Fruit of The Spirit
Fruit of The Spirit
Fruit of The Spirit
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GIBI Course-Fruit of the Spirit
Lesson 1
Many times we do not understand, due to our ignorance, and the lack of teaching and
preaching in this area, the Third Person of the Triune Godhead and His purpose regarding
the disciples. Note – we, the believers in Jesus Christ as our savior, are all disciples of
Jesus Christ whether we know it or not. Therefore, it is imperative that we learn all that
we can about the Holy Spirit and His functions by careful systematic study of the Word
of God, of which He is the Author, for the more we know who He is the more we realize
how wonderful it is to have Him abiding in us. You will see proof positive that He
functions in the realm of personal rather than impersonal. For these reasons, the
following mini introduction to the Holy Spirit is provided.
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Lesson 2
There are many cases in which ignorance and misinterpretations are responsible for
infirmity and ineffectiveness in Christian life and labor. If only the Holy Spirit could
perform His work in us as the Scriptures have said He could, our lives would be rich in
fruitfulness and the fragrance of the knowledge of God. Becoming aware of all that the
Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, has for us, produces the transformation of
facts of promise into factors of power. Therefore, when the Spirit-filled life is developed,
labor is empowered, and the Lord is exalted.
However, as we delve into the concept before us, exalted and sacred, fathomless and
precious as it is, we must concede that no saint can explain to himself or to others the
wonderful operations of the Holy Spirit. Individualistically, we can experience His
teaching, His power and see Him work in and through other lives, but our range exceeds
our comprehension. Therefore, any analysis of the Personality and work of the Holy
Spirit is limited because of our inability to describe our own experiences correctly.
We are all able to know with complete certainty the facts of His indwelling presence, His
life-giving energy and sanctifying power, even though we might have differing points of
view as to the origin and theory of the Spirit’s presence within the soul. We must at all
cost guard ourselves against cruel denunciation of fellow believers whose explanation
might be different from our own.
Again we must remember and confess that because of our finite understanding, the Holy
Spirit, in many respects, is mysterious. However, the fact remains that the Holy Spirit
must be studied carefully from the Scriptures, so that we may understand Him as well as
we may.
It is an absolute essential that we grasp the truth of the Holy Spirit for many reasons:
1. Because it is a neglected doctrine. Although much has been written, in the past
150 years, on the subject of the Holy Spirit, sadly, the fact remains that such
enlightenment is neglected by the vast majority of Christians. As Professor
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Erdman wrote in his book, the Holy Spirit and Christian Experience, “The Spirit
cannot be where Christ is denied as Redeemer, Life and Lord of all. Christ is
‘The Truth’ and the Spirit is ‘The Spirit of Truth’. In brief, the Spirit must be
silent altogether in pulpits and Churches where ‘a different gospel which is not
another gospel’ is preached, etc.”
3. Because it is a perverted doctrine. Note: this point of view comes from No. 2
above which was just considered – because misunderstanding and perversion
form an inseparable bond. As Paul, whose concern for the converts of Corinth,
presents for them three characteristic marks of false teaching (II Corinthians
11:4):
A. Another Jesus.
B. Another Spirit.
C. Another Gospel.
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5. Because it is a practical doctrine. Our goal must be to know the truth, the whole
truth and nothing but the truth of the Holy Spirit, in a way to produce a life of
richer devotion and holiness. The Word must become flesh and go out and dwell
among men. As Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not
I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the
faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
Whether we understand this verse or not, it has surely happened to us, a pure
mystery of God! We were crucified with Christ, therefore, the Holy Spirit has
transformed us into new people; we belong to Him.
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Lesson 3
From lesson 1, we learned that the Holy Spirit is not a visible Person but is like the breath
of a man or the wind, impossible to see, and yet He abides in us. We also learned that the
Holy Spirit is a personality which makes Him a Person. He, being a personality, makes
Him more than a principle or an influence upon us but someone intimate within us
teaching us those wonderful principles that Jesus Christ taught the apostles, sharing those
things that He hears from the Father, making intercession to the Father for us from the
very groaning of our inner man, something that is almost impossible for us to
comprehend.
The adjective “Holy” Spirit is used nearly 100 times, why? He is fundamentally holy in
character. Holiness is not just one of His attributes as being part of the Godhead, it is part
of His Being, He is Holy. The Holy Spirit came from a Holy God. Therefore, all
representatives of such a venerable, Holy One must bear His image (John 14:26; 17:11; I
Peter 1:12, 16). His purpose in the world is to represent the Holy Savior. “He shall
glorify Me (John 16:7-15; Hebrews 7:26). His work is to transform us into a holy people,
and develop holy living through His indwelling and dominion. Through this He is called
“The Spirit of God” (Romans 1:4), because He is the One who sanctifies the believer
(Romans 15:16).
The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity only because of His work being the
third manifestation. The functions of the Father, Son and Spirit can be expressed as:
God the Father is the original source of everything (Genesis 1:1).
God the Son follows in the order of revelation (John 5:24-27).
God the Spirit is the Channel through which the blessings of heaven reach us
(Ephesians 2:18).
The three Persons in the Godhead are co-equals with each other.
The question is, since the Holy Spirit is Holy – how can we approach Him? That
question is not as difficult as it sounds: first of all, the Holy Spirit has a heart because if
He didn’t He could not love us. He has a mind and a will and a personality as we have
already learned in lesson 1. As Dr. Herbert Lockyer puts it in his book, All the Doctrines
of the Bible, Page 76:
“He has a heart, and loves me. Let me therefore love Him and ever strive to
please Him. He has a mind, and constantly thinks and plans for me. Let me learn
of Him and take His plan for my life. He has a will, so mighty to carry into effect
all His loving plans. May I never cross His will, but have a personality
completely dominated by Him.”
Christian character is not mere moral or legal corrections, but the possession and
manifestation of the grace of Galatians 5:22, 23. Taken together they present a moral
portrait of Christ, and may be understood as the apostle’s explanation in Galatians 2:20,
where he says, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth
in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who
loved me and gave himself for me;”. The explanation being “Not, I, but Christ,” and as a
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definition of “fruit”. This character is possible because of the believer’s vital union with
Christ (John 15:5; I Corinthians 12:12-13), and is wholly the fruit of the Spirit. “Fruit”
(singular), in contrast with “works” (plural, v. 19), suggests that the Christian’s life in the
Spirit is unified in purpose and direction in contrast with the life in the flesh, with its
inner conflicts and frustrations. One of the Holy Spirit’s tasks is to prepare you and I
(Christians) for eternal life.
Dr. Gene Holmes of Sweetwater Bible College did a study on the Fruit of the Spirit from
the Scriptures and this is his translation from the Greek as he was inspired to write the
following course of study. This is an excellent analogy of the fruit of the Spirit.
Fruit: that which is dry and ripe (ready for action), produce, result. The result is all of
these parts together working. One part missing and a deficiency will occur. The
construction of the thought of ‘fruit of the Spirit’ in the Greek would not permit us to say
love alone in the fruit. All of the parts of this fruit are valuable – all work together to
bring perfect harmony to the Believer’s spiritual existence, and work in his natural life.
They cannot work independently from each other. All must perform at the same time.
All are important in the working and manifestation of the quality of the fruit. Each has its
own quality, yet together they make up the total quality.
1. Love: agape delight in, devotion, generosity, kindly concern, value, esteem,
generous concern for, to set store upon, to cherish with reverence, to acquiesce, be
quiet, to accept or comply without words or speech with satisfaction.
Love is the CORE of the fruit. It influences all the others, but it cannot stand-
alone. It is the force that makes the other portions work. Love gives itself. Love
has all the other parts around it. Love makes all the other parts to grow into
complete development. The operation of love brings all of these parts of the fruit
out in the open in equal amount. Love flows with the rest of the fruit. Love does
not work independently of the other fruit. From I Corinthians 13 we can see love
at work with the other fruit.
A. Love and joy are joined together, I Corinthians 13:6. Rejoices in the truth.
B. Love and Faith in action. I Corinthians 13:7. Believes all things, Hopes
(trust) all things.
C. Love and Longsuffering cooperating. I Corinthians 13:5, 7. Endures all
things, bears all things, is not easily provoked.
D. Love and Gentleness performing. I Corinthians 13:4-5. Behaves itself not
unseemly, seeks not its own, its kind.
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Lesson 4
2. Joy: (Chara) delight, gladness, cause of joy, glad, occasion of rejoicing, rejoice,
source of joy, fullness of joy.
Joy is the JUICE of the fruit. Joy is strength. It penetrates all the fruit. It works
in making the freshness of the fruit. Joy is the source of delight, the cause of
gladness. It is the continuous flow of rejoicing. It is the cause of cheer. Joy
makes us glad because the Lord is glad. Joy is the happiness in the fruit. Joy
comes from the same root as Grace, so joy would be continuous benefits and
blessings flowing in and forth bringing a state of continuous gladness. Joy makes
us delight in all situations and circumstances because it floods the soul with the
victory of the Lord. Jesus claims that his joy remaining in us makes our joy full.
John 15:11, this full means to be satisfied and to have the full enjoyment of. Joy
is bringing satisfaction to the life on a continued basis.
3. Peace: (eirene) rest, calm (in contrast with strife and denoting the absence or end
of strife), a state of health or well being, a state of untroubled, undisturbed well
being. A state of being free from all anxiety and care (arising from His perfectly
knowing the future). The peace which is the result of forgiveness enjoyed.
Tranquillity, concord and unity. Also has a meaning of harmony.
Peace is the PULP, which is the wholeness, soundness and healthy state. Peace is
being untroubled (not agitated, stirred up, disturbed) as He is untroubled. Peace is
being in the same state of mind as God. Resting as He rests. Being free from
strife and torment, speaking from an inner condition. Peace is the tranquil (free
from agitation of mind or spirit) state of being in complete harmony with God.
The tranquillity also means free from disturbance or turmoil and being steady and
stable. The healthy status of the believer is found in the center of peace, which
brings the soundness to his existence. The wholeness of our condition is
determined by the recognition of the workings of peace within the inner man.
