Practical. The Holy. Living Ministry. Teaching. Spirit. Dr. Kenneth W. Jones

Transcription

1 4H Teaching The Holy Spirit Practical Living Ministry Dr. Kenneth W. Jones

2 Over the Next Few Months We Will Discuss Principles of Healing Holy Spirit Principles of Healing Hermeneutics

3 It is Critical For Every Believer to do the Following: Study and Teach the Word 2 Tim 2:15; 2 Tim 4:2 Discern and Test the Spirits 1 John 4:1 Examine and Educate the Body of Christ 1 Tim 4:13; 1 Thess 5:11

4 What Jesus Says About the Spirit John 14:16 - And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; There are a lot of teachings by those of the faith concerning the deity, power, and person of the Holy Spirit For this study, we will focus mainly on what Jesus said about the Spirit In the above scripture, Jesus presence provided comfort to the disciples Jesus promised His disciples, in verse John 14:18, I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. He was that comforter and now since he was going away, he would send another comforter to abide with them forever Comforter - Parakletos par-ak'-lay-tos; an intercessor, consoler: - advocate, comforter. Jesus petitioned the Father to send this other Comforter

5 John Speaks of the Holy Spirit Matthew 3:11: I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Most Christians barely get beyond repentance and baptism. Much of what we call Christianity is but Christianized heathenism You get it all at once! This is not doctrine as we see in the Book of Acts two separate experiences in terms of salvation and then the infilling Shall baptize you - Shall send upon you the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God is frequently represented as being poured out upon his people, Proverbs 1:23; Isaiah 44:3; Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2:17-18.

6 Why We Need God s Spirit in Our Lives Romans 8:11 - But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Christianity is Not an Attempt You Just Don t Try God as an Option Christianity is not about you trying, but about you submitting To be quickened by the Spirit is to be made alive in order to respond to and live as God purposed and empowered us to live I m Sorry Lord Can I Try Again?

7 No Need for a Failed Attempt When God says Try Me, He means Test Me He is up to the test, but the question is Are you? Religion can t make you faithful it only makes you feel guilty Sanctification is only accomplished by the Holy Spirit in our lives Your works can t get you into heaven It will only deceive you into thinking you on the right path Only the Holy Spirit qualifies and confirms with our spirit that we are the children of God Romans 8:16 - The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: The Spirit is sent by Christ; his influence has delivered us from the predominating influence and control of sin. Lord, I did it again! Please Help Me!

8 The Work of the Holy Spirit: Sanctification 2 Corinthians 3:18 - And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more. The Work of the Holy Spirit Romans 15:16; Hebrews 2:11 To change into another form A new creature (2 nd Cor 5:17) Christ lives in us (Gal 2:20) Renewed Mindset (Romans 12:2) Convicting Leading Prompting Cleansing Empowering Assuring Teaching Gifting Something is to set it apart for special use; to be made holy The process of being set apart for God's work and being conformed to the image of Christ Positional & Progressive (1 st Thess 5:23) Bringing Glory to God

9 Avoiding the Two Extremes Grave soaking Only within the bounds of one s religion, rejection, and philosophy An exaggerated view to the point that certain things are made up or falsely taught Rigid and Degraded Operation of the Spirit Superfluous or Exaggerated Affectation Cessationism No manifestations or gifts of the Spirit Doctrine Discernment Discipleship Continuationism Gifts are still relevant and have not ceased

10 Continuationism vs Cessationism Continuationism is the view that the miraculous gifts are normative, have not ceased, and are available for the believer today. Continuationists believe that the biblical instruction on spiritual gifts is as relevant today as it was when it was written. There is New Testament evidence of miraculous gifts among Christians who are not apostles The Continuationists view of perfect is connected to Christ s return Cessationism The view that the miraculous gifts of the Spirit, such as healing, tongues, and prophetic revelation, pertained to the apostolic era only, served a purpose that was unique to establishing the early church, and passed away before the canon of Scripture was closed (comp. 1 Cor. 13:8-12 with Heb. 2:3-4). Most cessationists believe that, while God can and still does perform miracles today, the Holy Spirit no longer uses individuals to perform miraculous signs. Cessationists often cite 1 Corinthians 13:8 9 to support the idea that some gifts ceased when the perfect came. Some believe that the perfect refers to the completion of the Bible. A cessationist would say: The gifts went out with the Apostles, but Stephen was not an Apostle (he was a deacon) and Phillip the Evangelist operated in the supernatural. There is no true cessationist, because there is a belief in the power of God

11 Avoiding the Two Extremes Degradation of the Holy Spirit Teachings that degrades or hinder the purpose and power of the Spirit They can stop the flow of the Spirit, but deny the Spirit s power 2 Timothy 3:5 - Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. In our self-obsessed world, people feel very free to have a salad bar religion they pick and choose what they want. They denied the power of the Spirit to make them godly Affectation of the Spirit Unbalanced teaching regarding the person of the Spirit Keep looking for the next best thing More emotional and sensual than spiritual (The spirit of the prophet is subject to the prophet 1 Corinthians 14: 31,32 Examples: Holy Laughter; Some aspects of being slain in the spirit Those who Degrade the Holy Spirit Quench the Spirit and those who are prone to Affectionate the Spirit, Grieve the Spirit

