The Works of the Holy Spirit
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August 22, 2010 |
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 "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." (Acts 2:2-4)
Around 2,000 years ago, Jesus the Son of God came to this earth in the form of a human being. He grew and went throughout the land of Israel spreading the gospel of the kingdom of Heaven to the people. He taught them the will of God, and performed many wonders and miraculous signs, and confirmed the authenticity of His Word with miracles. Since His earthly ministry lasted only 3 years, how could the gospel be spread to all the corners of the earth?
In the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles is a scene after Jesus' ascension where the Holy Spirit descended on the believers who gathered at the upper room in Mark's house. After the Holy Spirit came down upon them, they received power and spread the gospel in Jerusalem, all Judea, and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.
1. The Origin and Ministry of the Holy Spirit
In the beginning, God planned to cultivate human beings and from Himself He formed the Trinity. Of Himself He formed God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. The Triune God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them. The Three Persons; The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; have the same heart, will, power and glory, however the Lord and the Holy Spirit are the Sons of God the Father.
It is often found in the Bible that Jesus is the Son of God, and the Scripture in Galatians 4:6 speaks of the Holy Spirit as the 'Spirit of the Son of God'. When God the Father begot the Son of God and the Holy Spirit, He assigned different duties to each of them. The Lord was commissioned to become the Savior for mankind; the Spirit became the Helper who guides people to believe in the Lord, to be born again and to attain complete salvation.
The Lord and the Holy Spirit have also done many works along with God the Father. For example, in Old Testament times, the Holy Spirit performed many works. He came upon men of God, and allowed for them to proclaim the will of God and prophesy what God would do. The ministry of the Holy Spirit became totally different when the age of the Law of the Old Testament ended and the New Testament times began. The incarnation of Jesus, the Son of God, and His conception in a virgin was made possible by the power of the Holy Spirit.
After Jesus was baptized and came up from the water, the Holy Spirit descended like a dove and lighted on Jesus and testified that Jesus is the Messiah. It is read in Luke 4:14, "And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district," and Jesus said in Matthew 12:28, "I cast out demons by the Spirit of God." Jesus' spreading the gospel was done through the power of the Spirit.
2. The Works of the Holy Spirit as the Helper for the Children of God
The Holy Spirit stops the believers in the Lord from returning to the sinful world but instead helps them cast off sins and evils and become sanctified. What does the Holy Spirit do for the children of God in detail? .
1) He assures us of the love of God.
It is recorded in Romans 5:5, "Because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." The Holy Spirit helps us realize the love of God who loves us. He helps us understand that God gave up His only begotten Son and sacrificed Him for us. Only when we realize and feel that love in our hearts, can we have the assurance of salvation, overcome the world and cast off sins. If we feel God's love by the works of the Holy Spirit, we can advance toward a better dwelling place in Heaven, lead a proper Christian life and overcome any kind of trials.
2) He helps us realize the will of God and guides us to live in the truth.
In John 16:13 is recorded, "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth." The Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts tells us about the will of God and manages us to obey it. For example, if your heart was hurt because of another person's words, the Holy Spirit tells you to think of the other's standpoint so that you can throw away sins and obey the will of God. If you clearly hear detailed voices of the Holy Spirit in every aspect, you can be led to the will of God and lead a successful life.
3) He intercedes for us and empowers us to act in the truth.
Romans 8:26 reads, "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". The Holy Spirit is very aware of the heart of God who wants every single soul to gain salvation. So, He earnestly intercedes for the believers. He prays even for a believer who has such weak faith that he commits sins. The Holy Spirit will guide him to repent of his sins. He will renew his strength and help him to live by the Word of God with love for God, and guide him to advance toward a better place in heaven.
4) He manifests to us the proofs enabling us to believe.
The 12th chapter of 1 Corinthians records the various gifts the Holy Spirit gives to the children of God and allows His proper children to manifest signs and wonders as the proof of their belief in God. In Romans 15:18-19, the apostle Paul confessed, ". . . 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; so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ." He testified to Jesus Christ with manifestations of the power of the Holy Spirit. It is because it is more effective to present manifestations of God's powerful works than to testify only in words that God is alive and almighty.
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