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Lesson 5
Gentleness is the SHAPE of the fruit. Gentleness shows the kindness of what is
being produced. Gentleness is to treat another with kindness. The purpose of the
fruit is to be a treat of kindness to another. Being given to another as a treat of
benevolence. Gentleness is the usefulness. How this part works in the life will
determine one’s usefulness.
6. Goodness: (agathosine) the quality of him who is ruled by and aims at the food,
moral worth, sterling goodness apart from attractiveness, virtue (Root: profitable,
beneficent, upright).
Goodness is the TASTE of the fruit. One taste will tell if the fruit is any good.
No matter how it looks, it can taste good. A taste will reveal its profit and worth.
Goodness is being worked in us so we can be of profit and merit to God.
7. Faith: (pistis) firm persuasion, confidence, conviction that is based upon hearing,
not sight. Assurance, trust, a firm relying confidence, faithfulness, guarantee,
ground of belief, truthfulness. (Root: convince, to confide in, place hope and
confidence in, to quiet, render tranquil, to pacify).
Faith is the SEED of the fruit. Faith is producing or making things happen. Faith
is bringing forth things into being. Faith is the confidence that makes things
happen or take place.
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Lesson 6
8. Meekness: (praotes) mildness, gentle (Root: enduring all things with an even
temper, tender, free from haughty self-sufficiency), kindness, forbearance.
Meekness is the TENDERNESS of the fruit. Being ripe all the way through.
Holding an even temperament. The part that helps you maintain an even level
existence without wavering in your temperament.
Temperance is the SKIN of the fruit. It holds things together. Keeps the inward
covered and protected from outside pressure. Prevents the interior from being
hurt or harmed. The self-restraint that keeps you from yielding to impulse or
desire. Temperance helps you to have mastery over self. The inner ability to
keep things under control.
God is seeking to make us sound. When all the parts of the fruit operate at the same time,
the believer flows as a total man, healthy and well, growing in the grace of God. The
conclusion is that there is no law or regulation against the fruit. We can develop fully in
complete character of Jesus. It is the Spirit’s responsibility to regulate and maintain
development of the fruit. We must submit to the Spirit’s leadership and authority, so the
production will take place in our life. Fruit is benefit and profit and this is what is being
produced in us by the Spirit. Thus, the believer must be careful not to grieve or quench
the Holy Spirit. He is working at all times to bring the believer to the stature of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
This ends the lessons that Dr. Holmes was inspired to write, and as you can see there is a
great deal of truth here that must be digested and practiced. In order to accomplish the
Fruit of the Spirit by the Holy Spirit it must be accomplished by the following practices,
not necessarily in this order. Note: this is but a small number of His ways of helping us
to attain the character of Jesus Christ:
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Lesson 7
Romans 12:1-2 hits several of the items mentioned in lesson 6, however, all those items
added together make up walking in the Spirit. Those two verses say the following:
1. “I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable
service.
2. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind, that you may prove what is good and acceptable and perfect will of
God.”
Confession of sin in itself is not enough to enable the believer to automatically walk in
the Spirit. He must then become a yielded instrument for God’s service. What is to be
yielded is simply himself (Romans 6:13; James 4:7). This involves both the body
(Romans 12:1; I Corinthians 6:20) and the mind (Romans 12:2) since it is with the body
that actions conceived in the mind are carried out and with the mind that they are
formulated. Stated another way, that which is conceived in the mind is carried out in the
body; thus, one’s whole being must be presented by a decisive act of the will of God for
His service. Yielding must not be thought of simply as a willingness to do some specific
thing. Rather, it consists of dedication by a person to do whatever God commands.
Yielding leads not only to dedication but also can result in separation: “do not be
conformed to this world” (Romans 12:2). Since the world is resolutely opposed to God
one cannot revel in its lusts and at the same time do the will of God (I John 2:15-17).
The same word translated “conformed” here is translated “fashioning” in I Peter 1:14. So
the concept of separation involves being “unfashionable” in spirit, thought, values, and
actions according to the worlds standards. Note: the word “unfashionable” means not
complying in dress or manners with the prevailing fashion, mode, or custom.
Walking in the Spirit: to be controlled by the Holy Spirit and is therefore crucial to
successfully living the Christian life. Unlike the indwelling of the Spirit, filling is a
repeated experience. This is underscored by the use of the present tense (“be filled”) as
well as by Biblical examples of Christians who were filled more than once (Acts 2:4;
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4:31). Just as important, we must observe that filling as a command to be obeyed, not an
option. The next most important question is, how can someone be filled with the Spirit?
The prerequisites are simply confession of sin and yielding to God. The former means to
agree with God about the person’s sin; the latter means primarily dedication of himself to
God. As the believer chooses to obey in these areas, he is filled with the Spirit and
enabled to manifest Christ-like character. This obedience may be accompanied by prayer
but not necessarily so.
The certainty of being filled with the Spirit may be confirmed by the believer’s faith and
life. The believer will exhibit the Christ-like character described in Galatians 5:22-23 as
the fruit of the Spirit. Included in that list are all the vibrant, attractive qualities desired
by all Christians. How delightful it is that any Christian may possess them and be
transformed by the filling of the Spirit.
Those who are permanently full of the Spirit need to be filled to meet a particular need.
In times of particular difficulty or trial we can expect the additional motivation of the
Spirit’s grace and wisdom. Exceptional power for special necessities or urgencies can be
available. Therefore, the rule boils down the truth. “One baptism of the Spirit – many
fillings.” “Fullness”, on the other hand, is an adjective and denotes a continual position,
a constant condition. Christ was full of the Spirit (Luke 4:1). He received the Spirit
without measure (John 3:34). Barnabas and Stephen are spoken of as being “full of the
Spirit” (Acts 7:55; 11:24). Note: that “full of the Spirit” was the normal experience.
However, even though we are “full” of the Holy Spirit, there are many times when we
need that special filling of the Holy Spirit for those special purposes. This spiritual
fullness that we are speaking of should characterize every Christian at all times and under
all circumstances.
Those who are “full” find, that on special occasions of opposition, persecution, service,
danger, or whatever, the Holy Spirit causes these fillings to come just when they are
needed. It is His responsibility to send them and ours to receive them. You may ask the
question, why, if a person is “full” of the Spirit does he need these special fillings. To
answer that question we need to know what the word “full” means and the easiest way to
illustrate “full” is relating it to a vessel or glass of any sort filled with water to the brim.
Note, the water is not running over. “Being full of the Spirit” does not make a Christian
independent of needing the filling, it really serves to make him more sensitive to his
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inadequacies, and of the necessity of the Spirit sustaining and renewing grace every
moment.
We can possess the Spirit, and yet not be possessed by Him. It is said that “Egypt always
has the Nile, but Egypt waits every year for its overflow.” Having the Nile is one thing;
rejoicing in the overflow is another. The Nile’s overflow is Egypt’s salvation. But to
overflow, the river must first be full. And the overflow from our lives is the world’s
salvation. But in order to overflow we must first experience the fullness of the blessing
of the Gospel of Christ. When the Spirit enters; He enters to stay. His indwelling is
permanent (II Corinthians 13:9). He remains with us forever (John 14:16). As the Holy
Inhabitant, He remains with us until death. He dwells in our hearts, that is, settles down,
never to be driven out (Ephesians 3:16). When we open our window in the morning to
welcome and inhale the fresh air, let us focus on the Holy Spirit at the very beginning of
each new day, welcoming Him as the Inhabiter of our being, the Fountain of peace and
joy, the Strength of our heart, the Director of our life. And as the day progresses let us
count upon Him, who came as the Helper of the redeemed.
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Lesson 8
Ephesians 5:18-21 says, “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation, but be
filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always to God the
Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of
God.”
The Holy Spirit indwells every believer. You may be immature, weak and imperfect, but
if you have been “born again” of the Spirit (John 3:3-7), He dwells in you (I Corinthians
6:19; Romans 8:9). It is one thing for you to have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you, but
does the Holy Spirit have you, that He may fill you with abundant life? The abundant life
is not found in environment or circumstances, or in things you may possess. It is found
in the infilling of the Holy Spirit. “Be filled with the Spirit” (Vs. 18 above) is a
command. You may be filled many, many times, (Acts 2:4; 4:31). The apostles that
were filled in Acts chapter 2 were filled again in Acts chapter 4. Just exactly what does it
mean to be filled? To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be Spirit-possessed, Spirit-
empowered, Spirit-led, and Spirit-controlled (Acts 8:26-40).
1. You are filled with the Spirit that you might have joy (vs. 19-20 above).
2. You are filled with the Spirit for service (Acts 6:3; 11:22-24).
3. You are filled with the Spirit for power to be a witness (Acts 1:8; 2:4-7).
4. You are filled with the Spirit for the hour of persecution (Acts 7:54-60).
5. You are filled with the Spirit that you may “walk by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16-
26).
6. You are filled with the Spirit that you may be led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14).
How can you be filled with the Holy Spirit? First, you must desire Him to fill you.
Second, you must ask Him to fill you. Third, you must believe that He does fill you
(John 4:14; 7:37-38). The short formula is this: you must be cleansed, consecrated, and
then claim. Note: this has already been reiterated in a previous lesson; however, it is very
important that we receive in our hearts the message repeated.
As we keep believing, God keeps us filled with the Holy Spirit, Who, as the Spirit of
faith, makes our faith possible. It has been said that “we must take God’s checks by faith
and cash them by obedience.” Therefore, by faith we must reckon we are filled, then
daily act as if we are.
In a previous lesson we learned that there is an area in our life that really needs help and
that area is prayer. The Holy Spirit, when He takes possession of us, becomes the Spirit
of intercession. Many, many times, we yearn to hear heart-communion with God,
however, we seem unable to express ourselves in the right manner, the Holy Spirit is at
our beck and call to aid us in this dilemma or infirmity. He, being indwelling in our
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heart, is our aid in prayer, and inspires every outgoing of the mind toward God whether in
supplication, intercession, confession, or thanksgiving.
