The Holy Spirit.
When Messiah was about to leave this world He promised His disciples that the Father will give another helper, a comforter, who is the Holy Spirit, who will teach all things. (John.14: 26)
When Paul asked the believers at Corinth whether they had heard of the Holy Spirit they replied that they did not even hear about the Holy Spirit! (Acts.19: 1-6) Many professing Christians too do not give any importance to the Holy Spirit..
Mark.16: 16 teaches that a man who believes in his Savior and is baptized shall be saved. Apart from water baptism, we should also be baptized with the Holy Spirit to enter into the kingdom of Yahweh. (John.3: 5).John the Baptist testified about Messiah, ”This is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit”. (John.1: 33, Acts.1: 5) Titus.3: 6,7 says that He pours His Holy Spirit on us.
Now how do we know that we are baptized by the Holy Spirit?
In John.3: 8 Messiah explains that the wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell from where it comes and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the spirit (or baptized of the holy spirit). We can feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, like the wind. In Acts.2: 2, the Holy Spirit was experienced by the apostles and the 120 disciples as FIRE! The Holy Spirit descended on Messiah in the form of a dove after John the Baptist baptized him in water (John1: 3). The Holy Spirit struck the apostle Paul like a bright light on the way to Damascus (Acts.9: 3). A person feels the Holy Spirit in the form of a gushing wind, fire or light.
To whom is the Holy Spirit given?
All those who ask for the Holy Spirit are filled with him. (Luke.11: 13)
The Holy Spirit is given to all those who obey the Lord. (Acts.5: 32)
The Holy Spirit is freely given without any measure or limit. (John3: 34, I Cor.2: 10-16)
Yahweh seals us by giving us the Holy Spirit as a deposit in our hearts. (II Cor.1: 22, Eph.1: 11-14).
Messiah promised the Holy Spirit to His disciples before He ascended to heaven after His resurrection. He asked them to wait at Jerusalem till they received the Holy Spirit. So they waited for 10 days after His ascension, at Jerusalem, praying with one accord. On the 50th day, i.e. on the day of Pentecost, they received the Holy Spirit as tongues of fire, and were filled with power. (Acts.2: 1-3)
Today the Holy Spirit is also given to the Gentiles, (Acts8: 17; 10: 44- 45; 15: 7-8). The end time prophesy of Joel.2: 28-29, is also being fulfilled as written in Acts2: 16-18,’ and it shall come to pass in the last days, says Yahweh, I will pour out my spirit on all flesh, your sons and daughters shall prophecy, your young men will see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on my men servants and on my maid servants I will pour out my spirit in those days and they shall prophesy.’
What does the Holy Spirit do?
The Holy Spirit gives us life. (John.6: 63) ‘It is the spirit who gives life, the flesh profits nothing, the word that I speak to you are spirit and they are life.’
The Holy Spirit gives us peace. ’To be spiritually minded is life and peace’ (Rom.8: 6).
The Holy Spirit helps us to live a righteous life. Rom.17: 14 explains life of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.
The Holy Spirit helps us to pray to the Father, to know His will in our lives.(Rom,8: 26-28). In John.14: 16, Messiah says ‘I will pray to the Father and He will give you another helper, that He may abide with you forever. The helper will make us remember things (John14: 26).”The Helper, Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to remembrance all things that I said to you.”
The Holy Spirit will guide you to truth. (John 16:13) When the spirit of truth has come He will guide you into all truth, He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak.
The Holy Spirit will reveal things to come. (Matt.10: 26,John16:13-15), “And He tells you things to come . The Holy Spirit glorifies Messiah and reveals things to us. “All things that the Father has are mine, therefore I said that He will take of mine and declare it to you. The Holy Spirit gives us the spirit of wisdom, knowledge and revelation of the Lord. (Eph1: 17.) The Holy Spirit gives power. Acts.1: 8 teaches us that when we are filled with the Holy Spirit we receive Yahweh’s power and will be His witness to the Lord.
The Holy Spirit gives the spirit of love. Rom.5: 5: ‘Hope does not disappoint because the love of Yahweh has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who was given to us.
The Holy Spirit helps us what to speak before people. When we are in disturbed conditions, when people question us, we are perturbed and do not know what to answer. Pray, then the Lord will send the Holy Spirit to help you speak to them. ’Do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say’ (Luke.12: 11-12).’ For it is not you who speak, but the spirit of your Father who speaks in you’.(Matt.10: 19-20). Because the Holy Spirit which is in you is greater than he (Satan) who is in the world. And therefore we have overcome the world. (I John.4: 4.)
If we are filled in the Holy Spirit we are led by the Holy Spirit in our daily lives and are called the children of Yahweh (Rom.8: 14-17). If we are His children, we are supposed to honor, praise and worship Him. How can we praise Him if we do not have this Holy Spirit? Yahweh is a spirit and all who are in Him should worship Him in spirit and truth. (John.4: 24)
The Holy Spirit plays such an important role in our lives that any blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven! (Matt.12: 32) Because by blaspheming or speaking ill of the Holy Spirit we deny that Messiah came into this world and if we deny, then we have no part with Him or in His eternal kingdom. |