12 Quenching or Grieving the Spirit Grieve - to affect with sadness, cause grief, to throw into sorrow Ephesians 4:30 - And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Don t make the Spirit of god regret His presence with you and in you We forget at times the Holy Spirit is with you wherever you go. Have you ever regretted going out with someone who took you places you didn t want to go; who looked at things you didn t want to look at. It would grieve you wouldn t it? When we find ourselves acting up in church, falsely representing the Spirit of God, operating in the flesh and accusing the Spirit, we are grieving the Spirit of God Quench the Spirit - 1 Thessalonians 5:19 - Quench not the Spirit. To quench the Spirit is to destroy the Spirit s intended purpose in our lives We quench the Spirit when we refuse to do what the Spirit of God is telling us to do We can quench the fire of the Spirit by our doubt, our indifference, our rejection of Him, or by the distraction of others

13 Grieving and Quenching the Spirit of God We grieve and quench the Spirit of God when we distance ourselves from the Father We do things the Spirit of God cannot participate in or we go places where the Spirit cannot condone our being there Romans 8:15 - For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. As a child of God you should never doubt your Father s love for you Romans 8:16 - The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: Many of us choose to live like orphans while God love for us hasn t changed The Prodigal Son moved to a land far away from his father s influence, but the Father remained where he was loving his son until he returned (Luke 15:13) We re not in church nor reading His Word (the reading of His Living Will)

14 We Teach the Holy Spirit Evidenced by Power Luke 24:49 - And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. Acts 1:8 - But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Gifts/Giftings Ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38) 2 Corinthians 1:21 - But it is God Who confirms and makes us steadfast and establishes us [in joint fellowship] with you in Christ, and has consecrated and anointed us [ enduing us with the gifts of the Holy Spirit]; Fruit Visible character of God in our lives Galatians 5: But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law.(nlt)

15 We Teach the Holy Spirit Evidenced by Influence Convicts, leads, compels, and guides 1 John 2:20 - But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. Romans 8:14 - For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. Comforter Helper, Advocate, consoler John 14:26 - But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. John 16:7 - Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

16 The Evidence of Testifying About Christ John 15:26 - But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: While some hold the Spirit of God to just bearing fruit, Jesus spoke of Power Acts 1:8 - But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. While those who degrade the Spirit can t take away the power of the Spirit, they can deny it (denying the power thereof) The Holy Spirit does produces and sustains spiritual fruit in the believer, and it allows one to be a witness to others. However, to be a witness and to actually witness (Acts 1:8) are two separate things A lot of people witness something and look like good people, but it s something when a credible witness steps forth to testify

17 Other Evidences Exuberance A biblical excitement The zeal of God has consumed me (eaten me up) IF you do not have a sense of exuberance, expectation, exalting, and fruitful evidence operating in your Christian walk, then you may not be filled with the Spirit Exalting An overwhelming desire to rejoice and express joy and victory (Psalms 34:3) Evidence Identifiable spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:23) Expectation A desire to see God move, act, deliver, heal, grow, and be glorified in our lives and in the lives of others (Romans 8:19)

18 Other Evidences Endurance Endurance is truly proof of one s salvation Matthew 10:22 - And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. James 1:12 - Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. What temptation? The temptation to quit and stop following Jesus Romans 8:17 - And since we are his children, we will share his treasures for everything God gives to his Son, Christ, is ours, too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. This speaks to a condition of Endurance Defections are proof of a false conversion 1 John 2:19 - These people left our churches because they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left us, it proved that they do not belong with us. The Holy Spirit gives us Staying Power to Endure Hardness, Persecution, Trials and Setbacks

19 The Spirit of God Has Several Functions as well as Evidences Power - Empowering to live as Christ; Do exploits, signs and wonders for God Purging - Cleansing and Sanctifying us for God's use The Holy Spirit produces the purity of God in our lives. God s purpose is to purify us (Titus 2:14), and the Spirit is the agent of our sanctification (1 Corinthians 6:11 Perfecting - God's love in us; maturing us as saints Proving- That we are in relationship with the Father Romans 8:16 - The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: Peace - Inwardly and in our emotions (Phil 4) Ephesians 4:3: Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. Passion Col 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men Presence Acts 9:31 - Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.

20 Points of Emphasis Purity Presence Jesus spoke of sending the Holy Spirit He didn t put an expiration date on the Holy Spirit s existence In fact, the Holy Spirit is the Godhead The Holy Spirit came with purpose, power, and principles The Holy Spirit is often blasphemed by the teachings of men Power Purpose The key to the New Testament Church early success was the binding power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God unified the believers in meaningful and productive fellowship (Acts 2:42; 4:32-25). The most prominent characteristic of the early church was their spiritual power. The book of Acts provides us history of ordinary people doing extraordinary things for the cause of Christ. Peace Passion Holy Ghost and Fire Matt 3:11