Without the Holy Spirit our prayers are as dead as a body without a soul; as useless as an
arrow without a bow. Dr. Norman Harrison, from his book, His is a Life of Prayer,
writes: “As the telephone is dead and impotent without the electric current, so is prayer
apart from the Spirit. He supplies the sending power, He secures the access; He forms
the contact, He molds the pray-er into the mind and will of God. The Spirit is at once the
Guide prayer and the Guarantor of its success. “Praying in the Spirit” is of great
importance and is very effective. We have no knowledge of what we are saying, except
that we have that certain quieting, a feeling of peace that is extremely hard to describe,
knowing deep down that the Holy Spirit has everything under control, however, the Holy
Spirit, on the other hand, knows exactly what we are saying.
Praying in the Holy Spirit is a very valuable asset to praying. The Spirit is the Inspirer of
all true prayer. Contact with God rests on the basis of regeneration. Prayers are not
accepted and are not acceptable unless the praying one is truly saved. There are three
elements pertaining to all mighty praying:
1. Prayer is impossible without an act of memory. We must have the recall of all
that we desire to present to God. It doesn’t matter whether its God’s mercies, our
needs, our sins, or the needs of others, the Holy Spirit must bring all that we
desire to pray about to our remembrance.
2. Prayer is impossible without an act of mind. As the Spirit of wisdom, He can
cause us to use acceptable words to express our adoration, petitions, and
supplications. His power alone can cause us not to be distracted but can also
cause us to develop the necessary concentration prayer demands.
3. Prayer is impossible without an act of love. Remember the Spirit of love is
shedding abroad in our hearts the love of God. He is able to lead us to present,
compassionately, the needs of others. Therefore, intercession, whether from God
or man, rises on the wings of love.
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There is a great deal more that the Holy Spirit does for the believer along the lines of
prayer, however, we must bring this back to the Fruit of the Spirit and through that fruit
which is brought into the life of all “born again” Christians by the Holy Spirit, we
Christians grow beautiful fruit, for this fruit brought in by the Holy Spirit is the very
Character of Jesus Christ our Lord! Therefore, if we allow ourselves to be given over
completely to the Holy Spirit for our entire lives, the fruit that will be produced will be
absolutely wonderful.
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Lesson 9
We have presented many facets of the Holy Spirit that are not commonly understood or
taught but have only encompassed the general theme “The Fruit of the Spirit.” We will
now expand on some of those facets and will open new areas of study to give us a more
comprehensive understanding and appreciation of the Holy Spirit and His work in our
lives and in the life of the Body of Christ, the Church, of which the Holy Spirit is the
Administrator.
The first reference to the Holy Spirit is found in Genesis 1:2 and the last reference of Him
in the Old Testament is Malachi 2:15. Twenty-two books out of the 39 books making up
the Old Testament present a dynamic insight of the Holy Spirit, in spite of the limited
revelation of His pre-incarnation. Upon reviewing the Spirit’s initial work relative to
creation, remember that He is mysteriously yet unequivocally declared as the divine
Agent in the making and forming of material things.
It is odd that the Holy Spirit being a Spirit by His substance has a direct connection,
because He is the divine Agent, with a world of matter. The Biblical writers of old would
hardly look into their thinking as other than “Yea or Nay,” however, today’s writers are
seeking to place everything they think into a neat rational set of reasoning for what is
seen. Therefore, since the holy men of old saw the wonder of nature as the direct fruition
of God’s direct action through His Eternal Spirit, then let us examine the creative works
of the Co-Creator:
The first glimpse that we receive from the Holy Spirit in Scripture is that of Creator –
Genesis 1:2. Seeing that creative power is a permanent feature of His work. Many times,
regarding the Holy Spirit’s work, we put the “cart before the horse” so to speak – we
worship the gift rather than the Giver. It seems that we cry for the light, sun, moon, and
stars: for the animals, birds, and forgetting that without the Giver none of the above
would have been brought into being.
2. He is the Co-Creator of man. The “Nicene Creed” addresses the Holy Spirit as
“The Lord, the Life-Giver” and a mixture of other Scriptures which describe Him
as the direct Agent in the Creation of man, just as it is His responsibility of
recreation. Three key Scriptures regarding His part in the Creation of man:
A. “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Genesis 1:26).
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B. “(He) breathed into his nostrils the breath (spirit) of life” (Genesis 2:7).
C. “The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath
given me life” (Job 33:4).
It is man’s desire to have an honorable heritage. Man is pleased with a good ancestry, an
ancestry whose character was goodness.
4. He is the Co-Creator of beauty. Job and the apostle Paul both describe the beauty
of the heavens; Paul does this in I Corinthians 15:41. Psalm 19:1-6 certainly
describes “the heavens declare the glory of God.” Matthew Henry, a great Bible
commentator, describes it by this comment: “The Spirit not only made the
heavens, but beautified them: has curiously bespangled them with stars by night,
and painted them with the light of the sun by day. God, having made man to look
upward (to man he gave an erect countenance) has therefore garnished the
heavens, to invite him to look upward, that by pleasing his eye with the dazzling
light of the sun, and the sparkling light of the stars, their number, order and
various magnitudes, which as so many golden studs, beautify the canopy drawn
over our heads, he may be led to admire the greater Creator, the Father and
Fountain of Lights, and to say, “If the pavement be so richly inlaid, what must the
palace be!” If the visible heavens be so glorious, what are those that are out of
sight? From the beauteous garniture of the antechambers, we may infer the
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The Spirit is not only the Creator of all the beauty above, but He is also
accountable for the beauty that we see all around us in the world today where
everything seems to please us. Nature presents us with a wealth of loveliness and
a richness of color that is unsurpassed in each of the four seasons! At this point
we can certainly appreciate Psalm 29 more fully when we remember that the
Voice spoken of within the Psalm is the Voice of the Holy Spirit Himself,
described by Ezekiel as “the voice of the Almighty” (Ezekiel 10:5).
“Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness (religious and moral
rectitude in every area and relation) will abide in the fruitful field” (Isaiah 32:15-
16). Psalm 104:27 says, “These all wait and are dependent upon You, that You
may give them their food in due season.” [(Compare with Psalm 136:25; 145:15-
16; 147:9). The Scriptures above are from The Amplified Bible.] We must
remember that what the blessed Holy Spirit is in the realm of nature, He most
assuredly is in the realm of grace! Only on His gracious visitations are there
spiritual harvest and renewal. Food to maintain our spiritual lives emanates from
this same bountiful Source. The Holy Spirit is One who feeds our souls with the
Bread of Life.
6. He is the Co-Creator of rest. To jog our memories a little, the Holy Spirit is a
tender, loving, and considerate Third Person of the Godhead. With all of the
work that He does with and for us, it is difficult for us to associate the Spirit with
giving animals the sleep that refreshes them. Yet it is true, the gracious Holy
Spirit, the Spirit of Life, revitalizes man and beast alike with that invaluable
blessing of rest. Psalm 127:2 says, (Amp. Version) “It is in vain for you to rise up
early, to take rest late, to eat the bread of (anxious) toil; for He gives (blessings) to
His beloved in sleep.” “As the cattle that go down into the valley (to find better
pasturage, refuge and rest) the Spirit of the Lord caused to rest”. The Holy Spirit,
as the gentle dove, puts to sleep those doubts, fears and anxieties within our hearts
that make us toss and turn, sleepless and perplexed.
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7. He the Co-Creator of death. The Holy Spirit is the Life Giver who is able to make
that which is dead alive, continually quickening the body; however, He is also
able to take life away. Ecclesiastes 12:6-7 have this to say about death,
“Remember your Creator earnestly now, before the silver chord of life is snapped
apart, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the fountain, or the
wheel broken at the cistern (and the whole circulatory system of the blood ceases
to function),” “Then shall the dust (of which God made man’s body) return to the
earth as it was, and the spirit shall return to God Who gave it”. (AV). Let us look
at some further Spirit Scriptures: “My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for
that he also is flesh” (Genesis 6:3; 7:22). “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth:
because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it; surely the people is grass” (Isaiah
40:7; Psalm 104:29; 147:16-17). Then in the New Testament, Acts 5:1-4 it is
apparent that the same Spirit can bring forth sudden death.
9. He is Co-Creator of the new nature. The birth of Jesus Christ our Lord by the
Holy Spirit is representative of our rebirth. “That which is born of the Spirit”
(John 3:6) – “Born…of God” (John 1:13) – “Through the Spirit…being born
again” (I Peter 1:22-23) – “A new creation” (II Corinthians 5:17 AV). Dr.
Lockyer from his book Al the Doctines of the Bible, page 67, The Doctrine of the
Holy Spirit, writes, “The notable difference between the creation of our Lord’s
physical nature, and the creation of our spiritual nature by the self same Spirit can
be expressed in this way – at the virgin birth of Christ there added to His already
existing divine nature, a human nature, while at our rebirth the Spirit adds to an
already existing human nature, a divine nature. Regeneration does not make a
sinner a better man, but brings in a new man. The old nature is not improved. By
faith the believing one is made a partaker of the divine nature.”
10. He is Co-Creator of the Church. The Church of Jesus Christ had its birthday on
Pentecost. Before that the disciples existed as units but through the baptism of the
Holy Spirit at Pentecost they were integrated together into the mystic consistency
Paul described as “the church of God” (Acts 20:28). The Holy Spirit who is
responsible for Jesus’ physical body produces His mystical body, the Church, of
which Jesus is the Head. The mystical body, the Church, brought into being, the
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11. He is Co-Creator of the Scriptures. There were over 40 writers utilized in the
assembling of Scripture, it required only one divine Author. II Peter 1:21 speaks
very clearly of this, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man:
but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” Compare
with these Scriptures: 1 Peter 1:10-12; II Timothy 3:16; II Samuel 23:2-3. It is
the Holy Spirit that unfolds the revelation of Scripture into the hearts of those He
indwells. It is the Holy Spirit that guides us into all truth and grants to us
discernment (John 16:13-15).
