Gospel
The Amazing Holy Spirit
As we can all share in the knowledge of and easily understand; Jesus was the Greatest Apologist of all time. In all He did and each of the miracles He performed – He very much so told and showed each of us who care to look that no soul can be brought to salvation without the Holy Spirit. Jesus used evidence at all times and He of course used reasoning and yet and still even Jesus (God in the flesh) still knew, lived and taught that evidence and reason was able to bring forth faith but not salvation. It must come through the work that God allowed and created, through the cross which with the death, burial and resurrection there was then an eternal hope for us all and that one great act gave us the Holy Spirit as one who could now dwell in us - As we see when Peter confesses that He is the Son of the Living God, what did Jesus say?
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 16:17)
As we all well know or should know only the Holy Spirit can give Spiritual knowledge and as well all revelation comes from Him. As well we may add here that there is not any further “new” revelation, as and since the cannon of Scripture has closed and ended with the book of Revelation. Any “revelation” that a person has or a televangelist or pastor shares with you must in fact line up with scripture 100% else it is fake. If anyone else tells you that they have a fresh or new revelation and such as one woman wrote about her book on hell and heaven and said Jesus told her it must be written because what was in the Bible was not enough, anyone who reads and believes that garbage needs to be in a mental institution. Jesus needs not ask any poor human anything, He is all and in all. For this poor woman to write this and for folk to believe it – it takes away then from Christ and His deity and in effect says that what Christ did for us on Calvary and in bringing the New Covenant – was not sufficient. Yet people swallow it as if it were water in a parched desert. This is why people need an active relationship with the Holy Spirit and why they need to guard their minds and hearts better (Proverbs 4:23). Guard Thy thoughts, will, and affections. For - From thence proceed all the actions, as of the natural, so of the spiritual life, which lead to eternal life. (Wesley)
Jesus shows us that only the Holy Spirit can convince people of their sin ( John 16:8) and convert them (John :3-7, 14-18). Even though Jesus was and is God, He could only be a witness and of course our sacrificial lamb for all time, but it was the Holy Spirit of God, the third member of the godhead and I often say most important, for even as Jesus died the Holy Spirit orchestrated it and in fact told Jesus when He could die, even with Jesus’ death – if not for the Holy Spirit no one would be drawn to our precious risen savior. I can say it better this way: God planned our salvation, Jesus bought and paid for it at the cross and the Holy Spirit of God pleads with us to the truth of what Jesus has done. The only way for a sinner to be saved is by the convicting and convincing power of the Holy Spirit and without this, no one would ever come to Christ, as previously stated (John 16:8).
No one is ever in tune with the truth of what Jesus has done without the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He shows us that we are sons of God (Romans 8:16) as well He produces all the truth of God. John says: If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. (1 John 5:9)
Jesus said: No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day (John 6:44). God always uses the Holy Spirit to draw men and because of what Jesus did on the cross the Holy Spirit was given the latitude to work and be able to dwell in us. Also we see in Genesis 6:3 that it is the Spirit of God that strives with man to bring them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Only those, according to Jesus, that are born of the Spirit can be saved (John 3:6). In Ephesians 2:1, Paul declares that the Holy Spirit is an agent of regeneration that takes us from spiritual death to spiritual life. Without the Holy Spirit we can do nothing and in effect are nothing for without Him drawing us and then us coming to Christ, anything that we are in ourselves without Him, is as filthy menstrual rags (Isaiah 64:6).
The Old Testament came to be written as did the New by the Power, movement and anointing of the Holy Spirit upon the men who God chose to write it (Psalm 110:1). In II Samuel 23:2 David says the Spirit of the Lord spoke through Him. This is said by David to show us that the source of the prophetic writings of the Old Testament was the Holy Spirit and again is shown in II Peter 1:20-21; II Timothy 3:16. In fact Jesus called the Old Testament Imperishable and Infallible (Matthew 5:17-18; John 10:34-35).
