BY YOUR SPIRIT BY YOUR SPIRIT Generation of Praise Christian Church Leonard Frieson, Jr. – Senior Pastor / Organizer Credibility, Compassion, Conviction

Living By God’s SPIRIT.... Zechariah 4:6 The Word of God tells us in Zechariah 4:6 that our lives are to be lived..... ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, Says the Lord of hosts.’ The problem occurs, however, when some Christians have an unbiblical perception of who the Holy Spirit is. Therefore, it is imperative for us to understand who He is so that we can understand the ‘gifts’ & ‘fruit’ that He brings to our lives.

Who is the Holy Spirit? This month we will seek to understand that the Holy Spirit is a Person, with a mind, emotions, and will. The Holy Spirit is God on earth (John 14:16-26; 15:26; 16:7). The Holy Spirit is received at salvation (Romans 8:9) and He becomes the permanent possession of every believer in Christ (Ephesians 1:13-14). This study will help us to understand these issues and recognize the Biblical roles of the Holy Spirit in our lives today.

Who is the HOLY SPIRIT (cont.)? The Holy Spirit is distinguished from, yet closely related to, the Father and the Son—and that on an equal basis. He receives the worship due the Father and the Son (2 Cor. 13:14) and does divine works, including inspiring Scripture (2 Peter 1:20-21; Matt 19:4-5), regenerating hearts (Titus 3:5), and creating, sustaining, and giving life to all things (Gen 1:2; Job 26:13; 34:14-15; Psalm 104:29-30). He is said to be eternal (Heb 9:14; only God is eternal), omniscient (1 Cor. 2:10-11), and is actually referred to as God (Acts 5:3-4; 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19-20).

The HOLY SPIRIT In-Depth A.) What are some proofs that the Holy Spirit is a Person and not an “It”? 1. Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as “He” (John 14:16-17, 26; John 15:26) 2. He can be lied to and He can recognize lies (Acts 5:1-11) 3. He has a will. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11) 4. He forbids (Acts 16:6-7) 5. He can be grieved (Ephesians 4:30) 6. He has a rational mind (Romans 8:26 – 27)

The HOLY SPIRIT In-Depth B.) What are some scriptural metaphors or “Emblems” of the Holy Spirit? God is so awesome that it’s difficult to describe Him; therefore God uses metaphors and similes to help us understand His person and functions. These emblems shed light upon both His nature and His mission. 1. The Dove – the dove indicates purity, peace, and modesty (John 1:32) 2. Water – water indicates life and cleansing (Isaiah 44:3) 3. Oil – oil indicates light, healing and anointing for service (Luke 4:18, Acts 10:38, Hebrews 1:9, 1 John 2:20)

The HOLY SPIRIT In-Depth 4.A Seal – a seal indicates ownership, finished transaction, identification, security, genuineness, value, and authority (Ephesians 1:13, Ephesians 4:30, 2 Corinthians 1:22) 5.Wind – wind indicates unseen power (John 3:8, Acts 2:1-2) 6.Fire – fire indicates presence, approval, protection, purifying, gift, and judgment. The presence of the Lord (Exodus 3:2) The approval of the Lord (Leviticus 9:24) The protection of the Lord (Exodus 13:21) The purifying from the Lord (Isaiah 6:1-8) The gift of the Lord (Acts 2:3)

The HOLY SPIRIT In-Depth 7.An Earnest – and earnest indicates first fruits, down payment, a pledge, and assurance of the eventual complete payment (2 Corinthians 1:22, 2 Corinthians 5:5, Ephesians 1:14) enduo 8.Clothing – The word endued is the transliteration of the Greek word enduo, referring to clothes one would wear. (Luke 24:49).

The Purpose HOLY SPIRIT We understand that He has a specific purpose in this world. We will look at His ministry concerning the scriptures, the church, the devil, sinners, and the saints. His ministry concerning the Scriptures ( 2 Samuel 23:2; Isaiah 59:21; Jeremiah 1:9; 2 Peter 1:21; John 14:25-26; Revelation 1:10-11) In a word, the Holy Spirit is the author of the Word of God. He has chosen three basic methods in the preparation and reception of His divine scriptures.

His ministry concerning the Scriptures (cont.) Revelation – That process whereby the Holy Spirit spoke to the 40 human writers of the Bible the message he wanted them to transmit. This process flowed from God to man. Inspiration – That process whereby the Holy Spirit guided the very pen of these 40 writers so that the spoken message would be accurately written. This process flowed from man to paper. Illumination – That process whereby the Holy Spirit takes the written Word when it is preached and read and enlightens those human ears who will hear it. This process flows from paper to heart.

His ministry concerning the Church The Holy Spirit and the universal church (Ephesians 2:19-22) The Holy Spirit and the local church He inspires its worship service (Philippians 3:3) He directs its missionary work (Acts 8:29; 13:2, 4; 16:6-7, 10) **Don’t ever go where the Holy Spirit doesn’t lead you…..ask Jonah!**

His ministry concerning the Church He aids us in singing during worship services (Ephesians 5:18-19) Many times the preacher and the musician are on one accord with the songs and the sermon. Special music corresponds perfectly. Both must be sensitive to the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He appoints preachers (Acts 20:28; Heb. 5:4) The Holy Spirit alone appoints the true shepherds of Christ.

His ministry concerning the Church Consequently in these last days the words of Jeremiah ring true in Jer. 23:21, “I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.” Jer. 29:9 says, “For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the Lord.” He anoints the preacher (1 Cor. 2:4; Acts 4:13) This is the divine order for service. He first appoints and then anoints His servants. The appointing is a once-for- all event, but the anointing must be sought daily.

His ministry concerning the devil His ministry concerning the devil (Isaiah 59:19; 2 Thess. 2:6-8) The Holy Spirit now acts as a divine dam, holding back and limiting the full power of Satan and sin. In other words, the One described in these verses holding back the full attack of evil is the Holy Spirit.

BY YOUR SPIRIT BY YOUR SPIRIT Generation of Praise Christian Church Leonard Frieson, Jr. – Senior Pastor / Organizer Credibility, Compassion, Conviction