12. He is Co-Creator of the new creation. There apparently are not any direct
Scriptures combining the Holy Spirit to the new creation as being His work,
however, there is an inference that having been commissioned by God to perform
in a creative manner, He surely will have a share in the last creation, impressive
beyond any other recognition of achievement. The climax of His creations will be
the new heavens and new earth. These will be His masterpiece (Isaiah 65:17;
66:22; II Peter 3:12-13; Revelation 21:1).
Can you imagine the holy joy and exaltation that the Creator must have felt when
He carried John to that great and high mountain and place on display to John’s
adoring gaze “that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from
God” (Revelation 1:10; 21:10). And as Dr. Lockyer states in his Doctrine of the
Holy Spirit, “And, believing that the holy city is “the Bride, the Lamb’s wife,”
that is, the church in government and millennial splendor, we can detect a
beautiful combination in such fact. The Church is not yet without spot and
wrinkle. Here below, although the creation of the Spirit, she has many blemishes,
living as she does in a corrupt and hostile world. But when she is glorified and
made entirely holy, then she is to have a world akin to her perfect nature. Thus,
the last creative act of the Spirit is to prepare an absolutely holy home for an
absolutely holy Bride and Bridegroom.”
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Lesson 10
The most important part about this trip through the Scriptures is that the more we get to
know the Holy Spirit, the more we find we can believe Him and trust Him, the more
clearly we can understand His words and works. This is extremely exciting because the
apostolic fathers found the same to be true and they believed Him and trusted Him. John
the Baptist and the Holy Spirit are counted as forerunners, for as John the Baptist
prepared the way for Jesus; it was the Holy Spirit that prepared the way for both John and
Jesus.
Pre-Messianic Operations
By this is meant the Holy Spirit’s movements before Christ’s appearance. Just prior to
the entrance of Christ into the world, the Holy Spirit began to stir up the devoted souls
who had been longing for the consolation of Israel. They who experienced the new and
strange leading found that their thoughts were directed to the coming Messiah.
First: Zacharias and Elizabeth who were “both righteous before God and walking in all
the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless,” (Luke 1:6), had a
tremendous experience of the Holy Spirit’s miraculous creative power. Zacharias
was informed by Gabriel, the angel of the Lord, that he was to have a son and that
he was to be filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb (Luke 1:15). Elizabeth, on
the other hand, was filled with the Holy Spirit as John was about to be born (Luke
1:41). Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit to give the prophecy concerning
the mission of John the Baptist (Luke 1:17, 67).
Second: In the informing of both Joseph and Mary, we can see the delicate and sacred
work of the Holy Spirit in this manifestation; refresh your memory by rereading
Matthew 1:18-25. Joseph was informed that the child that Mary was to give birth
to would be conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20). Of course the pregnant
condition of Mary was extremely disturbing to Joseph, however, this was fully
explained by revelation (Matthew 1:18-19). Mary was given the secret of our
Lord’s conception by Gabriel, the angel of the Lord, the Holy Spirit would come
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upon her and the power of The Most High will overshadow you; disassociated
from all human agency. Gabriel also told her of her elevation as blessed above all
other women for being the mother of the Messiah (Luke 1:35).
Third: There was Simeon, the saint from Jerusalem who was advanced in age, who lived
a “just and devout” life always looking for Christ to come. He was given the
assurance that he would live to see the Messiah, by whom, the Holy Spirit.
Simeon’s name means “one who hears and obeys” as knowing the voice of the
Spirit we see:
1. The Spirit was upon Him (Luke 2:25).
2. The Spirit revealed unto him the fulfillment of his desires (Luke 2:26).
3. The Spirit led him to the Temple to see Jesus at the time when Jesus was
brought to the Temple to be dedicated to Jehovah as the firstborn and to be
redeemed by payment of a ransom (Exodus 13:12; Luke 2:23, 26-27).
Fourth: John the Baptist; the forerunner of our Lord was in the same manner subject to
the diverse operations of the Holy Spirit. Some examples are:
1. In Luke 1:13-25 we find that John’s birth was impossible by natural means
but was brought about by the Holy Spirit.
2. John, at birth, was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:15).
3. John was born of a Spirit filled mother (Luke 1:41).
4. John performed his ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:17;
Mark 6:20).
5. John prophesied about the baptism with the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11;
Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33).
6. John saw the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christ in the form of a dove
(Luke 3:16-22).
Even though it is not expressly written there are more times in which the Holy Spirit
intervened. For instance – the search and the joy of the wise men from the east finding
Jesus in Bethlehem – without the Holy Spirit showing them the way; then, the adoration
and testimony of the shepherds. From this we can see that the Holy Spirit united the
transition period between the two Testaments by “coming upon” the lives of those
righteous people gathered around the Lord’s entrance into our humanity, with His own
holy presence and power.
Messianic Ministrations
There existed a marvelous and blessed relationship between Jesus Christ the Holy Son
and the Holy Spirit. Peter explains, in I Peter 2:21, which the Lord Jesus had patterned
His life such that it was to be an example in which we could and would follow in His
footsteps. Jesus, in Matthew 10:24, states that “the disciple is not above his master, nor
the servant above his Lord,” one application, of the declaration, is that if Jesus needed
that which the Holy Spirit could meet, and which He brought to the Holy Spirit in humble
dependence to meet them like Christ, then we, as disciples and servants, also must be
dependent at least as much upon the Third Person.
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It is imperative that we understand that while marvelous developments of the truth of the
Holy Spirit are traceable after the Lord’s ascension, such as the magnificent brilliance of
a noonday revelation, as described in the book of Acts and the epistles pertaining to the
Holy Spirit’s activities, after Christ’s testimony no new truth appears. That which the
apostles taught regarding the Holy Spirit can be found within Christ’s teachings. The
classification of the truth, concerning the activities of the Holy Spirit revealed in the New
Testament can be described thusly, Who the Holy Spirit is and what He does is unfolded
in four categories:
1. Historically in the gospels.
2. Experimentally in the Acts.
3. Doctrinally in the epistles.
4. Governmentally in the Revelation.
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The Father was willing to give His Son as the sinner’s Substitute. The Son was willing to
die in the sinner’s place. The Holy Spirit was willing to enter and remain in the world
from Pentecost until the translation of the Church, and by His long ministry, complete
such a Church, which is the Lord’s Body.
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Make no mistake about it; the Holy Spirit loves to make much of Christ. Whereby He
leads us to the Master and preserves Him and keeps His fires burning brightly in our
hearts. The focal point of our faith is that Jesus Christ with His limitless assets, with His
great love, mercy and grace, is very near to the individual believer, and made part of
Christ'’ very being by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
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mind, it also requires that godly sorrow which carries out the work begun by repentance
to its completion in the acceptance of salvation (II Corinthians 7:10). Let’s examine the
threefold conviction the Holy Spirit strives to produce:
1. He convicts men of the sin of unbelief (John 16:9).
2. He convicts men that Jesus is the righteousness of God (John 16:10).
3. He convicts men that the power of Satan has been broken (John 16:11).
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hand, lie against the Holy Spirit when they tell Him that they have
placed all on the altar but kept back part of the price.
D. He can be tempted. Peter refers to the incident regarding Ananias
and Sapphira as agreeing “to tempt the Spirit of the Lord” (Acts
5:9). You have no doubt read of sinners having an exaggerated
self-opinion, who, denying the presence and reality of God, have
the audacity to say, “If there is a God, let Him strike me dead?”
God, who is gracious and merciful, doesn’t use His power to
remove those who try to deny His existence; however, asking for
signs is a form of tempting God.
4. Sufferings caused by saints. As has been said before, one way that we
have for discovering the treatment saints are to give out to the Holy Spirit
is to systematically and patiently search out and study what the Bible says
about the Holy Spirit. The Bible contains so much more truth, than a good
book, because the Holy Spirit is the author of the Bible, that is not to say
that the book would not be anointed by the Holy Spirit, however, the Bible
has 66 books included in it; and He will reveal Himself to us as we study
and meditate upon the Bible.
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As we become more and more aware of the Holy Spirit taking over our heart, will, and
life, it is imperative that we learn what not to do to cause the Holy Spirit anguish, anger,
etc., as outlined in this lesson. Therefore, since we own nothing, are nothing (except
what Jesus makes of us), there isn’t anywhere that we can escape, why not relax in Jesus
Christ and let the Holy Spirit fulfill our lives as required by our Lord! Let us take on the
nature of Christ, by receiving from the Holy Spirit the wonderful Fruit of the Spirit which
is the character of Christ and function in the image of Christ. And while we are at it,
learn to use the gifts of the Spirit wisely and profitably to the Lord Jesus Christ. No one
has ever been denied a gift or gifts from the Holy Spirit.
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Lesson 12
1. There is the natural man. I Corinthians 2:14 says, “The natural man receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God…” As is obvious the natural man is under the
influence of human nature, eloquent, learned, cultured, even religious, but
unregenerated by the Holy Spirit, and therefore does not have the capability to
understand the Scriptures. This man may have all the wisdom the world can offer
but without the renewing of the Holy Spirit he counts spiritual things as
foolishness.
2. There is the carnal man. I Corinthians 3:1 says, “And, I brethren, could not speak
to you as to spiritual people but as carnal, as to babes in Christ.” This second man
is somewhat improved over the first man since he does have the Spirit. We find
here, a man who is in one sense spiritual, because he has the spiritual gifts, but he
has not the spiritual graces. He therefore, walks in the flesh guided by the
principles of the world; he cannot eat solid food only the milk of the Word. He
does not walk in the Spirit because of his lack of understanding the deep things of
the Word. Babes must be fed with simple food; they are not capable of feeding
themselves.
3. There is the spiritual man. I Corinthians 3:1 says, “…As to spiritual people…”
This spiritual man is the regenerated man, the man of the Spirit, spirit filled and in
full communion with God. He is able to understand the great and magnificent
revelation of God. Only through the Holy Spirit is this possible.
