Category: What

“Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.”(Galatians 5:25)

“If the Spirit is a person, how do we relate to Him? …a relationship between any two people involves mutual interaction. They communicate with each other. They experience each other… The Bible is our instruction manual for the Christian life, written to teach us how to live in relationship with God. The people given in the Bible as examples of how to walk with God were people who actually experienced God. They didn’t just know about God; they interacted with Him… Their lives involved constant two-way communication with the Spirit of God. In fact, the only model the Bible gives us for walking with God is an experiential model. Much of the Bible is a record of experiences with God…” (R. Heidler, Experiencing the Spirit, pp. 40 ff)

People in the Bible came alive to God through the Spirit (Gal 3.3)

They walked through life by the Spirit (Gal 5.25)

They experienced the Holy Spirit’s power (1 Cor 5.4)

They recognized His healings and miracles (Acts 2 ff.)

They heard His voice and directions (Acts 13.2)

They were taught by the Spirit (John 16.13)

They were encouraged by the Spirit (Rom 9.1)

They were compelled by the Spirit (Acts 20.22)

They were warned by the Spirit (Acts 20.23)

They were led by the Spirit (Acts 16.7)

They exercised the Spirit’s gifts (1 Cor 12.7)

They matured because of the Spirit (Gal 5.22-23)

They were transformed by the Spirit (2 Cor 3.18)

(Adapted from R. Heidler , Experiencing the Spirit)

Pray to, listen to, experience and interact with the Spirit today!

“…these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” (1 Cor 2:10-11)

“The Spirit is most frequently spoken of in terms of agency-that is, the Spirit is the agent of God’s activity… the Spirit is not thought of as ‘it,’ but as ‘person.’” (G.D. Fee, Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God, p.26)

The Spirit reveals God’s deep thoughts and wisdom (1 Cor 2:10)

He knows the mind of God (1 Cor 2:11)

He teaches the content of the gospel to believers (1 Cor 2:13)

He dwells within and among believers (Rom 8.11; 1 Cor 3:16)

He executes God’s plans (1 Cor 12:11)

He gives life to those who believe (2 Cor 3:6)

He cries out from within our hearts (Gal 4:6)

He leads us in the ways of God (Rom 8:14; Gal 5:18)

He bears witness with our own spirits (Rom 8:16)

He has desires that oppose our selfishness (Gal 5:17)

He helps us in our weakness (Rom 8:26)

He intercedes on our behalf (Rom 8:26-27)

He works all things together for our ultimate good (Rom 8:28)

He strengthens believers with power (Eph 3:16)

He is grieved by our lack of love for one another (Eph 4:30)

(Adapted from G.D. Fee, Paul, the Spirit and the People of God, p.27)

Pray and ask the Spirit to take you deeper into God’s truth and love.

“But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” (John 16.7)

“The Christian church was born through the power of the Spirit. As we read…the book of Acts and the epistles of the New Testament, we see a picture of the early church the way God intended it to be. ‘They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer’ (2:42). Here was a community of believers who freely loved the Word of God and were devoted to the apostles’ teaching…

“They shared with one another the deep love the Spirit had put in their hearts. They also became bold witnesses for Christ, filled with wisdom beyond their training. Their hearts were full of the Holy Spirit, and they experienced surprises as God did things that no one could anticipate. Not only had the Holy Spirit been sent to earth, but he was also moving. He acted in and through his people-he demonstrated his power to glorify Christ. The early church experienced him moving in their hearts and in their lives…

“Is the Holy Spirit moving like that in our lives? And in our churches? Many people find it easy to relate to God the Father and Jesus the Son, but when it comes to the role of the Spirit in their lives, they don’t have a clear picture of who he is or what he does. Do you ever feel that way? What about your life and your church?” (J. Cymbala, Spirit Rising, Kindle Locations 307-311)

“But when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is. He won’t draw attention to himself, but will make sense out of what is about to happen and, indeed, out of all that I have done and said.” (John 16.13-14 MSG)

“The Holy Spirit, like the Father and the Son, is not just a doctrine, an idea, or an experience to be tagged on to the other doctrines and experiences of our Christian life. He is the God who has invaded our lives with his transforming presence…

“Christians today…recognize that the Spirit is God, just as the Father and the Son are God. Although the Father, Son, and Spirit each focus on some different aspects of our salvation, we can learn about the Spirit’s ways by looking at Jesus the Son, because the Bible reveals God’s character most clearly in Jesus.

“…Greek philosophy might seek to define what God is; the Bible, by contrast, shows God to us in how he related to people throughout history… Some people suppose that learning theology means learning about God only in an abstract, rational sense, and feel this has little influence on their personal relationship with him. But when the Bible talks about knowing God, it speaks of a relationship characterized by intimacy and obedience, not by merely intellectual knowledge.” (C. Keener, Gift and Giver, pp. 18-20)

Do you want to truly know God? Ask for the Spirit to draw you into an intimate relationship with God and to transform you to live according to God’s ways.

“But I will send you the Advocate-the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me.” (John 15.26)

“What makes people want to turn to Jesus? The Holy Spirit. What makes Jesus real? The Holy Spirit. What makes what He did for us-dying on the cross and being raised from the dead-real? The Holy Spirit. This is why Jesus said, ‘No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him’ (John 6.44). We are all born ‘dead’ – ’dead in your transgressions and sins’ (Eph 2.1). Can a dead man speak? Can a dead man hear? Can a dead man move? Can a dead man make a choice? …’The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing… This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them’ (vv. 63, 65)… The Holy Spirit directs people to Jesus… It is the Spirit who makes people see why Jesus died and rose again. Remember that the eleven [disciples minus Judas] did not know why Jesus died or rose from the dead even after they saw His resurrected body. It was not until the Holy Spirit fell on them on the Day of Pentecost that it all came together for them.” (R.T. Kendall, Holy Fire, Kindle Locations 910-922)

Is Jesus real to you? Is Jesus real to your friends? Pray and ask for the Spirit of truth to come and testify all about Jesus!