(1)
How
would you describe the Holy Spirit?
·
A
member of the Community (‘Trinity’) of God – Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer? (though the Holy
Spirit was active in the creation of the world – “a wind from God swept over
the face of the waters – Genesis 1:1)
·
A
travelling companion
·
A
real and present acknowledgement of Jesus’ love for his disciples/followers
·
Carries
on the earthly (& heavenly) life (& work) of Jesus in his
disciples/followers
·
The
powerful presence of God in the world, ensuring the continuation of God’s
mission
·
The
promoter of notable fruitfulness, and the giver of particular ‘gifts’ that will
aid in the church’s mission
·
We
read in John 14:27, that, like Jesus, the Holy Spirit gives in a very different
way to what the ‘world’ gives. What might this indicate? The Holy Spirit works
above and beyond the physical and material into the spiritual – right to the
depths of the meaning of life. Also we might say, what the Holy Spirit stands
for or seeks to promote is unusual, maybe unexpected, in the world’s general
cultural patterns.
·
A
promoter of peace – “peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you” (John
14:27) – the Holy Spirit is closely identified here with the notion of “peace”,
which of course is NOT something the world is big on! The Hebrew concept of ‘shalom’
which closely aligns with the Greek word for “peace” refers to the well-being of
people as they live in harmony with God and others; also to wholeness or completeness,
and to ethical soundness.
·
A
promoter of calm/patience – “do not let your hearts be troubled” (John 14:27)
·
A
promoter of faith/faithfulness – “do not let [your hearts] be afraid” (John
14:27).
(2)
What
is the Holy Spirit’s role?
·
Teaching
everything we need to know (John 14:26)
·
Reminding
disciples of all Jesus has said (John 14:26)
·
Testifies
(in a positive sense) to Jesus (John 15:26)
·
Guiding
us toward all the truth of God – bring Jesus’ teachings forward into the life
of the worshipping community – hearing afresh the teachings of Jesus even after
Jesus’ departure – guiding us in and drawing us to connect with people for the
Gospel (John 16:13). This all makes us better interpreters of God on the one
hand and worldly events on the other, with a clearer presentation of the Gospel
in between.
·
Glorifying
Jesus (John 16:14) i.e. making Jesus accessible and present in daily affairs,
opening doors for us to be able to present Jesus.
If Jesus as God incarnate (God
personified) brings a distinctive revelation of God to the world, what happens
when the incarnation ends and Jesus appears to be gone? Was this revelation of
God in Jesus only available for those who lived at the time and had firsthand
experience of him and his ministry?? Is Jesus’ revelation of God limited to one
moment in history, or does it have a future beyond this particular historical
moment??? Let’s answer these questions.
(i)
If
Jesus as God incarnate (God personified) brings a distinctive revelation of God
to the world, what happens when the incarnation ends and Jesus appears to be
gone? The Holy Spirit.
(ii)
Was
this revelation of God in Jesus only available for those who lived at the time
and had firsthand experience of him and his ministry?? No, not just them!
(iii)
Is
Jesus’ revelation of God limited to one moment in history, or does it have a
future beyond this particular historical moment??? A very big future!
The Holy Spirit is the link between
the historical ministry of Jesus and the future life of the church. The Holy
Spirit is the ongoing presence of Jesus in the world. Matthew summed this all
up in one sentence at the conclusion of his gospel – “And remember, I am with
you always, to the end of the age”.
Who has the Holy Spirit? – let’s
return to this question later.
(3)
What
can we expect through the Holy Spirit?
·
Effective
witness across the whole world (Acts 1:8)
·
The
ability to communicate the Gospel in ways that others (i.e. non-believers) will
be able to understand (Acts 2:4), or at least caused to think about it or
respond in some way (2:12-13) … even if only simple ‘Galileans’ are doing the
talking (refer 2:7). Doors of communication and relationship are unexpectedly
opened, whereby the Gospel has a chance of being planted. Peter’s particular
opening was the suggestion of the disciples being “drunk”, and he responds from
this point (Acts 2:14-15).
·
People
will be convicted and come to believing in Jesus (2:37-8)
·
Extraordinary
turnarounds in levels of faith and confidence and courage (Acts 2:14ff).
(4)
Who
has the Holy Spirit?
·
The
original disciples (up to 120 by now) who were prayerfully obedient, waiting in
Jerusalem together for the promise of God (Acts 2:1-4)
·
John’s
Gospel conflates the coming of the Spirit back prior to the ascension (John
20:21-22), but with the same message – the Holy Spirit is given to Jesus’
disciples so they can represent him on an ongoing basis in the world, just as
Jesus represented and did the works of God.
·
All
those who repent (and are baptised) and are thus forgiven (Acts 2:38) … which
would assume a sincere change of mind and direction. Baptism would be a symbol
of both sincere repentance (dying to the old life and being reborn into the
new), as well as an initiation into Christian discipleship and the church
community.
·
Everyone
who responds positively to Jesus [even those “far away” – “far away” by
distance, “far away” through lack of faith] (Acts 2:39); those who accept the
crucified Jesus (now risen & ascended) as the Lord and Messiah i.e. God,
and also God’s Anointed One – the agent of salvation (Acts 2:36).
We should also note that the Holy
Spirit was sent to the church as a collective for its witness to Jesus, so
Jesus could be present in the world, more so than being sent to any or all
individuals. The Holy Spirit is never our private possession, but rather
evidence of God working in our lives for the benefit of all – what Paul calls
the “common good” (in 1 Corinthians 12:7). The Holy Spirit is the power of God unleashed in
the world, and also the glue that holds us in the church of Jesus together!
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