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In the New Testament and for general use, “spiritual” means man renewed, indwelt,
empowered, enlightened, endued, guided by the Holy Spirit. He is intimately acquainted
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with the Holy Spirit as to the will of God, because he has the mind of the Spirit, and he is
Spirit led and belongs totally to the Holy Spirit. Being immersed in the Spirit, he is
surrounded by people, who are in the “same condition,” that bear the same character.
Therefore, listed are nine areas in which a “spiritual’ man will flow:
1. Feeds upon spiritual food. As Paul puts it in I Corinthians 10:3-4, “all eat the
same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that
spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” Paul speaks of
nourishment miraculously given in the wilderness, specifically, manna and water
which came from the rock, and is typical of the spiritual food we need for us to
live. The old adage, we are what we eat is very true, for man grows by what he
feeds on. Actual food, meat and drink causes the body to grow, spiritual food also
causes spiritual character to be built. The four factors of our spiritual diet should
be:
A. The Christ of God – John 6:48-58 – bread.
B. The Will of God – John 4:32-34 – obedience.
C. The Truth of God – Hebrews 5:12-14; Mt. 4:4 – bread.
D. The Things of God – I Corinthians 3:1-2 – milk.
In reviewing the prodigal son, we find he is a type of the wayward son of God,
then in his repulsion concerning eating the hog’s food and his consequent
confession that there was plenty of bread to spare at his father’s house reveals an
acute message for many. The question was why feed on the husks (selfish,
greedy, sinful indulgences and trashy novels, and literature) when the Father has
an unlimited supply of heavenly bread?
2. Exercises spiritual gifts. First of all, what are spiritual gifts? And what are they
for? Spiritual gifts are discussed in detail in four passages of the New Testament:
Romans 12:3-8; I Corinthians 12:1-10, 28-31; Ephesians 4:11-12; and I Peter
4:10-11. These lists are to be regarded as representative of spiritual gifts.
Spiritual gifts are those gifts given by the Spirit of God for the accomplishment of
God’s purpose in the world and for the edification of the Church, the body of
Christ. Two aspects are important to remember concerning spiritual gifts:
A. Every believer has been given spiritual gifts (Romans 12:5-6; I
Corinthians 12:7; I Peter 4:10).
B. The gifts belong to God and are given for the believer to use for the glory
of God (I Peter 4:11).
Several Scriptures prevalent to the exercising of spiritual gifts are: Romans 1:11
in which Paul says, “For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual
gift, so that you may be established.” Then again in I Corinthians 12:1 Paul says,
“Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant.” Also
in I Corinthians 14:1, Paul says, “Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but
especially that you may prophesy.” Again, in I Corinthians 14:12, Paul says,
“Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification
of the Church that you seek to excel.” As is evident by the Scriptures read the
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indication is that the Holy Spirit bestows various gifts to the believers, thus,
equipping them to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. No child of God is left without a
gift. Because we have received the Holy Spirit as the Gift of God, a gift was
given to each from the Holy Spirit to exercise to the very limit. Therefore, we
have the obligation to discover our gift, and being empowered by the Holy Spirit
to employ our talent to gain other talents, to use for the edification of the Church,
the body of Christ.
3. Sows spiritual things. Paul indicates to us, in Romans 15:27 that the Gentiles had
taken up a collection for the poor of Jerusalem and rightly so, for as we prosper in
spiritual things we must also give of our material things, see I Corinthians 9:11.
We must understand that those possessions were forth coming from the Holy
Spirit; therefore, they pertain to man’s spiritual life, ministry and worship. We
have here a discourse by Paul, regarding benefits accompanying our salvation,
such as live, faith, hope, sanctification, justification and peace, in fact, all the
fruits and blessings, and support of the renewed life. As believers, it is not for us
to sow merely for the things of the body, such as food, clothing, and money, but
we must also sow that most precious gift, the gift of life through our Savior.
Sowing to the Spirit reaps life everlasting (Galatians 6:8).
4. Enjoys spiritual blessings. In Ephesians 1:3, we read, “Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing
in the heavenly places in Christ.” This phrase can also be translated, “Blessings
of the Spirit,” and if we read verses 1-14, we will see many of these blessings
listed in those verses. The greatest blessing the Holy Spirit can give us is His
introduction of us into the heavenlies. We must be very careful that we are not
more interested with the blessings to the exclusion of the Blesser. Satan, being
very crafty, knows that even a gift can conceal the Giver.
5. Sings spiritual songs. When we read Ephesians 5:19 it tells us, “Speaking to one
another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in
your heart to the Lord.” Again we read in Colossians 3:16, “Let the Word of
Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the
Lord.” When we remember through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, that we
are spiritual, we lose the desire to read, see on television, trashy books and novels
written of this world. Thus, some of the pollution is eliminated. Since these
particular songs originate by the Holy Spirit and are sung in a joyful and
devotional manner, this becomes a very delightful expression of our spiritual life
to our Lord.
6. Part of a spiritual house. I Peter 2:5 says, “You also, as living stones, are being
built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” The “spiritual house” mentioned in this
verse, is not only a Church per say, but is any body of believers making up a local
Church, where the power of the Spirit and of God are manifested, therefore, any
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company of saints where His glory dwells. For other applications of the term see
Matthew 21:13; John 14:1-2; Hebrews 2:3; Ephesians 2:19-22; I Corinthians 3:16;
6:9.
7. Offers up spiritual sacrifices. The Amplified version of I Peter 2:5 says, “Come
and as living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house, for a holy dedicated,
consecrated priesthood, to offer up those spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable
and well pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.” Peter is describing a figure taken
from the Tabernacle sacrifices of the Old Testament times, when a lamb was
killed and placed upon the altar of God, denoting the complete and acceptable
offering of a self-dedicated spirit.
Just a little history lesson of the Tabernacle that Moses built for the Lord God
Almighty taken from Maureen Gaglardi’s book, The Path of the Just. “There
were six pieces of furniture in the Tabernacle. By drawing a straight line from
east to west, and also one from south to north, passing through each article of
furniture, you would see it was laid out in the form of a cross. Beginning in the
east at the first piece of furniture – the Brazen Altar – and drawing a straight line
to the west, you would pass the laver, the Altar of Incense and the Ark of the
Covenant. Then, from south to north, the line would join the Candlestick and the
Table of Shewbread.” This is a partial description from page 19 or the Path of the
Just.
The Brazen Altar should and is a very important Altar for believers since we are
to spend much time there in the process of sanctification, justification, and
dedication, because we are to place on that Altar as a sacrifice all of our fleshly
sins and all of our spiritual sins which we offer up to be burned up by the Holy
Spirit and rectification and restitution to begin in our inner man and our spiritual
man. As we more and more place ourselves, our wills under the direct control of
the Holy Spirit we will be much better imitators of Jesus Christ our Savior. The
Word of God takes all doubt away concerning the nature of sacrifices we are to
offer up. For instance:
There is Christian benevolence (Philippians 4:18; Hebrews 13:16).
They cover our praises (Hebrews 13:15-16.
These sacrifices are inward (Hosea 6:6).
They include a broken spirit (Psalm 51:17).
They represent the surrender of all we are and have (Romans 6:12 RV).
8. Fights spiritual foes. Ephesians 6:12 says, “We wrestle…against spiritual foes.”
It is very plain to see that our actual foes are not flesh and blood people but they
are invisible, wicked spirits in heavenly places. It seems that almost every time
we come in contact with antagonism from flesh and blood we rise to meet the
occasion. However, Paul takes the occasion to take us behind the scenes to show
us the invisible inspiring the visible. As Dr. Lockyer says in his book The
Doctrines of the Bible, page 115, “And if only we can gain the victory over
hidden, satanic force, then flesh and blood will not trouble us very much.”
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Lesson 13
1. Misunderstanding – Hosea 9:7 says, “…Let Israel know this! The prophet is a
fool; the inspired man (man of the spirit) is demented…” The only Old
Testament reference to the word “spiritual” can be translated, “Crazed is the
prophet, mad the inspired man.” The prophet described has been driven mad by
the persecution he was forced to endure. However, doesn’t the world look upon
the spiritual man of today as a fool, stupid? “But he who is spiritual appraises all
things, yet he himself is appraised (understood) by no man” (I Corinthians 2:15).
The more pure in heart, more spiritual, the more conspicuous our separation
toward God, the more considerable the misunderstanding we create. However, if
there is no cause, no angry actions on our part, causing people to think that we are
crazy, then we’re not responsible for what they say about us. As we learned from
Matthew 11:19, many people called Jesus a wine bibber or drunkard, because,
from their point of view, they could not see nor understand the nature of His
spiritual life and therefore misjudge us. An important infraction that spiritual man
must place his guard against is misunderstanding created by ourselves. This
occurs when we act on our own without the Holy Spirit's guidance and help and
may incur the just ire and ridicule of the world. As we walk in the Spirit we will
receive enough ridicule without increasing it unnecessarily. Even though we are
to be fools for Christ’s sake, we must not make ourselves foolish.
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Those born and taught of the Holy Spirit are forever true to the divine revelation.
Further, the spiritual cannot doubt the infallibility of the Scriptures. A man’s
spirituality can be judged by the way he utilizes the inspired Word of God. Some
men will criticize the Bible, will reject the fundamental truths of the Bible; and
are blind to spiritual things although they have the appearance of being learned in
the wisdom and knowledge of the world, and yet appear reverential, why? Those
people do not have the Holy Spirit abiding in them – they are not truly born again.
They understand only by reason and not revelation by the Holy Spirit. Spiritual
discernment is in contrast to worldly cleverness and a world apart. One is the
worldly ability to understand and reason, the other is heavenly wisdom.
Modernists idolize intellect and wisdom whereas a Spirit – taught mind is the first
requirement. It is the spiritual state of mind that gives the soul its presence for
discovering the deep things of God and not the learned mind.
