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The Person of the Holy Spirit THE PERSON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT "It must be perfectly obvious to anyone that what the whole church needs from top to bottom is a deeper conversion, a profounder experience of the power of the Holy Spirit.” Samuel Shoemaker __________________________________________________________________ Characteristics of the Holy Spirit Definition of spirit - (Pnuema) wind, breath, spirit, immaterial, powerful, holy, pure. Misconceptions A quality of God's nature - "There's love here, peace, ... " The power that God exerts or impersonal force The first and most important thing to realize is that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity. We are anointed with the Holy Spirit (a person), not with holy power. 1. Referred to by Jesus as a person - John 16:13-14 2. He has personal characteristics - searches, works, grieves, talks, teaches, helps, etc... 3. He's divine (deity) Acts 5:3-4 -eternal - Hebrews 9:14 "eternal Spirit" -everywhere present (omnipresent) Psalm 139:7-10 -He has foreknowledge (omniscience) Acts 1:16 -He was in creation (Creator) Genesis 1:2, Psalm 104:30 4. Descriptions -Spirit of Life (Revelation 11:11) -Spirit of Holiness (Romans 1:4) -Spirit of wisdom (Ephesians 1:7, Isaiah 11:2) -Spirit of faith (2 Corinthians 4:13) -Spirit of truth (John 14:17) -Spirit of grace (Hebrews 10:29) -Spirit of grace and supplication (Zechariah 12:10) -Spirit of adoption (Romans 8:15) -Spirit of power, love, and discipline (2 Timothy 1:7) 5. The river that flows from the throne of God is the Spirit. -Jesus said that “out of your innermost being shall flow rivers of living waters." John 13:37 6. PNEUMA - wind, breath, spirit (which like the wind is invisible, immaterial, and powerful) (John 3:8, Acts 2:2) “The sound of a violent rushing wind” 7. Counselor (John 14) Ministries of the Holy Spirit The lack of reality, godliness, power and fruit in many Christians is due to the unbelief or improper understanding of the Holy Spirit. To overlook His person-hood, and divinity, is to by-pass God Himself and His great provision for the Church on earth. 1. To bring glory to Jesus (John 16:13-14) 2. He bestows gifts -the major work of the Holy Spirit in the OT was to give gifts -physical strength to Sampson -service (Numbers 11:17, Micah 3:8, Zechariah 7:12) -gives practice skills - Occupational gifts to temple makers (Exodus 31:2-5) -in filling for leadership (Numbers 11:25, Judges 6:34, 1 Samuel 16:13) 3. The Spirit's work in the world -convicts - (John 16:8) -witnesses to Christ (John 15:26-27) -invites to salvation (Revelation 22:17) 4. The Spirit's work in relation to the believer -regenerates - (John 3:3-6) -indwells - the body is His temple (Romans 8:11 , 1 Corinthians 6:19) -God's seal and earnest (down payment, guarantee) (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30) -sanctifies (mortifies) (Romans 8:15) -giver of spiritual gifts, teaching, healing, prophecy, tongues, healing, etc. -empowers for service (Acts 1:8) -eg. of Paul - demonstration of the Spirit's power -guides - controls the movements of (Acts 13:2, 1 Corinthians 2:4) -teaches "we all know the truth because we have an anointing from God' (1 John 2:20) -prays (Romans 8:26, 27) -He directs in the selection of Christian leaders (Acts 13:2) -counsels 5. The Holy Spirit takes the things of God and makes them know to us. (1 Corinthians 2:11) Life in the Holy Spirit There is the initial filling of the Holy Spirit at the time of conversion and then there is a daily walk in the Spirit during which we are filled. A. Jesus depended completely on the Holy Spirit to do His ministry 1. When He became a man He left certain attributes of His deity. 2. His ministry started when the Spirit descended on Him like a dove. B. God's people depended on the power of the Holy Spirit to do the work - eg. Paul (1 Corinthians 2:1-5) -Considerations: 1. No where in the Bible does it say that every believer will experience miracles, nor does it say that miracles will cease. 2. The Bible does say that the Holy Spirit produces unity and love. 3. The Biblical evidence of the Holy Spirit is not the miraculous, but it is the fruit. Nevertheless, we can't deny the Holy Spirit's ability to do the miraculous, even today. C. What does the Bible say about being filled with the Holy Spirit? (There is no pat formula). -indication is that we trust and obey, yield, set our minds on the things of the Spirit. -intake of God's word through preaching, fellowship, and personal reading -love of the brotherhood The following are taken from notes on the Holy Spirit in revival resulting in mission. Charles Finney speaking about communion with the LORD: “Whenever I fasted and let the Spirit take His own course with me, and gave myself up to let Him lead and instruct me, I always found it in the highest degree useful. I found I could not live without enjoying the presence of GOD, and if at any time a cloud came over me, I could not rest, I could not study, I could not attend to anything with the least satisfaction or benefit until the way was again cleared between my soul and GOD.” Welsh Revival 1904: Mr. Joshua told how it had been laid upon him four years before to ask the LORD definitely to take a lad from the coal-mine or from the field, even as he took Elisha, to revive His work in Wales. He prayed GOD to raise an instrument whereby human pride might be humbled -- not one from Cambridge lest it would minister to their pride, nor one from Oxford university lest it would feed the intellectualism of the Church. The LORD raised up Evan Roberts (a coal-miner). The whole community was shaken. Meetings lasted until 4 a.m. and at 6 a.m. the people would be awakened by the sounds of the crowds going to the early morning prayer meeting. The work went on until the whole population had been transformed into a praying multitude. Men marveled at the sovereign power of GOD in moving the secular press to report the work of GOD. Roberts, the 26 year old coal miner, was called “the revivalist.” Everywhere the people thronged in multitudes to hear him. The Spirit of GOD appeared to put aside preaching and use rather the voice of testimony. 