The Holy Spirit..

Charisma Magazine recently published several articles about the Holy Spirit. In a day and age when the Holy Ghost is so misunderstood, questioned, and even mocked, these articles were refreshing, to say the least. Following is a brief synopsis.. Enjoy!

Who is the Holy Spirit?

God's Spirit is more than a dove or a wind, or even a power.. He is a person! We seem to think He is an "it" because He's often portrayed in a symbolic sense throughout Scripture (e.g. a dove, a wind, a power, etc). However, He also possesses all the attributes of a personality, and is even referred to as "He", "Him", etc. Thus, He is a person, not a thing. The Holy Spirit possesses knowledge (1 Cor 2:11), a will (1 Cor 12:11), emotions (Rom 15:30), etc. We can deduce therefore, that the Holy Spirit is not just an illumination or an inspiration. He is, in fact, a Person - an infinite, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent and eternal third Person of the Godhead! He is a divine Person!

How does He operate?

He is called "the Spirit of life" (Rom 8:2, 10). He literally creates the life of Jesus in us. He births the Word of God in us. He baptizes us into the body of Christ, seals us, and works resurrection power in and through us!

He is called "the Spirit of truth" (Jn 16:13). He reveals the truth of God to us. He inspired the Word of God, and now reveals it's mysteries to our hearts. Each time God gives us fresh insight into His Word, He makes the logos (written word) become a rhema (living Word) to our spirits. As the "Spirit of truth", He also corrects us when we miss it. He counsels us and instructs us. He convicts us when we sin, and renews the spirit of our minds to line up with His truth.

He is called "the Spirit of adoption" (Rom 8:15). He makes us the "sons" of God. It's only by the Spirit that we can have real intimacy with God.

He is called the "Spirit of holiness" (Rom 1:3-4). He brings judgment, the fire of God, and holy burning into our lives. He searches out and convicts of sin, destroying the impurities (Isa 10:16-18). Yet, He deals with us gently, according to His peaceful nature. He gives us grace to be holy. He imparts the righteousness of God.

He is called the "Spirit of grace" (Heb 10:29). He gives us the "divine enabling" to do all that the Bible instructs us to. He helps us to obey God.

He is called "the Spirit of supplication" (Zech 12:10). Supplication means, "an entreaty, a humble earnest prayer in worship, a petition". The Holy Spirit comes to establish us in communion with God. He is our vehicle.

He is called "the Spirit of glory" (1 Pet 4:14). The word "glory" implies an expression of God's active presence among His people. In Scripture, the glory of God was a literal weight ("kabod" in the Hebrew), and so it is today also. In other words, the Holy Spirit is the very presence of God.

He anoints us. By yielding to the Holy Spirit, He enables us to exercise the gifts of the Spirit (1 Tim 4:14-15; 2 Tim 1:6; 1 Thess 5:19; Acts 19:6; etc). By communing with the Holy Spirit, we grow into a place where we can minister that same life, via His anointing: "Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost" (Acts 8:14-17).

The baptism of the Holy Spirit..

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not salvation. It is a subsequent experience. God's gift to sinner's is Jesus the Savior; God's gift to believers is Jesus the Baptizer. When Jesus became your savior He cleansed your sins by His blood; but when Jesus becomes your Baptizer, He fills you with His Spirit. The result of salvation is forgiveness; the result of the baptism is power. I wrote an entire blog post dedicated to showing the Holy Ghost baptism as a second experience. You can go here if you're interested. There is also an entire series discussing Cessation - the erroneous idea that the Holy Spirit has left the scene. The series begins here if you're interested.

What is the evidence of the baptism?

The evidence of the Holy Ghost baptism is supernatural power, and speaking in tongues. This was the case in EVERY instance throughout Scripture, so we simply cannot conclude it to be different today. Take Peter for example: before his baptism he denied the Lord 3 times. After his baptism he spoke in tongues, healed the sick, raised the dead, and won 3,000 souls with his first sermon!

Why tongues?

The Bible gives us several reasons for speaking in tongues. Here are 6:
Spiritual refreshment. Speaking in tongues is a spiritual "refreshing" that causes the "weary to rest" (Isa 28:11-12, NKJV).
Overcoming weaknesses. Speaking in tongues helps the believer in areas of personal weakness (Rom 8:26). Are you tempted with lust, or tormented with worry? Pray in the Holy Spirit often, because He is your Helper!
Praying God's perfect will. Speaking in tongues helps you to always pray the perfect will of God. When you pray in the Spirit, the Holy Spirit prays God's will through you, addressing issues and circumstances that we may not understand (Rom 8:27).
Having the mind of Christ. According to 1 Corinthians 2:16, having the mind of Christ is synonymous with knowing the will of God. This means that when you pray in the Spirit, you not only pray God's will, but you also actually have the mind of Christ.
Worshipping in Spirit and in truth. One of the ways that we worship in Spirit is by singing in the Spirit. The Bible tells us that the Father "seeketh such" (Jn 4:23-24). Paul instructs us toward this practice as well: "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord" (Eph 5:18-19).
Building up your inner-man. Speaking, singing, or praying in tongues builds up and edifies your inner-man (Jude 20; 1 Cor 14:4).

Must tongues be interpreted?

Yes and no. The Bible mentions two different gifts of tongues: personal and corporate. The personal gift is associated with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is your personal prayer language that is directed to God alone (1 Cor 14:2). The corporate gift is always to be interpreted (1 Cor 12:10). It needs interpretation so that everyone who hears it can be encouraged (1 Cor 14:26-28). You might say that one's personal gift is man talking to God, while the corporate gift is God talking to man.

Is the Holy Ghost baptism for everyone?

Absolutely! Jesus said that the Father would give the Holy Spirit everyone who asks Him (Lk 11:13). The Bible also says that all men "should receive" this baptism (Jn 7:39), alluding that it is indeed our personal choice. Peter tells us that this gift is "to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off" (Acts 2:39).