Jesus Christ explained to Nicodemus, the Pharisee, a ruler of the Jews, that unless
a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Since Nicodemus
couldn’t comprehend this statement, Jesus went on and clarified it: “Except a man
be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John
3:3-8). This is the difference between the man of the world and the spiritual man,
the spiritual man has been born of the Holy Spirit – the Holy Spirit has performed
the new birth in him and “old things have passed away and all things have
become new.” The regeneration process has begun.
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The natural man sees spiritual things as dull, incomprehensible, stupid, and cannot
receive truth, therefore, truth does not produce its proper fruit. This comes about
because he feels truth is unappetizing, stale, pointless, mundane, and distasteful.
His problem is that he cannot discern the proper nature of truth and therefore he
cannot conceive of truth as being true, appealing and good. His dilemma stems
more from an inward condition than from the willful situation, because it is only
through the Holy Spirit that truth can be spiritually discerned. The natural man is
spiritually blind; he does not have that inner or inward condition necessary to
receive divine revelation.
The spiritual man - spirituality encompasses the entire realm of spiritual man’s
faculties, his heart, will, and mind.
His heart, the spiritual man receives truth in a very special and different manner;
he receives truth through the Holy Spirit in love (the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of
love). With a heart that is full of the love of the Holy Spirit, he is able to receive
all that the Spirit reveals to his intellect. Since there is first, the love for the God
of truth, there is love for the truth of God. Therefore, spirituality, in the area of
responsibility of the affections is that condition of the soul which the heart
containing all its devotional love, has its center upon God as revealed in Jesus
Christ. This, of course, is the specific work of the Holy Spirit because it is He
who sheds love abroad, love within the soul – see Romans 5:5 which tells us,
“New hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in
our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
His mind – the curse of today is the complete separation of the intellect and the
spiritual – today we have the wisdom of words verses words the Holy Spirit
teaches (I Corinthians 1:17). Remember this; the spiritual is never separated from
the spiritual, because a spiritual man is inspired by the divine Spirit. If we will
just look and see, we will find some of the greatest saints have been the deepest
thinkers. One of the first results of the regenerated life to the Holy Spirit is the
complete redistributing of human reasons to divine reason. After this
accomplishment the believer finds that the arguments he had concerning divine
revelation no longer exists, since he simply accepts it by faith and is empowered
to think God’s thoughts and clearly discern His purpose. Colossians 1:9 declares,
“For this reason, we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you,
and in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” Consequently the spiritual man
can rejoice in the heavenlies where the glory of the Triune God is sublime.
His will – the mind of the believer must be in complete subjection to the will of
the Holy Spirit; for until this is accomplished our mind is not in harmony with the
will of God and there cannot be the enjoyment of His favor. After this
accomplishment is complete, the spiritual minded becomes the mind of the Holy
Spirit and we willingly become what He desires us to be. As we constantly act
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under the guidance and dominion of the Holy Spirit we become vessels unto
honor. When the heart, mind and will reverently and affectionately “fine tune”
themselves as one upon Him, a special love, intimate, abiding forever, ever
controlling love, will be the exciting conclusion. This is the ultimate function of
the Holy Spirit’s indwelling activity, and one He longs to fulfill. Thus, the Spirit
filled God controlled life, produces the character described by the word
“spirituality”. Then to be spiritual means:
A. Discern the deep things of God with our minds.
B. Love these deep things of God with our hearts.
C. Submit to them with our wills.
5. Victory – victory means attaining the mastery over; victory in battle, to conquer,
get the upper hand, prevail, and be victorious. There are three circumstances that
the spiritual man can receive victory over:
A. The flesh. Paul, in the epistle to the Galatians, 5:16-18, 22-23 and 25,
provides a study indicating the contrast between the flesh and the Spirit.
Verses 16, 22, 23 and 25 points out victorious living while verse 17, 19-
21, indicates the devastating effects of remaining carnal. When we have
completely given our heart, mind, and will to the Holy Spirit then we are
walking in the Spirit and we have victory.
B. The world. John, in the epistle to the Asian churches, I John 5:4 we read,
“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and the victory that
overcomes the world, our faith.” These are tremendous words of
encouragement for the spiritual man today.
C. Satan. James, in the epistle of James 4:7, writes, “Submit yourselves
therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” How do we
do this? We must surrender ourselves completely to the Holy Spirit,
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Lesson 14
Marks of Love
Believers tend to focus on the love of the Father and the Son, losing consciousness of or
disregarding the love of the Holy Spirit. Just think back, when was the last time you
heard a sermon regarding the love of the Holy Spirit? It stands to reason that if the Holy
Spirit is the “Spirit of Love” then, why is it so difficult to acknowledge and delight in
Him? We have learned that the Scriptures show us that there is absolute equality existing
among the Persons of the Godhead, therefore, we are equally loved by the Father, Son
and Holy Spirit. Remember this:
1. The Father, who loves us, cannot be pleased until we glory in His love and find
the rest that is in it.
2. The Son, Jesus Christ, loved us so much that He gave His Lifeblood at Calvary
for us, and on the third day He arose and lives again to be our advocate in heaven.
3. The Holy Spirit loves us and indwells us until we are in the image of Jesus Christ.
We, the believers, seem to have very little problem conversing with the Father and the
Son in prayer, on the other hand, it is definitely difficult, or so many believers believe, to
converse or have a conversation with the Holy Spirit – person to Person – no reservation
but from the heart, just as you would the Father and the Son. Jesus taught us that we are
to pray to the Father in the name of Jesus; however, we may ask the Holy Spirit to help us
to pray to solve the problem, which He will do. The Bible proves that the Spirit is love; it
is one of His indispensable attributes which He so freely imparts upon all believers.
The Direct Evidences – there are several passages of Scripture that establish the fact that
the Spirit is love.
1. Galatians 5:22 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy…” It follows that the
fruit is of the same nature as the tree. For example, an apple tree cannot produce
oranges or grapes. Consequently, since the Holy Spirit generates love, He must
be love. The fruit must coincide with the root.
2. Ephesians 4:30 says, “Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God.” “Grief” is a more
profound word than “sorrow.” Herod was sorry regarding the request of Salome
when she asked for the head of John the Baptist, because of his respect for John,
his sorrow was genuine. Grief, however, originates from a relationship of love.
Grief is a component of the heart. The more profound the love, the more
agonizing and distressful the grief.
3. II Corinthians 6:6 says, “by pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by
kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned.” The apostle Paul confirms the
love that the Holy Spirit produces and stimulates. Therefore, it is imperative that
we realize that the love, in which the Holy Spirit so graciously apportions to us, is
a very pure love, no ulterior motives, because He loves us. It is also imperative
that we practice, with the help of the Holy Spirit, the graces of the fruit of the
Spirit. By doing this, we can love one another. Otherwise it is impossible.
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4. I Peter 1:22 says, “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through
the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure
heart.” The apostle Peter gives us some very good advice.
5. Colossians 1:8 says, “Who also declared to us your love in the Spirit.” Paul again
reiterates that we, the believers, must love the Holy Spirit as much as we love the
Father and the Son. This particular epistle deals specifically with the supremacy
of Jesus Christ. This is the only reference made to the Holy Spirit. Many times it
has been said that we become like those we live with. The Spirit Himself
produces in and out of the Believer the total character of Jesus in the total life.
For that reason, if we are in harmony with the will of the Holy Spirit, it follows
that there will be a definite reflection of His character.
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version says of James 4:5 that “loveth us to jealousy.” Remember that the Holy
Spirit loves us so much that He cannot stand for anything to get in the way.
Divine Association
As this point let us consider another avenue which is a compelling and inescapable proof
of the Holy Spirit’s love. From the Scriptures we are assured that what the Father and the
Son possess the Holy Spirit shares; additionally we know that there is a definite
characteristic of equality forming the Persons of the Godhead. The entire doctrine of
faith is a most engrossing one. Let us digress a moment and receive an encouraging fact
by a scholar of a past generation, Dr. Daniel Steele:
The three Persons in the Trinity are never brought together in the Bible without a
result of blessing. We have instances in which each Person standing by Himself
is in an aspect of fear. The Father we have seen clothed with the thunder of Sinai;
the Son, as “the falling stone that grinds to powder; and “The sin against the Holy
Ghost shall never be forgiven.” But there is not an instance upon record in which
the three Persons stand together without an intention of grace. And it is a
magnificent thought, which the completeness of Deity, in all essence and all
operation reveals that all three Persons stand together in “love.” The third Person
is “the Spirit of God” and as “God is love” (Matthew 3:15; I John 4:8, 16),
therefore the Spirit of love. He is also called “The Spirit of Christ” and Christ is
love (Romans 8:9; Galatians 2:20). The Spirit, then, shares Christ’s nature. In
fact, each loved the other. A study of the New Testament reveals a blessed
partnership between the Holy Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus was full of the
Spirit, and the Spirit is ever full of Jesus. Jesus sends us to the Spirit, and the
Spirit points us to Jesus.
The association imbued in love is of a twofold nature:
1. The Divine Benediction. The Scriptures of the Bible pertaining to the Trinity,
proves that the Holy Spirit is in fact “the sacred Being who is the love knot in the
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Trinity.” Proof of the love of the Trinity is found in the remarkable benediction
of the universal Church, given by the apostle Paul to the Church at Corinth. “The
Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the
Holy Spirit” (II Corinthians 13:14). The word “communion” in this verse could
be translated “fellowship,” because there cannot be true fellowship without true
persons. This remarkable association originates from the same love which
characterizes God and the grace Jesus Christ brought and exemplified.
2. The Divine Sacrifice. Hebrews 9:14 declares, “Christ, who through the eternal
Spirit offered Himself without spot to God.” This passage proves that the third
Person has a heart of love. The above passage distinctly teaches that the Holy
Spirit was there with Christ on the cross. It was through the eternal Spirit that
Jesus offered Himself to God as the sinless Substitute for sinners. He was also a
witness of Christ’s sufferings (Acts 5:32). And as Dr. Lockyer, in his “The
Doctrine of the Holy Spirit: put it, “And now the Spirit is the heavenly Eliezer
(meaning God of help) seeking a Bride for the heavenly Isaac. And one day He
will bring the beautiful Rebekah home and witness the blissful union (Revelation
22:17).” The Holy Spirit’s ministry of love is five fold:
A. To lift up Christ.
B. Extol His love and sacrifice.
C. Quicken the sinner’s conscience.
D. Lead to Christ.
E. Impart faith and assurance of salvation.
Many times we overlook the Holy Spirit’s own sacrifice. We understand the
sacrifice of the Father and the Son, which were great, but we forget the length of
time that the Holy Spirit has suffered us. Jesus lived on this earth as a man
approximately 33 years, and lived a sinless life as a ray of pure light among men.