'We are witnesses' was the burden of the message of the Spirit-possessed souls in the days of Pentecost. And this was the Holy Spirit's message through His people as He bore witness by signs and wonders wrought amongst the thronging multitudes. Under the constraint of an unseen power, the chapels were filled with eager people at all hours of the day and the services took their own course under the control of the Holy Spirit. The burden of Evan Robert's message would be, “Obey the Holy Spirit” and when one in the meeting would break out into prayer while he was speaking, he would calmly give place, and show to others his acknowledgment of the presidency of one greater than he. At some point, Roberts would test the meeting and put it to the four definite steps to salvation which he said the Holy Spirit had given him to urge upon the people: -The past must be made clear by sin being confessed to GOD and every wrong put right. -Every doubtful thing in the life must be put away. -There must be prompt obedience to the Holy Spirit. -There must be public confession of Christ. Forgiveness of others as an essential to receiving the forgiveness of GOD was emphasized. Also a distinction was made between the Holy Spirit's work in conversion and in baptizing the believer with the Holy Spirit. In truth , the revivalist was giving the 'full' gospel as presented at Pentecost and, like Peter's message, it received the co-witness of the Holy Spirit and produced Pentecostal results. But Robert's special burden always was the Church; “Bend the Church and save the world." This was his cry. The Church first had to submit to GOD and stop resisting His will. His one aim seemed first to get the Christians right with GOD so that the Spirit might break out in converting power upon the unsaved. And Calvary was the power both for sinner and saved. The revivalist would break down in heart-anguished sobbing when he touched the theme. The Welsh revival became a singing revival. Souls were sung to Christ and exalted over in song when won. The spirit of gladness and praise filled all hearts as thousands rejoiced in a new-found assurance of salvation. The Spirit of GOD did His own work of convicting, and many were the evidences of His power working through hymn and testimony. All the world bore testimony to these practical evidences of the power of GOD; 'seeing the man who was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.” “A notable miracle has been wrought and we cannot deny it'. said many a one previously skeptical of the practical power of the Christian faith. With one accord the converts put aside the “drink” and the temperance workers saw the Spirit of GOD accomplish in three months what they had labored to do for 40 years. Visitors from all parts of Britain and the continent began to flock to Wales to see the great sight of GOD breaking forth in supernatural power upon the sons of men. Ezekiel 47:9 “Everything shall live to where the river comes.” The river of GOD appeared to break out in so many districts at the same time in November 1904. The Spirit of GOD was at work in preparation for months beforehand, some of the ministers having entered the Spirit-filled life in 1903. A drawing together of the Free churches in unity was the first preparation of the Spirit. Then in November, a convention for the deepening of the spiritual life was convened by the united churches. But on the sabbath evening preceding the convention, in three places of worship in the town, the Spirit of GOD broke out. Many were weeping and young and old praying and praising in a most unheard of fashion. On the Monday night in one church, about 80 adults were studying Luke 4 when suddenly there grew upon the whole company a vision of Christ unique in His person and claims. All fell to praying and praising GOD unaware to themselves, crying with joy. The next week in the convention the floodgates of Heaven were indeed opened. It was said that in every classroom and available corner of the chapel grounds, groups of women, young people, ministers or elderly men were seen in prayer. Many were sobbing and pleading with GOD in utter oblivion of all that was around. That night the whole congregation marched in procession to the market square for a jubilant open-air service of praise. Charles Finney speaking of His own baptism; “But as I turned and was about to take a seat by the fire, I received a mighty baptism of the Holy Spirit -- the Holy Spirit descended upon me in a manner that seemed to go through me, body and soul. I could feel the impression, like a wave of electricity, going through and through me. Indeed it seemed to come in waves of liquid L O V E. I can remember distinctly that it seemed to fan me like immense W I N G S. No words can express the wonderful love that was spread abroad in my heart. I wept aloud with joy and love. I literally bellowed out the unspeakable overflow of my heart. These waves came over me, and over me, and over me, one after the other, until I remember crying out 'I shall die if these waves continue to pass over me' I said, 'LORD I cannot bear any more' yet I had no fear of death.”

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