The Holy Spirit empowered the disciples on Pentecost, but they required persecution to move them out of Jerusalem. God uses varied catalysts to send His people out on mission.
While Scripture is clear on the work of the Holy Spirit, Christians have debated specific roles based on assumptions or experiences. We must be careful not to alter His role to fit our expectations.
The role of the Holy Spirit is essential in the life of the Christian, yet we often neglect Him to our detriment. Once we know who the Holy Spirit is, we will better understand the power He brings into our lives.
1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 – We live in a time where we have plentiful access to spiritual direction, but not all of it is from God. A disciple of Jesus needs to practice spiritual discernment in confusing religious times.
After Jesus’ commissioned his disciples, he sent the Holy Spirit to empower them for the tasks assigned. On the day of Pentecost, the apostles were transformed from unsure disciples into bold missionaries. The world changed.
1 Thessalonians 4:8 – When we succumb to temptation, we surrender to our desires and reject the will of the Holy Spirit. God’s presence in our lives helps us fight back wandering ways.
People often teach the fruit of the Spirit as if they are traits we can work hard to develop. They are the fruit that the Spirit produces and not the recipe for how to make something.
There are two degrees of being filled with the Holy Spirit – all or nothing. We don’t gain more of the Spirit over time.
If you read the New Testament, it seems as if the role of the Holy Spirit is critical for the daily life of the believers. Why then do we neglect His presence to our detriment? John 16:5-15 5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are …
Jesus taught that there is a specific sin that is unforgivable by God. What is that sin and how do we avoid it?