The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, has been indwelling man ever since, almost
2000 years. What a sacrifice! And it was voluntary. The sacrifice that was made
by the Holy Spirit has been fittingly expressed in these words:
What a tenement He has condescended to enter, and what a glorious work
He is pleased to be bearing forward there! He found it dark as night, and
foul as the very grave. From a den so filthy, from a cage so full of unclean
birds, He might well have turned away. But the Spirit of grace, He
unbarred the gate, and entered in. And what a change He has wrought!
Where darkness long brooded, light now shines; where Satan held sway,
Jesus now sits enthroned; where enmity long burned, love now glows;
where death – the worst of deaths – the death of sin – long prevailed, life
now reigns – life – with its beauty and bliss of holiness.
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Lesson 15
Spiritually “seven” demonstrates the greatness of the Holy Spirit’s power, and of the
many duties and manifestations He performed. As a result, since the “seven devils,” or
“seven other (evil) spirits” (Luke 8:2; 11:26), reveals the perfection of evil, so the Holy
Spirit, as the “seven Spirits of God,” reveals the abundance and perfection of all that is
good. “Seven” being the expression of the highest power, the immeasurable fullness of
violence which brought about the pressing of this word into service of religion, and for
that reason it was implemented to the Spirit’s ministry. This fullness is found in a
fourfold manner:
1. In Himself
A. The apostle John applies “seven” to the Spirit in this fashion – “The seven
Spirits of God” (Revelation 1:4; 3:1; 4:5; and 5:6). All the Spirit’s
fullness and perfection proceed from God.
B. “Seven lamps of fire burning before the throne” (Revelation 4:5). The
various gifts, graces, and operations of the Spirit of God.
C. “Seven horns” (Revelation 5:6). The horn is a symbol of power, as a
result, the Spirit’s fullness of power to execute judgement.
D. “Seven eyes” (Revelation 5:6). The eyes are the symbol of understanding,
we understand by “seven eyes,” perfect vision, intelligence. As eyes, the
Spirit penetrates; as lamps, He reveals, exposes; as horns, He destroys,
overcomes.
Included in all of the Spirit’s diversities, there is an inevitable unity. Though His
tasks was and is various, He nevertheless is “One Spirit.” In the Old Testament,
there is the Spirit’s diverse service as a tangible and fundamental Power. In the
Gospels, His entire grace and energy was funneled into the one Person, our Lord
Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit inundated Him with His abundance (John 3:31). In
the Book of Acts, our attention is directed upon the abundance of His Power in
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the establishment and continuation of the Church. In the Epistles, the Holy Spirit
is the source of all spiritual gifts among the members of Christ’s Body, the
Church. In the Book of Revelations, the Holy Spirit appears to be acting
governmentally from heaven to earth. It is further apparent that in the economy
of God, only one member of the Godhead is present on the earth at one time.
They explain this more thoroughly, starting with the Old Testament – there is the
Tabernacle, and then the Temple, where the presence of God was localized. His
“Shekinah Glory” was real to men. Then there were the Gospels – which present
us with God Tabernacling among men in the person of His Son. Now, this being
the Church Age – the Holy Spirit indwells saved men and women.
2. In Christ
We have studied the “Messianic Activities” and have traced the Holy Spirit’s
plentitude in the life and labors of Jesus Christ our Lord. Christ was completely
possessed and stimulated by the blessed Holy Spirit. Christ was anointed by the
sevenfold Spirit in a sevenfold manner:
A. The Spirit of the Lord
B. The Spirit of wisdom
C. The Spirit of understanding
D. The Spirit of counsel
E. The Spirit of might
F. The Spirit of knowledge
G. The Spirit of fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2).
The prism has the properties to reflect the seven different colors forming light, so
our Lord manifests all the various, though unified functioning of the Spirit. Christ
received His sevenfold names by the Holy Spirit as:
A. Child
B. Son
C. Governor
D. Wonderful Counselor
E. Mighty Lord
F. Father of Eternity
G. Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).
Christ was quickened by the sevenfold Spirit to accomplish the sevenfold ministry
prophesied of old:
A. To preach good tidings unto the meek
B. To bind up the brokenhearted
C. To proclaim liberty to the captive
D. To open the prison to them that are bound
E. To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord
F. To declare the day of vengeance of our God
G. To comfort all that mourns (Isaiah 61:1-2).
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Luke reveals six of these ministries of Christ and leaves out the sixth one – the
“day of vengeance,” blending with “the day of the Lord,” a time span covering
Revelations 4 through 22. Note: this is man’s day, “six” is man’s number,
however, God’s day is coming, Jesus speaks about it in the gospels, and when it
arrives, it will be a day of judgement.
3. In the Church
The apostle Paul outlines the gifts of the Spirit in I Corinthians 12:4-11, and
confirms that even though there is a variance of His gifts there definitely is a unity
binding them together. In Ephesians 4:3-6 Paul explains this unity as the “unity
of the Spirit.” There are seven unities to be kept – seven strands in the cable of
Christian unity:
A. One Body – the true, invisible Church, the mystical body of Christ.
B. One Spirit – the One, forming, indwelling, sustaining the Body.
C. One Hope – the completion and translation of the Church.
D. One Lord – the Christ, the Head of the Body.
E. One Faith – the full revelation of God in the Gospel
F. One Baptism – the work of the Spirit, whereby we are incorporated within
the Body.
G. One God and Father – the Fountainhead of all supply.
4. In the Believer
There were seven terms associating the Holy Spirit with the believer:
A. Baptism with the Spirit
B. The Gift of the Spirit
C. The Sealing with the Spirit
D. The Earnest of the Spirit
E. The Indwelling of the Spirit
F. The Anointing with the Spirit
G. The Filling of the Spirit
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2) The Gift of the Spirit. You receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit at
the time that you receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit; the Gift of
the Holy Spirit is the power. The power of Salvation comes from
the presence of the Holy Spirit, the person, in your life. The power
of the Holy Spirit to work and perform for God in the supernatural
manifestations comes from the Gift of the Holy Spirit, which is
power.
3) The Sealing with the Spirit. Sealing speaks of His ownership of
the believer; it is a finished, eternal transaction. Those believers
who believe in Christ and believers only, are sealed with the Holy
Spirit of promise. While we were yet sinners we were quickened
by the Holy Spirit, but as Christians we receive Him, for the world
cannot receive Him (John 14:17), and then He becomes God’s seal
upon us.
4) The Earnest of the Spirit. The word earnest in II Corinthians 1:22;
5:5 and Ephesians 1:14 means: earnest money, caution money
deposited in case of purchasers, gen. A pledge. The Holy Spirit is
the pledge, deposit of our complete inheritance (Ephesians 1:14).
That, which God has given us in part here on earth, He will present
to us at last in perfection. As we walk in the Spirit, where He is
constantly changing our inner man to conform with Christ,
teaching us the ways Christ gave us in His Word, convicting and
eradicating sin from our lives, comforting, encouraging, loving,
exhorting us by reassuring us, working through us performing His
power through us by the Gifts of the Spirit, and much more; so that
we can experience a little of heaven here on earth.
5) The Indwelling of the Spirit. As we have studied, in a previous
lesson, once the Holy Spirit enters your heart, He becomes your
perpetual friend, comforter, teacher – revealing the Word of God to
us, and our eternal Inhabiter. You can do nothing to get rid of
Him, for He’s there to stay.
6) The Anointing with the Spirit. As I John 2:27 tells us, “And as for
you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you,
and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing
teaches you about all things, as is true and is not a lie, and just as it
was taught you, you abide in Him.” Also we read in I John 2:20,
“But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.”
This anointing must be claimed for special ministry, but also for
every fresh act of service (Psalm 92:10).
7) The Filling of the Spirit. This speaks of a continuous work being
done in you without any stoppage or break in progress. This
speaks of the after work of the initial work with the idea of a
continuous flow of the power influencing as Jesus makes the idea
known of rushing rivers of living waters coming forth. Jesus
expected us to realize this flow should never stop, but be
continuous. The only thing that would stop the flow of rivers
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Lesson 16
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2. Dew, water, rain, secret of satisfaction – thirst, beauty – verdue, flowers, fertility
– crops, harvest
3. Oil, the secret of joy – cheerfulness, facility – readiness, fragrance – unction
4. Fire, the secret of light – knowledge, heat – love, power – conquest
1. Wind. The wind cannot be seen, cannot be controlled by humans, it’s incapable
of being searched into and understood, but it manifests itself in its effects.
Therefore, it is an appropriate emblem of the mysterious endeavors of the Holy
Spirit in regeneration (Ecclesiastes 11:5). He cannot be seen in His operations,
but He can definitely be felt. Listed are several examples:
A. Like expresses the manifestation of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost
“as a rushing mighty wind” (Acts 2:2). Holy Spirit is all-powerful in
Himself. The “rushing” conveys the idea of a resounding entrance and the
filling of all believers.
B. Wind is a very great power however, it can be customized. The effects
that the wind has are varied. It can come as a tornado, or tempest, or
monsoon, or cyclone. This was a kind of manifestation of the Holy Spirit
that the jailer required (Acts 16:28). Other manifestations were as a wind
that was soft and gentle breeze at evening.
C. There was the time when Ezekiel the prophet recorded the command of
the Lord, “Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy son of
man, and say to the wind, thus saith the Lord God; come from the four
winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live” (Ezekiel
37:9-10). Ezekiel saw before him the resplendent life-giving, resurrection
power of the Holy Spirit.
