THE HOLY SPIRIT

God's Warrior · THE HOLY SPIRIT

HOLY SPIRIT
Martha

SALVATION

BAPTIZED WITH THE SPIRIT

FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT
Nobody is perfect
God understands

For some, life is a long string of joys and sorrows with the promise of heaven at the end. The real tragedy is that we have lost our ability to function in our society the way God originally intended. We were left here to be a light to our world.

How can we expect non-Christians to accept Christ if they look at our lives and if this is our concept of life? We can not expect them to embrace a Savior they know nothing about. You may be the only Christian they know. What do they see?

God is looking for imperfect men and women who have learned to walk in moment-by moment dependence on the Holy Spirit. Christians who have come to terms with their inadequacies, fears, and failures. Believers who have become discontent with "surviving" and have taken the time to investigate everything God has to offer.

I AM CONCERNED ABOUT:
1. People who have reached the conclusion that Christianity just doesn't work.
2. About people who are just going thru the motions.
3. Their lives are characterized by defeat.

THERE IS NO HOPE FOR THOSE WHO ARE CONTEMPLATING RAISING THE WHITE FLAG. Our hope springs from a promise Jesus made at a time when His closest followers were about to give up hope. He said,
"I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you: John 14:18

If the Christian life is simply a matter of doing our best, there was no need for God to send the Holy Spirit to help us. After all our best is our best. How do we improve on that? Since God is omniscient, as we certainly believe He is, He knows when we have done all we can do.

Jesus let it be known that God was looking for more than our best. He was looking for a life-style and attitude that superseded our best, a life-style and attitude that we could never attain thru our own efforts. So He sent us the Holy Spirit John 16:7

Think about this. If we don't need any help, why send a Helper? The promise of a Helper pre-supposes that we need help. The promise of a Helper was Jesus' way to tipping us off to one other most profound truths concerning the Christian life - it is impossible. The quality of life Jesus expects from His followers is unattainable apart from outside intervention.

If we accept the fact that life is impossible we can better understand why we fail so often and you can understand that the system God created was for our good and it works.

Wait.... the Apostles lived, walked and talked with Jesus they should be able to do their best. Why should they need a helper - the Holy Spirit. Jesus realized they would and he promised them and told them to wait for the Holy Spirit - Acts 1:4-8.

Even after all they had seen and experienced, they were not ready. There was something, someone missing. Jesus knew they were not ready for the task that lay ahead for them.

If 11 men who had walked and talked with Jesus, witnessed His miracles, learned at His feet needed the Holy Spirit - don't you think we need it as well.

WHY DO WE NOT USE THE HOLY SPIRIT?

I believe there are 2 primary reasons so many Christians have failed to take advantage of the help of the Holy Spirit:

1. Preachers don't become a role model of one filled with the Holy Spirit or they don't teach about it.

2. When you first were born again an excitement about this newfound life manifest itself by a whole lot of activity. You have a burst of spiritual energy making it thrilling to spend time with new believers. Bible Study---Witness---attend seminars----carry their Bibles everywhere.

All of that is fine except for one small detail. The energy source of all their activity is usually their own human strength- which of course is being fueled by the genuine joy that accompanies salvation or restoration.
THEY GROW TIRED OF THE ACTIVITY. THE EMOTIONAL HIGH SUBSIDES. AND THEY WONDER WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. DETERMINED NOT TO REGRESS, THEY DIG IN THEIR HEELS AND YOU GUESSED IT --THEY DO THEIR BEST.

We need to learn to recognize the work of the Holy Spirit.
So what does the Holy Spirit do? It:
convicts
teaches
guides
assures
intercedes
directs
warns
John 16:13
The Holy Spirit is not an "it" but rather a personality, which has: knowledge, will and emotion. 1 Cor. 2:11-12

THE HOLY SPIRIT KNOWS:
1. The thoughts of God
2. The Holy Spirit imparts knowledge to believers
3. He has power
4. Has a will (I Cor. 12:11
5. The Holy Spirit makes decisions. He is not a power to be harnessed and manipulatedd. He has a mind and will of His own. To tap into the Holy Spirit is not to enhance one's ability to carry out one's will. The power of the Holy Spirit is available only to those who intention is to carry out His will.
6. [b]The Holy Spirit is God.
7. The Holy Spirit Is part of the Trinity?
8. You are the temple of God and the Holy Spirit lives within you.
9. You are sealed by the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13-14

When you became a Christian you were sealed into Christ. The term sealed is used in various ways in the N.T. In every case the term sealed carried with it the ideas of protection and security.

During the Tribulation, God will put a seal on the 144,000 Jews. The seal will apparently be an invisible mark on the forehead. As the Great Tribulation progresses, it becomes evident that the members of this group bearing God's seal have been granted supernatural protection from the chaos surrounding them.

WHEN GOD LOOKS AT YOU HE SEES THE HOLY SPIRIT WITHIN YOU. THE PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A SPIRITUAL REMINDER OF GOD'S PROMISE TO FINISH WHAT HE HAS BEGUN IN YOU. IT IS A SIGN TO THE SPIRIT WORLD THAT YOU BELONG TO SOMEONE ELSE.

The apostles were instructed to wait.
The Holy Spirit initiated the filling
Filling is permanent (Acts)
Believers are instructed to act
Commanded to be filled and this type of filling is repeatable. (Eph. 5:1 Cool

The Christian life is a life of abiding in Christ.
Bear fruit - not by incessant effort for sunshine and air; not by vain struggles for those influences which give beauty to the blossom and shine to the leaf; it simply abides in the vine, in silent and undisturbed union, and blossoms and fruit appear as of spontaneous growth.

How does a Christian bear fruit? By efforts and struggles to obtain that which is freely given; by meditations on watchfulness, on prayer, on action, on temptation, on dangers? NO: there must be a full concentration of the thoughts and affections on Christ; a complete surrender of the whole being to Him; a constant looking to Him for grace. Christians in whom these dispositions are once firmly fixed go on calmly as the infant borne in the arms of its mother.

IT DAWNED ON ME THAT I HAD BEEN LIKE A BRANCH STRAINING TO PRODUCE FRUIT ON ITS OWN. NO WONDER THERE WAS SO LITTLE FRUIT IN MY LIFE. BRANCHES WERE NOT DESIGNED TO PRODUCE FRUIT - THEY WERE DESIGNED TO HAVE FRUIT PRODUCED THROUGH THEM.!!!

THE VINE DOES THE WORK. THE FRUIT IS A PRODUCT OF THE SAP THAT RUNS FROM THE VINE INTO THE BRANCH. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS WILLING AND ABLE TO PRODUCE THRU ME THE VERY FRUIT I HAD BEEN TRYING SO HARD TO PRODUCE ON MY OWN. (Gal. 2:20).