John 14:26-Jesus affirms and confirms to the New testament writers that the Holy Spirit will bring to mind all that He has ever said(done) so they can write it as directed by the Holy Spirit. As the Spirit was allowed after the Ascension He guided them and us as well through their writings and miracles, into all truth (John 16:13). No spiritual truth is ever understood unless it is taught by the Holy Spirit. As men go out to teach and preach the Word of God, and so they must, the Holy Spirit as He uses us will reveal truth to the speaker and the hearer. If the hearer will listen and not allow stubbornness and pride to get in the way, they can learn and grow and become much better a man for Christ. I gave someone a most excellent study bible some years ago. A few passages were read and then it was put away on a shelf and never opened again. In my boldness I asked why, they said because they already knew what was in it – as the arrogance and pride flowed I made the remark, “well then why are you not living what you know so well” – see men who have been tainted by all the false doctrine and are so confused in their minds and will not let go of the death that holds them and their poor midget minded state – these are they who will hear from Jesus; Depart from me I never knew you, you that work iniquity. They will spend eternity with the very false preacher who placed them in such a state of being.
The death grip of false teaching can only be stopped by the partaker of it. They remain in bondage and confusion of their own volition and they are fools to allow pride to destroy their lives and bring wrath on their families’ just so they can be “right” – when actually they are dead wrong.
Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. (Acts 14:17)
For the heathens had always from God himself a testimony both of his existence and of his providence; in that he did good - Even by punishments he testifies of himself; but more peculiarly by benefits; giving rain - By which air, earth, and sea, are, as it were, all joined together; from heaven - The seat of God; to which St. Paul probably pointed while he spoke, filling the body with food, the soul with gladness. (Wesley)
We believe in Christ but first we must need to believe in God who created Him (became flesh) and so as the Holy Spirit in the verse from Acts 14 above; once again in His love for us, He points out these intricate and caring details so we have much more to see and believe in. This also should quiet the mouth of those whiners and complainers – God had to give us nothing yet He proves here as well as thousands of places what He has done for us and yet people complain because they do not have enough. I say the least here with Christ and an assurance of Heaven is far better than all we can hold and an eternity in hell.
We can see in Romans 2:4 that the Holy Spirit uses goodness at times to draw people and at others such as in Genesis 50:20 He may use tragedy and sorrow to accomplish the task of drawing close those who are willing in heart and Spirit. It seems and may also feel unfortunate here on this side of the grave but our reward beyond and in Heaven is far greater than the greatest that this round world has to offer. His love for us is limitless and knows no bounds.
We also know that Jesus never cast pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6) and He never performed miracles just to satisfy curiosity in those who were not truly seeking and sincere(Luke 23:8). If a close examination of Luke 16 is performed we can see the finesse of Jesus as guided always by the Holy Spirit. The rich man was real and this was a true story. Yet in all of this Jesus never spoke the name of the man or his family as not to embarrass them at the time of the occurrence nor in the future of that day or in our Bible today. At times the Holy Spirit did use names and call out those who were in error but in this case there was a sweet difference, even though the man died and immediately went to hell and will be there forever – there was a reason why it all played out this way – and if nothing else we see the love and kindness to a lost soul and his remaining family that Jesus and the Holy Spirit of God showed.
Each of the works and creations of the godhead as well as the individual tasks and miracles performed by Jesus as guided by the Holy Spirit – it is engraved in History and it is stamped in our core being and is so distinct and illustrious that no human being that has ever lived no matter how illiterate, no matter how backwards or shy, no matter what – no one can plead ignorance as an excuse on Judgment day or at the Great White Throne Judgment.
The Holy Spirit performs a necessary role in the origin of revelation of Scripture; He also is needed for the illumination of the truth. He is necessary for the truth of Christianity and the assurance of those very truths. He alone prods people to believe in God, hence believing in Jesus Christ crucified as the only way of salvation. He never bypasses the head in order to reach the heart, He always shows us and reasons with those who are willing to put self aside and live as He commands.
The Holy Spirit is amazing to say the least and we must have Him in our life on a daily basis to live a full and victorious Christian example and existence.
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