Worksheet
THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
• The Holy Spirit witnesses to the redeeming work of Christ. The Holy Spirit bears witness to God’s plan and method of salvation (Acts 5:30-32).
• The Holy Spirit convicts “the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8).
• It is important for every Christian to realize how this convicting ministry of the Spirit is accomplished. The Holy Spirit ministers through Spirit-filled believers.
• Jesus told His disciples, “It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin…” (John 16:7-8).
• The Holy Spirit’s role in conviction emphasizes the importance of each believer living a Spirit-filled life.
• There are other ways individuals experience the conviction of the Holy Spirit, such as through nature (Rom. 1:20), conscience (Rom. 1:18-19), Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16-17) and through abiding in a community of Spirit-filled believers (2 Tim. 2:24-26).
• In the same way the Holy Spirit was available to Jesus in His ministry the Holy Spirit is available to us.
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE LIFE OF BELIEVERS
• The Holy Spirit imparts and develops spiritual life within Christians.
• The Spirit also empowers believers for a life of ministry and service in the kingdom of God.
• Scripture frequently demonstrates that God-ordained ministry and service is accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit rather than merely through human abilities.
• The Holy Spirit helps believers understand and discern the meaning of Scripture. The Bible is the chief physical tool for every Christian worker. The Bible contains God’s perfect revelation to humanity. It points to the means of salvation and gives instructions on how to live the Christian life. One of the most important ministries of the Holy Spirit is that He reveals the truth of the Bible to the heart of believers.
• The Holy Spirit not only gives understanding to the meaning of Scripture but also leads believers to experience the truths of the Bible, making the written word a living word.
• The Holy Spirit helps believers pray (Rom. 8:26-27; Eph. 6:18; Jude 20-21).
• The Holy Spirit gives believers power to preach the word of God.
• The Holy Spirit gives believers spiritual gifts for ministry to others. Scripture teaches that spiritual gifts are to be used in spiritual service for ministry to others (Rom. 12:6-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-11).
• The Holy Spirit will raise the bodies of believers in the last day.
• The Holy Spirit strengthens and heals the mortal bodies of humans as a foretaste of their final resurrection (Rom. 8:11).
HOLY SPIRIT AS HELPER
• In the gospel of John, Jesus describes the Holy Spirit as our “Helper” (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7). “Helper” is a powerful name for communicating the unique work of the Holy Spirit.
• The Greek word for “Helper” is paraclete, meaning one who is called to stand beside for the purpose of helping.
THE SPIRIT-FILLED LIFE
• What does it mean to be “filled with the Holy Spirit?” (Eph. 5:18)
- Being “filled with the Spirit” is an on-going event as explained in Ephesians 5:18. It is a powerful and continually renewable indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
- In this passage the Greek term for filled is pleroo (play-ro-o) is present tense, meaning an ongoing event.
• It is something you must choose to cultivate as part of your life.
• There are examples in the bible of repeatedly being filled with the Spirit (Acts 4:31; 7:55; 13:52).
• We see in scripture that “being filled with the spirit” is an ongoing process of regularly inviting and submitting to the leadership of the Holy Spirit with variety of language being used to explain this daily reality (living by the Spirit – Galatians 5:25, walking in the Spirit – Galatians 5:16, being led by the Spirit – Galatians 5:18, bearing the fruit of the Spirit – Galatians 5:22-23, and sowing to the Spirit - Galatians 6:8).
• We want to engage God’s Spirit daily. One way to do this is to have a regular practice of praying in the Spirit.
• We should desire to seek God’s leadership and guidance in our lives through the Holy Spirit on a daily, “moment by moment” basis, instilling healthy habits and practices of devotion in our lives by which we consistently seek to renew ourselves in the Spirit’s fullness.
• A powerful way to engage in a daily refueling of the Spirit is to regularly practice praying in the Spirit during your prayer time.
• We should have high expectation of the work of the Holy Spirit and help people welcome and respond to Him in such a way that embraces His work rather than hinders it (Eph 4:20-32; Eph 5:18-20; Eph 6:18; Col 3:12-17).
• Throughout biblical example and church history, we have found there to be ways in which the voice and leading of the Spirit in our lives can be crowded out, ignored, or suppressed and ways in which that same voice can be invited, welcomed, and embraced.
Foundations of Pentecostal Theology
Guy P. Duffield & Nathaniel M. Van Cleave
ARTICLE XI: THE SPIRIT-FILLED LIFE (orange)
We believe that while the Holy Spirit is as a mighty rushing wind and as tongues of living flame that can shake and set ablaze whole communities for God, He is also as a gentle dove, easily grieved and wounded by impiety, coldness, idle conversation, boastfulness, a judging or criticizing spirit and by thoughts and actions dishonoring to the Lord Jesus; that it is therefore, the will of God that we live and walk in the Spirit, moment by moment, under the precious blood of the Lamb; treading softly as with unshod feet in the presence of the King; being patient, loving, truthful, sincere, prayerful, not murmuring, instant in season and out of season, serving the Lord. (Eph. 4:30-32; 6:18; Rom. 12:1,2; 1 John 2:6; Gal. 5:16, 25; 1 Cor. 3:17)
Take a few minutes to write you own sentence.
Questions and Scripture:
- What does it mean to be “filled with the Spirit” according to Ephesians 5:18?
How will you cultivate a growing awareness and sensitivity to the leading of the Spirit in your life?
How does the Holy Spirit speak into your heart and life? How do you intentionally respond when the Holy Spirit gets your attention?
• Review upcoming assignments.
• Remind them to use the scriptures found both in the article and in the questions to tab their bible during the week.