D. Then there was the gentle soft breath of the Holy Spirit as He influenced
Lydia, and her heart quietly opened to the Lord.
2. Water. Water is a very interesting emblem which is used to describe the manifold
ministries of the Holy Spirit. There are many ways that it can be used to manifest
the Holy Spirit’s blessings that He has for us.
A. There are springs: “All my springs are in you” (Psalm 87:7). “A fountain
of water springing up” (John 4:14). We see the Holy Spirit as the
everlasting source of supply. He is the Creator of all spirituality in our
hearts.
B. There is water: It is the Holy Spirit alone who can bring satisfaction to the
soul’s deepest thirst. “Cleansing” (Ezekiel 36:25-27). “Life, fertility, and
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3. Fire. The Holy Spirit’s power and ministry can be compared to fire. The
devotion of service, the flame of love, the earnestness of testimony, the passion of
prayer, the sacrifice of worship, the perseverance of consecration, and the igniting
power of influence, directly or indirectly are ascribed to Him. Fire is an emblem
of the Holy Spirit. He is compared to “seven lamps of fire burning before the
throne” (Revelation 4:5). His gifts at Pentecost are said to be “cloven tongues
like as of fire” (Acts 2:3).
Fire of the Holy Spirit gives warmth and light and consumes that which is
combustible, tests that which is not so, and cleanses that which water or air cannot
cleanse. The waste material left after burning of pride, self-righteousness, doubt,
desires that are not holy, empty profession, temper, roots of bitterness, pretentious
unreality, unprofitable talk – all the dross, stubble, straw and chaff must be
consume. Who can consume these? "The Spirit of burning" (Isaiah 4:4). "Oh
that Thou wouldest rend the heavens, and come down, that the mountains might
flow down at Thy presence, as when the melting fire burneth” (Isaiah 64:1-2).
This placed in simple terms, means that the “mountains” that need to be melted
down by the Holy Spirit’s fiery presence is the mountain of our own wills.
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The Holy Spirit tests our faith to manifest its degree, to see if we have “so great
faith” like the Centurion’s (Matthew 8:10), a “great faith” like the Syro-
phoenician woman’s (Matthew 15:28), or only a “little faith” like Peter’s
(Matthew 14:31). He does this so that we may become more fruitful, and that He
may reward in the future.
4. Oil. Oil in the Bible times played a large part in Old Testament days.
A. Oil was identified with food. Leviticus 2:4-5 says, “Fine flour mingled
with oil.” Christ – the Fine flour, the Holy Spirit – Oil, brought together.
Jesus, as the Spirit-anointed One, was the food for both God and man to
feed upon.
B. Oil was the provision for differing anointings. “Ye have an unction from
the Holy One and ye know all things…But the anointing which ye
received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any many teach you;
but as the anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie,
and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him” (I John 2:20, 27).
The word “charisma,” rendered “unction” and “anointing” in the above
Scripture, means to rub with oil, and is typical of the consecrating power
of the Holy Spirit. The consequence of the anointing is a spiritual insight
into Divine things.
C. Oil provides illumination. In the Tabernacle “pure olive oil” was provided
for the service (Exodus 25:6; Matthew 5:16; 25:4). It is the Holy Spirit
who indwells us that cause us to shine and give off the light of Jesus
Christ. He also shines in the Church to keep her testimony is tact to the
world. We may be the lamps but if the Holy Spirit is not providing the
illumination there is no light. Light comes from within because only the
Spirit can give understanding according to God’s Word. Aaron had one
duty pertaining to the lamps and that was to keep them trimmed or dressed
(Exodus 30:7-8). We need this continual trimming of the Holy Spirit to
keep our lamps trimmed.
6. Salt. You ask – why do we need all this symbolism – well, we must remember
that the Bible is full of metaphors, similies, parables, emblems, etc.; it was written
in the East where this was the sort of language they understood – hence – our
Lord used common subjects for explanations. Jesus associated mostly with the
simple, ordinary, every day life of the people. His parables and symbols were
therefore geared for them. Salt, for instance, was used to express the influence of
the believer’s spiritual well being in a very corrupt world. Matthew 5:13 says,
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“Ye are the salt of the earth.” Mark, in Mark 9:49-50 says, “For everyone will be
salted with fire…” To be “salted with fire” gives the idea of a twofold influence
of the Holy Spirit.
A. “Fire” spoken in this verse, tells us of the Holy Spirit’s cleansing of the
life of the believer by His consuming of all that is not holy.
B. As “salt,” He preserves us keeping us clean and well seasoned from
corruption.
7. Earnest. “Who hath…given (us) the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts” (II
Corinthians 1:22; 5:5; Ephesians 1:13-14). An “earnest” is a deposit paid by the
purchaser to make a contract valid. The gift of the Spirit is the pledge; He is the
deposit of our complete inheritance. The Holy Spirit has given us a little piece of
heaven to go to heaven with. At the present time, we are the first fruit of the Spirit,
but the enjoyment we experience at present of Him is a pledge of future glory.
8. Seal. In God’s sealing of believers He owns them; He gives the believers His Holy
Spirit to make them ready for their new family, to give them the unction for their
duties, to act on their new doctrine, and in all ways perform the work that they are
called on to do of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit quite often uses the possessive in
reminding believers concerning their relationship to Christ. All things are ours
because we “are Christ’s” (I Corinthians 3:23). We are responsible to recognize each
saint, whatever his social standard may be, because he is “Christ’s servant” (I
Corinthians 7:22). See II Corinthians 10:7 and consider seriously this question, do
we think that because we are a believer we occupy a peculiar position in God’s grace?
9. Clothing. “He hath made us accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6), another
translation might be, “He hath graced us in the Beloved.” As Dr. Marsh, in his book
Emblems of the Holy Spirit, page 231 puts its, “He has made us beautiful in
righteousness, pure in His purity, lovely in His loveliness, holy in His holiness, and
graced in His grace.” The clothing is very expensive in its cost. Christ’s blood was
the cost of our Redeemer’s sacrifice. It is like Christ’s own garment, “without seam,
woven from the top throughout.” As the glorified Christ made His garment white and
glistening, so when He is on us and in us, He shows Himself through us. The Spirit
of God is the One Who makes all real to us. It is His business to unfold Christ to us
in the Word, to reveal Christ for us in His death, to strengthen the inner man to make
Christ real in us, and to empower us with Himself that He may qualify us for His
work and be the Qualifier in all things.
10. Seven. The number “Seven” is symbolic of the Holy Spirit as the perfection of Deity,
and the perfection of His operation. Having “Seven eyes” (Zechariah 3:9; 4:10;
Revelation 5:6), He possesses perfect insight. Having “Seven horns” (Revelation
5:6), He possesses perfect power. As “Seven Spirits” (Revelation 1:4), He possesses
perfect obedience. As “seven lamps of fire” (Revelation 4:5), He possesses perfect
holiness. Being the sevenfold Spirit He is analogous to the Seven Churches
(Revelation 1:3-4), implying a wonderful truth of a separate facet of His ministry for
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each separate Church. He gives Himself to each meeting their special requirements
as a mother gives her whole being to each of the seven children she may have borne.
All these qualities are part of the Holy Spirit. Wouldn’t it be great if we could all
live the dovelike life?
2. Porter. This word is used by Jesus in John 10:3, “To him the porter openeth,” and
has two meanings: Mark 13:34; John 18:16-17) translates “A keeper of the door”
– a doorkeeper from the word ‘porta’ means one who waits at a door to receive a
message. Psalm 84:10 informs us that the Psalmist was content to be a
doorkeeper. “A burden bearer” from ‘portare’ means to carry. One similar to a
station porter. Jesus Christ is before us as the Shepherd, and the Holy Spirit as the
Porter, and therefore His job to open and keep open doors for the Savior. The
Lord could have been thinking of John the Baptist when He spoke of a Porter,
however, the Holy Spirit is ever the Divine Forerunner of Jesus. It is the Holy
Spirit that opens the door of our heart and prepares the soul for the entrance and
reception of Jesus Christ (John 16:8-11). It is the Holy Spirit who opens the door
to the world at large. The Bible clearly proves that it is the Holy Spirit that causes
the progress that missionaries experience for the Holy Spirit opens and closes
doors: see Acts 15:6-11. It is not only true that the Holy Spirit opens doors but
He guards those doors so that hirelings and strangers cannot pass through. We
have the blessed privilege of assisting Him as the Porter. When we examine
ourselves are we really in full sympathy with being underporters with this
doorwork of God’s Spirit?
3. Paraclete. This seemed to be the favorite designation of the Holy Spirit by Jesus
because He spoke of Him at least four times: He spoke of His as “Comforter.” He
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A. One of the words is Comforter, Acts 9:31 says, “Walking…in the comfort
of the Holy Spirit.” Comfort: Gr. Paraklesis meaning the act of calling
toward or hither to help, begging, and also of exhortation, encouragement
toward virtue. Augustine expressed it, “He is our sweetest Comforter.”
With this, it follows, that the Holy Spirit is connected with our sufferings.
B. Another word is Advocate – here in Romans 8:26-27 we find that the Holy
Spirit intercedes for us in the area of prayer. Intercession: to fall in with,
intercede, entreat, deal with. In I Jn. 1:2 the same word is used of pleads –
comes forward in favor of, and represents another. When we look at this
fully we find that we have two Advocates or Paracletes – the Holy Spirit
who indwells us that we may not sin, and Jesus with the Father to plead
His efficacious blood if we do sin.
C. Another word is Helper – to lay hold of a thing together with a person and
so to assist that person. Romans 8:26 says, “The Spirit also helpeth or
infirmities.” Scofield has it, “One called alongside to help.” God has laid
help upon this One who is mighty (Psalm 89:19; Acts 26:22; Hebrews
4:16). Do we need help? If we do, why turn to humans for help when we
have such a source that is a willing, all-powerful Helper as the Holy
Spirit? He is ever the “Help of the helpless.”
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