> The Holy Spirit


The
Holy Spirit

 

“ On the last and greatest day of the festival Jesus stood and cried aloud, ‘If anyone is thirsty let him come to me; whoever believes in me let him drink .'
As scripture says ,‘Streams of living water shall flow out from within him.'
He was speaking of the Spirit which believers in him would receive later; for the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.” John 7:37-39

In Acts 1 1-8 Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would descend on his Apostles. “ John .as you know, baptized with water, but you will baptized with the Holy Spirit, and within the next few days.”

The Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles fifty days after Easter on the feast of Pentecost. Pentecost is the beginning of the churches universal mission to spread the truth of The Lord's Resurrection to the “ends of the earth.” It is the final event before the Second Coming of the Lord. Through Pentecost The Holy Trinity of Father,Son and Holy Spirit is revealed to the world.

“While the day of Pentecost was running its course they were all together in one place…suddenly there came from the sky a noise like that of a strong driving wind, which filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues like flames of fire ,dispersed among them and resting on each one. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to talk in other tongues , as the Spirit gave them power of utterance. ” Acts 2: 1-4

There were devout Jews around the place from every country in the world, and at the sound of the Spirit a crowd gathered . They were all amazed because they heard their own language spoken.They could not understand what was happening and exclaimed , “Why, they are all Galileans , are they not, these men who are speaking? How is it then that we hear them , each of us in his own native language? Parthians, Medes……..Cretans and Arabs,…we hear them telling in our own tongues the great things God has done..” Acts 2:7-12.Some were truly amazed . Others just contemptuously said that they were all drunk.

There are many references to the Holy Spirit in The Bible.

The Spirit helps us in our weakness. “We do not even know how we ought to pray but through our inarticulate groans the Spirit himself is pleading for us, and God who searches our inmost being knows what the Spirit means, because he pleads for God's people in God's own way;and in everything as we know, he co-operates for good with those who love God and are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8: 26-29

It is the Holy Spirit which bestows each of us with different gifts or characteristics. “There are varieties of gifts ,but the same Spirit……In each of us the Spirit is manifested in one particular way,for some useful purpose.One man through the Spirit has the gift of wise speech…….Another,by the same Spirit , is granted faith;….and another miraculous powers….But all these gifts are the work of one and the same Spirit, distributing them separately to each individual at will.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-11. The greatest gifts that the Spirit can bestow on any individual are faith,hope and love. “In a word there are three things that last forever:faith,hope and love; but the greatest of them all is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13 .Love can endure anything. If you have love in your heart you are truly blessed. “Love is patient…there is no limit to its faith,its hope and its endurance.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Corinthians 1:13:1-13 explains it all beautifully.

The Holy Spirit descends on all of us when we are baptized. Our baptism makes us one with Christ through the Holy Spirit. We are all one body as Christians with Christ as our Head. “For indeed we were all brought into one body by baptism,in the one Spirit …..and that one Holy Spirit was poured out for all of us to drink.” 1 Corinthians 12:13.
It is made quite clear to us that we are vessels in which the Holy Spirit dwells. We should therefore attempt to shun every kind of deed that will result in us sinning against the Spirit. “Do you not know that your body is a shrine of the indwelling Holy Spirit and the Spirit is God's gift to you? You do not belong to yourselves;you were bought at a price. Then honour God in your body. In Galatians 5:22-25 it says:
“The harvest of the Spirit is love,joy,peace,patience,kindness,goodness,fidelity,gentleness and self control. ……..those who belong to Christ have crucified the lower nature with its passions and desires. If the Spirit is the source of our life,let the Spirit also direct our course.”

Jesus tells his apostles that the Holy Spirit will bear witness to him as it says in John 15:26 : “ When your Advocate has come, whom I will send you from the Father-the Spirit of Truth that issues from the Father- he will bear witness to me.”

In John 16:13 the Lord confirms that the Spirit will reveal all when it is given. “…when he comes who is the Spirit of truth, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority…… he will make known to you the things that are coming..”

The Lord reveals the Spirit to the Samaritan woman who became Saint Fotini in John 4: 10-11, when he says “ If only you knew what God gives …..you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

It is also made abundently clear to us by the Lord of the importance and greatness of the Holy Spirit when he declares that every sin is forgiveable except the sin against the Spirit.In Matthew 12 31-32 in the King James Version of the Bible,the message is very clear:

"Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come."

Blessed are they who are concerned day and night to please the Lord and become worthy of his love:they come by experience to feel and know the grace of the Holy Spirit. (St Silovan)

 

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Last Published:15/07/10

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