The work of the Holy Spirit is happening now

The work of the Holy Spirit is happening now ***

The Holy Spirit is the part of the Triune Godhead – Father, Son and Holy Spirt – and according to Bible accounts, the Holy Spirit has three major roles in the lives of humans.

These are: 

Revealing God’s truth about men and women’s need for salvation – that which draws someone to God and convicts him or her of the sin that separates them from God.  

Preparing the Body of Jesus Christ – His church - for the ultimate reunion with the Lord, also described in the Bible as the Lamb’s great wedding feast. 

Preparing individual believers for the Lord. 

In this session, we will discuss the latter two roles of the Holy Spirit that pertain to individual Christians and the church as a whole. (The Holy Spirit does many other things, but these are important ones for us to know now.)

Christians are those who have believed and accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. They have repented of their sins and have committed to becoming disciples (followers) of Jesus Christ (Matthew 3:12 and Matthew 4:17). These are “born again” believers and not Christians in name only.

Many people – literally thousands – believe they are Christians because they were born into a family that belonged to a Christian denomination, whether Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant, Evangelical, etc., every person must be born again individually; it requires a personal and intentional decision on our part. 

John 3:5 (ESV) -

⁵Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

After salvation, the Holy Spirit goes to work in each one of us to bring about the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives, to make us more and more like Jesus. This is a lifetime process that requires our cooperation. We can stay immature Christians, or we can “grow up” in Him, and the Holy Spirit makes this possible.

Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV) -

“(22) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

How do we cooperate?

Prayer, which is regular communion with God, and which encompasses worship and praise, as well as intercession for others. Reading the Bible, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s truth and His principles for everyday life. Dropping any conduct that is contrary to the Word of God. Begin this journey by doing what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 12:1 (AKJV) “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

Leading a life of discipleship is an ongoing process that includes serving the Lord as He sees fit. Samson, in the Book of Judges, offers a prime example of someone who was anointed and set apart to serve God, but who failed to cooperate with God’s Spirit. Samson, who did not take his role as a divinely appointed judge seriously, gave in to his fleshly desires. In the end, he may have been saved as he called on God desperation, but what a tragic end. It can happen to modern-day saints as well.

The Holy Spirit, in addition to cultivating His fruit in our lives, gives us supernatural gifts (charisma) for the purpose of strengthening and building up the church.  

I Corinthians 12:7-11 (NLT) 

⁷A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 

⁸To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice^[b]; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.^[c]

⁹The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing.

  

¹⁰He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages,^[d] while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said.

 ¹¹It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have. 

Churches with strong denominational strongholds that don’t make room for the Holy Spirit, or which adopt a platform of doctrine that denies that the supernatural Gifts of the Holy Spirit are for the church today, will hold back the work of the Holy Spirit in this area. 

I Thessalonians 5:19-22 (ESV) -

¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not despise prophecies, ²¹ but test everything; hold fast what is good. ²² Abstain from every form of evil.”

  

Ephesians 4:30 (NIV) -

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

The work of the Holy Spirit in these two regards – preparing the church and individual believers – is absolutely awesome and challenging. I was humbled once I understood this, because I knew I had not cooperated in the past with the Holy Spirit. I was saved by grace of God, yes, but I had failed to mature sooner in life. We all have to reach a certain maturity, only the Lord knows what that point is in each of us, before He can use us effectively. It is a sobering and convicting realization.

Then, we must wonder, how can the Holy Spirit bring together the Body of Jesus Christ for that great day given all the different organizational divisions (denominations) and the different languages, cultures and geographies that exist? Well, believe it or not it’s going to happen. The reason it’s going to happen is because the Holy Spirit has the power to do it. 

Ephesians 5:29-32 (NLT) 

²⁹No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. ³⁰And we are members of his body. 

³¹As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”^[a]

³²This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. 

John 3:29 (NIV) [John the Baptist is speaking] -

 ²⁹The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.” 

Revelation: 19:6-8 (NLT) 

⁶Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder: 

“Praise the Lord!      For the Lord our God,^[b] the Almighty, reigns. 

⁷Let us be glad and rejoice,      and let us give honor to him.  For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb,      and his bride has prepared herself. 

⁸She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.”      For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people. 

This brings me to another important point. There are some things that Christians can only live and experience if they form part of a church family. There are no perfect churches, but with the Lord’s help (ask Him) you can find one that is right for you. There is a certain growth and maturity you can attain only by being part of a functioning church body. 

I highly recommend a Bible-centered church that preaches the Gospel, whose leaders are praying people, and who welcome the work of the Holy Spirit. In some places, you won’t have much to choose from, so choose the best available option. Use today’s technology to connect. Livestream Bible studies to incorporate those who cannot be physically present. Have faith in the Holy Spirit to lead you in all these matters.

John 16:13 (NASB) -

 ^“13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”

In some countries where Christians are persecuted for their faith – and I have in mind some of you out there – you are by yourself. The Lord knows that and will minister to you what you need. Or, you might have one or relatives and other brothers and sisters in the Lord who believe as you do. Well then, that is your church! (two or three). 

When you commit to serve in some role at a church, remember that you are serving the Lord, not the pastor, not the elders, and so on. Keeping this in mind will avoid many troubles and issues ahead associated with personalities and human failures. There may be times when the Holy Spirit leads you to leave a certain church environment, just make sure that it is the Lord’s leading, so you don’t become a “church-hopper” that never commits to anything. 

Granted, some churches can be become so toxic that you need to move on to a new one. Keep in mind that believers can grow in certain ways within a church that is not possible as a “lone wolf” (just me and the Lord). We need to be connected. Ask the Lord to connect you; the connecting is the work of the Holy Spirit. 

From the new Testament, we know that the church at Corinth had serious problems, so much so that I am surprised that the Apostle Paul did not order it to disband.

In fact, the letters of I and II Corinthians are Paul’s greatest messages on how the church of Jesus Christ should operate. He held out hope that the Corinthian Christians would cooperate with the Holy Spirt and get back on track. That should give us all hope, too. 

While this is far from being an in-depth study of the work of the Holy Spirit, it should be enough to get you started. Read everything in the Bible that describes the Holy Spirit –  

He was there at the beginning of the world:

  

Genesis 1:1-2 (NLT) -

“ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.^{[a] 2}The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.” 

He was there when Jesus Christ began His ministry: 

John 1:32-34 (NKJV) -

“³²And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. ³³I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

He was at the tomb to resurrect Jesus Christ from death (and by His power we too will be resurrected): 

Romans 8:2 -

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”

Rom. 8:11 -

“But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that hath raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” 

Before He ascended into heaven, Jesus Christ said He would send the Holy Spirit to accompany us and the church:

John 14:16 (NIV) -

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—"

The same resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to us today to overcome obstacles. Let that sink in! 

Prayer: Father God, we thank you for the awesome gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth, to help conform us into the image of your Son Jesus Christ, to help us serve your church effectively and to act as your ambassadors to the rest of the world. Thank you, Jesus, for making all this possible through your death, burial and resurrection. May we live our lives in ways that bring honor to your name.

All praise, honor and glory be to God Almighty! 

Shalom 

Diana Washington Valdez

Lion of Judah Christian Ministries ***

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