December 31, 2020 THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
John 14:16=17 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you and forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.”
John 16:13 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth, for He will not speak of His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”
Romans 8:11,14 “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.”
1 Corinthians 12:7 “But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”
When we read verses that deal with the role of the Holy Spirit in us, it becomes obvious that we cannot live the Christian life apart from the work of the Spirit. As Jesus was about to ascend back to the Father, He promised that He would send the Holy Spirit-the Comforter-the Helper- and He made that promise because He knew that His followers could not live according to His instructions and His example apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. Because there have been some who present an unbiblical view of the Holy Spirit, many have been ‘turned off’ and simply put the subject of the Holy Spirit ‘on the back burner.” Even though there has been some error and misunderstanding in teaching on the Holy Spirit, we must not let that distract us from knowing and welcoming the work of the Spirit in us. In one sense, there is a mystery about the Holy Spirit because He is super-natural, and yet, His role and His work in us is clear and discernable. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us “Trust in God with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Our Father has made provision for us know the way we should go, and to have His wisdom for all of life’s decisions; we are not left alone to figure life out on our own. “But when He, the Holy Spirit comes, He will guide you into all truth.” John 16:13a. Not only does the Holy Spirit give us direction in life, He is also about transforming us into God’s image. One of the primary roles of the Spirit is that of revealing the Father to us and our identity in Him. The Spirit speaks to us in many ways, primarily through His word, but will also give us thoughts or impressions in our spirit, He can and will speak through circumstances, and He may speak through others. Because it is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can live the Christian life, let us embrace His work in us and be quick to respond to His promptings.
John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”
Ephesians 1:13-14 “in whom ye also, having also believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is an earnest of our inheritance, unto the redemption of God’s own possession, unto the praise of His glory.”
Blessings,
Buddy