12 FS Course 2.1b

12 FOUNDATION STONES - CLASS 2B
GIFTS AND BENEFITS

THE HOLY SPIRIT, PART 2.1
Section 1: The Benefits of the Holy Spirit
Let's take a little time to see how the Holy Spirit can work in your daily life.
> The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the baptism of love

1 Corinthians 13:1-2 - Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but
have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. (2) And though I have
the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have
all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
If the baptism of the Holy Spirit is anything, it is a baptism of love! It doesn't
matter whether you "speak with the tongues of men and of angels" or you "understand all
mysteries and all knowlege," if you don't have love!
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is love! This all-encompassing love of God even
extends to loving people who we couldn't love merely by our own efforts, in some of the
toughest situations, even "loving our enemies" like Jesus told us to do, or when you are
around difficult personalities.
Luke 6:27a - But I say to you who hear: "Love your enemies, do good to those
who hate you."
That baptism of power that Jesus said would flow like rivers of water from within
you is a baptism of the power of His love!
John 7:38-39 - "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart
will flow rivers of living water." (39) But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom
those believing in Him would receive.
In fact, the Holy Spirit of God is love, because

1 John. 4:8b - God is love.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a baptism of the love of God! Of course, it's also
a baptism of the power of God, the power that enables you to tell others about Jesus, to be
a witness, to share His love with others! It is a baptism of so much love that you cannot
contain it, so much love that you simply must overflow on others. When you feel you've
just got to tell someone about Jesus, you feel you cannot hold it in, you just have to tell
them, this is the overflowing, the baptism of God's Spirit!
> The Holy Spirit helps, inspires, and strengthens us

Ephesians 3:16 - That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to
be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.
John 14:16 - And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that
He may abide with you forever.
John 16:7 - Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go
away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send
Him to you.
The candle, the wick, and the Holy Spirit
Do you know the principle of the candle? It's not really the wick that's burning -
although it does finally burn a little - but it's the wax. That's why it lasts so long.
If you just burn up your own energy you won't last long! In the old days when
they used to use kerosene lanterns that ran on oil, when the wick began to burn, it soon
burned up just like that! But if they had plenty of oil, the wick lasted a long time because
it's the oil that burns. Oil is a good parallel or illustration of the Holy Spirit.
If you do the burning, you're going to burn out fast! - But if you let the Spirit
burn, you'll last a long time! If things get too rough, maybe you've been burning too
much. You haven't let the Spirit do the burning.
> The Holy Spirit guides us and gives us understanding of God's Word
John 16:13 - However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you
into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will
speak; and He will tell you things to come.
John 14:26 - But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My
name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to
you.
1 Corinthians 2:12 - Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the
Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us
by God.
2 Corinthians 3:6b - The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
You can read a Scripture all your life without meaning, until the Holy Spirit
speaks it to you and applies it to a situation and brings it to life!
There are parts of the Bible that you can understand very clearly. There are parts
of it which you can certainly apply to yourself and that have a message for you and me
today and have had messages for His followers and all mankind for generations, for
centuries, for millenniums. But it takes the divine guidance of the Lord to really sort this
Book out right and understand exactly what it's talking about. You really need the Holy
Spirit. You need the guidance of the supernatural Holy Spirit of God to guide you aright
through His Word.
* To consider: How has the Holy Spirit brought the Word to life for you?
> The Holy Spirit enhances our relationship with the Lord
Acts 9:31b - [The Early Church] walking in the fear of the Lord and in the
comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.
Romans 8:26 - Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not
know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for
us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
John 14:26 - But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My
name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to
you.
The word translated as "Helper" in the above verse is translated in the King James
Version as "Comforter." The original Greek word used here is parakletos which means
"called to one's side." It was used in a court of justice to denote a legal assistant, counsel
for the defense, an advocate; then, generally, one who pleads another's cause. A wider
meaning is "intercessor" or "consoler." Thus, "Comforter" actually gives us a closer idea
of the original meaning than "Helper."
> The Holy Spirit empowers our witness to others

Acts 1:8 - But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;
and you shall be witnesses to Me.
Luke 4:18 - The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to
preach the Gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim
liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are
oppressed.
The main reason for the baptism of the Holy Spirit is to give you power to
witness!
It's often difficult for us to express what we feel; we don't always know how to
put it into words. The Holy Spirit can inspire our words and get the point across much
better than we can. Our words often seem to fall far short, but the Holy Spirit can cause
our words to speak deeply to others' hearts so they understand and feel the profundity of
what you may so poorly be trying to express. The Holy Spirit can fill in the meaning, fill
in the details that we fail to include. Like Paul said,
1 Corinthians 2:4-5 - And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive
words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, (5) that your
faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
If you are sincere and trying to do your best, then the Lord will bless your
witness! The Holy Spirit will work regardless of how lacking or confusing your words
are or how badly you do. You don't have to be afraid of making a mess of things, because
whatever you say to try to share the truth of the Word, the Lord is going to bless it.
> The Holy Spirit working in our lives brings results

Galatians 5:22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no
law.
If you are filled with the Spirit, obeying the Spirit, and letting the Spirit work in
your life, the results will be visible. When people receive the Lord, we don't see Jesus go
into their hearts. Likewise, we don't see the Holy Spirit physically come into their spirits
and lives, but you can sure see the difference afterwards! - In their faces, in their eyes,
their smiles, there is a visible difference!
(continued in part 2)

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12 FOUNDATION STONES - CLASS 2B

GIFTS AND BENEFITS

Section 1: The Benefits of the Holy Spirit

> The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the baptism of love

In fact, the Holy Spirit of God is love, because

> The Holy Spirit helps, inspires, and strengthens us

> The Holy Spirit empowers our witness to others

> The Holy Spirit working in our lives brings results

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