Works of the Holy Spirit
|
|
|
 12974 |
 |
November 12, 2006 |
|
|
|
 Acts 2: 1-4
"When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance."
About 2,000 years ago Jesus, the Son of God, came down to this earth in a human body and He went many places in Israel preaching the gospel of the kingdom of heaven. He taught the people the will of God and manifested many signs and wonders to confirm what He taught was true. Jesus' ministry was done mainly in Israel and the duration was only for 3 years.
But today, after about 2,000 years, the gospel that Jesus preached has been spread to all over the world and countless people have come to accept the Lord. It was because there have been the works of the Holy Spirit.
Now, who is Holy Spirit and what kind of works does He show to us?
1. The Spirit of the Son of God
The Holy Spirit is one of Triune God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He has the heart and power of the God Himself. Many people think they know quite well about God the Father and Jesus Christ, but they do not really know much about the Holy Spirit. They do not think the Holy Spirit has a certain form or existence as a being. They just think He is the heart of God, being one of God the Trinity. But the Holy Spirit also is an independent being in existence.
In the beginning, God divided Himself into the Trinity for the purpose of human cultivation. He divided out God the Son and God the Holy Spirit from God the Father. Because God divided Himself, the Father, the Lord, and the Holy Spirit, all of them have the same heart, will, thought, power, and honor.
But the Lord and the Holy Spirit were divided from the one Father God, so they have the position of Sons. Many places in the Bible refer to Jesus as the Son of God, and Galatians 4:6 also says, about the Holy Spirit, that He is a Son of God, too. It says, "Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" It refers to the Holy Spirit as the 'Spirit of His Son', namely a Son of God.
When God divided out the Lord and the Holy Spirit as Sons, God gave them each different duties. God gave the Lord the duty as the Savior, and to the Holy Spirit, He gave the duty of the Helper to help the believers in the Lord to reach complete salvation. Of course, the Lord and the Holy Spirit have accomplished a lot more things with God the Father, performing other than their own duties.
For example, before the era of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit outwardly worked in the Old Testament times. Sometimes people were inspired by the Spirit and spoke the will of God or prophesied. But it was when the era of the New Testament began that the Holy Spirit began to work in full scale. When the Son Jesus came down to this earth in human body, it was by the Holy Spirit that He was conceived. When Jesus was baptized with water by John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit came down on Him like a dove to prove that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus said in Matthew 12:28, "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you."
From the time the Lord went through the sufferings of the cross, resurrected, and ascended into heaven, however, the ministry of the Holy Spirit began in full scale. In the time of the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit could not dwell in the heart of people. As God said in Genesis 6:3, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years," the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of God, could not come into sinners and dwell in them in Old Testament times. So, the works of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament times were done by the inspiration from outside and the works themselves were limited.
But after our Lord atoned for our sins, the Holy Spirit came to dwell in the heart of people, and He could now perform His power and accomplish His ministry. The opening the gate of these works of the Holy Spirit is described in Acts 1:4-5 saying, "Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, "Which," He said, "you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." As Jesus said, the fiery works of the Holy Spirit came down upon those disciples who were praying at the upper room of Mark. These works of the Holy Spirit have been continuously happening through children of God ever since the time of the early churches.
2. The works of the Holy Spirit our Helper
There are many kinds of works of the Holy Spirit, but the most important and essential thing is that He leads and guides the children of God since the time they accept the Lord and are born again until they reach complete salvation. Also, He comes into the heart of each person and gives the assurance of salvation. He gives us the power to understand God's word and leads us to the truth.
How does the Holy Spirit specifically help God's children?
First of all, the Holy Spirit assures us of the love of God the Father.
Romans 5:5 says, ". . . and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." When we realize in our heart the love of God who took up the sacrifice of giving His beloved one and only Son for us, we can be sure of our salvation. Also, we would love God too, so that we will overcome the world, cast off sins, and gain the strength to march towards the kingdom of heaven more enthusiastically.
A Christian life is not going a wide and comfortable way but a narrow and small path, and so, in a physical sense, the life itself is not always easy and comfortable. In the process of casting off sins, we may have to go through agony in heart while our heart is being refined, and we may have to suffer because of the name of the Lord and have to endure great persecutions. If we just feel the love of God in the works of the Holy Spirit, however, there is no hardship that we cannot conquer (Romans 8:37).
Secondly, the Holy Spirit the Helper helps God's children to understand and live in the truth.
John 16:13 says, "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come." The Holy Spirit dwells in the heart of the believers, and He speaks to them or moves their heart to understand the will of God and obey it.
For example, when your feelings are hurt because of some acts of another person, the Holy Spirit tells you the truth. You hear such voices in your heart as "Think from the viewpoint of the other. The Lord loves you and gave His life for you. You love that person with that love." When you have difficulties and hardships, He tells you to give thanks, be joyful, and pray with faith.
Whenever you hear this kind of voice of the Holy Spirit, if you just obey and follow the truth, you can cast off sins very quickly. Also, the more you obey, the more clearly you will be able to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and receive His guidance more strongly, so that you will lead a very prosperous life, being guided by the will of God in the minutest details of your life.
Thirdly, the Holy Spirit always intercedes for believers and gives strength to them to act in the truth.
Romans 8:26-27 says, "In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."
Because the Holy Spirit knows very well the heart of God who wants everyone to receive salvation, He prays for the believers with such earnest heart. He prays for those weak souls who commit sins so that they can live in the truth. He still prays for them so that they will understand the love of the Father and forcefully take hold of better heavenly dwelling place in faith and hope.
Fourthly, the Holy Spirit gives you believable evidences with His power.
As in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, He gives us various gifts and shows signs and wonders through those people who are proper in God's sight. This way, He shows us the evidences through which we can believe in God. The apostle Paul confessed in Romans 15:18-19, "For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit."
Just one manifestation of God's power to spread the gospel is sometimes more effective than a thousand words telling that God is alive, He is almighty, and only Jesus Christ is our Savior.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Since the Holy Spirit came down on the upper room of Mark, He has been standing at the center of human history for last 2,000 years. It was because of the works of the Holy Spirit that countless people could have accepted Jesus as their personal Savior and called God 'Abba, Father'. These works of the Holy Spirit that have been taking place for last 2,000 years will be even more vigorously thrive going towards the end.
May each of you play the an important part in setting all nations on the fire of the Holy Spirit so that all the peoples may hear the gospel of the Lord gain salvation through the anointing of the Holy Spirit, I pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
|
|
Manmin News 
