told Him to take my life and use it to His purpose.  I prayed that prayer many times, to receive His Holy Spirit and be guided to His purpose.  And eventually I learned to hear the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and was filled with the Spirit to do His will and work in His mission.  I learned what gifts I had been given and felt led to opportunities to use those gifts.

I believe we can all do the same thing.  Give our lives to God, receive His Holy Spirit, and feel His guidance.  But we have to ask for it in prayer.  Repeatedly.  And allow ourselves to be filled with His Spirit’s power and love!

John Wesley wrote that “God hardly gives the Spirit even to those he has established in grace if they do not pray for it on all occasions, not only once, but many times.”

Do you typically pray for guidance before you make a decision? Or do you pray for help after poor decisions have been made?

Do you think going to God first and asking for the Holy Spirit’s guidance could help you make better decisions?

Do you think that God could use you, guiding you by the Holy Spirit to help others in ways you might not understand, or in ways you could not have thought of yourself?

Consider this:  God does not need you.  After all, He is God.  But He wants you.  He wants to use you to help others, to do His will on earth.  It is what we pray for every time we say the Lord’s Prayer: “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  Receiving the Holy Spirit is how we become instruments of God’s will, how we become partners in doing the work of our Lord.

Assignment:

Every Christian should be able to tell the story of why Jesus came to save us and how that happens.  When a friend challenges you about your faith, asks you what you believe or what the Bible is really about, will you be able to tell them the story?

Your assignment is to tell this story to your parents and mentors.  If you can repeat the story from memory using the symbols we drew in class, it will help you remember and help you profess your faith.  It is a story that, unfortunately, not every Christian can tell.