Friday, June 20, 2025

The Holy Spirit

I do not hear much teaching on the Holy Spirit across the many venues of Christian exposition. Let me raise a theme of study... The Holy Spirit!

Luke 24:46-49 says, Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with POWER from on high.”

This was supposed to be Israel’s ministry... to preach Christ from Jerusalem to the whole rest of the world. But of course they never accepted the Kingdom, nor their King, nor their High Priest.

Then in Acts 1:5-8 we read, John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. Therefore, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive POWER when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Of course, they never accomplished this.

The POWER of the Holy Spirit is given to accomplish the will of God. For the Apostles, it was to evangelize the world. That never happened. And so for us now, the POWER of the Holy Spirit is given to be conformed to the image of Christ... Rom. 8:29; 1 Cor. 15:49; 2 Cor. 3:18; Eph. 4:24. The Holy Spirit is the POWER we have been given to BE like Jesus here on Earth! Does anyone see this power manifested today among professing believers? What is W R O N G ?

The Apostle Paul, declared by Jesus Himself to be the Apostle of Grace (and not Law), said in his letter to the Hebrews, Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of the Christ, let us go on to perfection (maturity) not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, (nor) of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment, Heb. 6:1-2.

Read that again and again to comprehend (understand until you know it) what the Holy Spirit is saying by the hand of Paul. I think you will conclude that what Paul is saying “not to do” is precisely what is being done by modern so-called Bible teachers... over and over. And then too, they are “preaching to the choir” as they say.

Here is my premise...
Jesus has ascended to Heaven to SIT at the right hand of God. There is only one place in scripture where it is said “He was standing” since His ascension... in Acts 7:56, where Stephen who is about to be martyred, looked up to Heaven and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man STANDING  at the right hand of God!” I believe His “standing” shows His readiness to come back to Israel as their Messiah/King, but of course, they would not have it. So in chapter 9 of Acts, Paul is converted by Christ Himself and sent to the Gentiles because God now turns His back on Israel.

So Jesus is gone from the Earth!
But Jesus said. God will send the Holy Spirt and you/we will receive POWER! “Power” is the gift. The Holy Spirit is also the Gift, and the Giver. Just as Jesus was the Gift (Lamb) and the Giver (God). The Holy Spirit is the third PERSON of the Godhead. This means He IS God! He is a “personality” as much as Jesus the Son was/is... as much as God the Father is. He has a mind, like God; He has a will, like God; and He has emotion, like God. Want proof? Study your Bible. It's in there...

MIND... Rom. 8:6, The mind of the flesh is death, and the mind of the Spirit is life and peace. Rom. 8:27, He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit.

WILL... 1 Cor. 12:11, But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

EMOTION... Eph. 4:30, And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.
Rom. 15:30, I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit has been involved from the beginning in redemption, and can therefore be said to have an anointing, as did God the Son, and the Son of God.
John 15:26, The Spirit of truth who proceeds out from the Father will testify about Me. (There’s the Trinity right there in one verse.)
John 16:14, He will glorify Me because it is from Me that He will receive what He will make known to you. (this is an infinitely deep verse.)

The Holy Spirit is NOT a dove, although the dove has been shown as a symbol... along with fire, water, wind, oil, etc. He is invisible Like God; as the wind. We see the "effects" of the wind but not the wind, John 3:8. The Holy Spirit is given for the POWER to be made like Jesus. We are to BE HOLY!
It is written, “Be holy, for I am holy” 1 Peter 1:16. Peter was quoting Lev. 19:2 where God (Jehovah) was telling the Jews through Moses, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.
For some “professors” this is too uncomfortable and inconvenient. I can hardly believe that.

So, in closing for now... We are denying (grieving) the Holy Spirit and His work. It is evident to some, and we’re uncomfortable and discouraged. But for others... things are OK the way they are. They’re “doing” their best. But your “best” is like a filthy rag, Isaiah 64:6; Gal. 2:16.





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