The Holy Spirit Seies 20

Welcome to the study today. I am writing this after a gap of a few weeks. Time was something that was a matter of constraint to me with so many things vying for it. However, I thank God for this time that I was able to sit down once again in His presence. Today we will see another one of the symbols that the Holy Spirit is known by:

   4.Wind: This famous symbolic reference comes in the discourse between Jesus and Nicodemus.

 “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Jn 3:8

Jesus was telling him that a person born of the Spirit exhibits the traits of the wind. It is for us to infer that if the person filled with the Holy Spirit is likened to the wind then the Holy Spirit too does exhibit the same quality. What does this statement imply? Jesus was opening Nicodemus’s understanding into how the Spirit works and certain traits of His. The Holy Spirit is unseen but His works are evident just like how one feels the wind and hears it as it moves without being able to see it. The Spirit works in a way that man cannot fully perceive Him yet will provide evidence thereof. Nowhere is this symbology more evident than when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples on the Day of Pentecost.

“And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.” Acts 2:2

Let’s take a moment to consider what this would have actually sounded like? The Bible describes the sound as a mighty rushing wind. The sounds that can be considered as mighty here for example can be like that of a hurricane, cyclone or a tornado. Frankly speaking this truly would have been a frightening experience personally. One point I’d like to mention is that the descent of the Holy Spirit is also the descent of God! There is another reference to God descending which like this thundered scaring all in the process.

“Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled… And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice. Then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain.” Ex 19:16-20

Again the sound included that of Thunder and a Trumpet both being very loud. A thunder is the sound produced when lightening passes through the air. It is often referred to as ranging from a rumbling to a sonic boom while a trumpet is a high pitched sound. Neither of these sounds is something one would expect and thus we read that the people trembled when it did happen. I believe that the sound of the wind in the upper room caught the attention of the people to gather outside and incline their ears to hear, that which was to follow…the utterances of tongues. Its purpose was to announce the arrival of God among His people. The sound is to draws ones attention. Imagine seeing a movie without the sound. The impact is not as profound as what one experiences when we can attribute the sound to what we see. The believer who moves as per the leading of the Holy Spirit will likewise impact those around. Jesus said that we are to bear fruit…good fruit. Seeing the fruit (good works) the Bible says that men will give glory to God Mt 5:16. To a believer the works of the Holy Spirit are undeniable likewise so will the works of the believer be to the unsaved world.

            The word for Spirit in Hebrew is ‘Ruach’ which is breath, wind, spirit. This wind is what made man a living being in Gen 2. There is life within this wind and it gives life as well. Amen. He can be gentle or forceful like the wind, depending upon the situation. The jailer was jolted into seeking God at feet of Peter in Acts 16:13 and all of Israel saw Gods’ awesomeness in Ex 19 leading them to fear Him. The gentleness of the Sprit is seen in the conversion of Cornelius, Lydia etc. All these being done by the Holy Spirit stands today as His testaments.

             While we are on this topic of wind I would like to share about two winds we often come across in the Bible. Each of the four directions and associated directions have specific spiritual significance, of which the East wind is most significant. The east wind is what parted the Red Sea, brought quail into the Israel camp. Basically the East wind signifies the work of God among men be it His arm of provision or judgement. It is most often seen concurrent with His judgements in action. It brought the locusts into Egypt in Ex 20:13. It also brought forth other judgements of God as mentioned in Is 41:16, Ps 48:4-7, Jonah 4:8 ( a lesson to Jonah) etc.

The wind of the Holy Spirit blows over the face of the earth bring with it life to those pre-ordained by the Lord to receive it. It moves in accordance to His plan in the lives of individuals and nations. On that day, the Day of Pentecost, the Bible records 3000 people coming to Christ and today we hear of hundreds of thousands all over the world. The Spirit of the Lord moves unbeknownst to us like a grandmaster on the chess board of His sovereign plan. Blow Lord, Blow Your Spirit upon us. May your Spirit move in each one of us and cause us to fulfil your mighty plan as it unfolds in our lives and the lives of those around us. Carry us Lord to higher heights like the eagle that soars with its wings spread out wide, far above the cares of this world. May the grace and love of the Lord abound toward all of you as you continue in His presence. We will continue with the Symbolism of the Holy Spirit in our next session. Till then God bless

The Holy Spirit Series 19

Today’s session is quite close to my heart and I was deeply encouraged by it, I hope it will be the same for you too. We will continue to study about the oil and how it signifies the Holy Spirit.

b.      Oil of Gladness: Ever since the fall there has been a problem with all of creation; nothing is as it should be. God created everything and declared that it was good but looking at the world today can make anyone doubt God’s sovereignty and even His existence. There is death and destruction all around us whether man-made or natural. As I write this two people who are close to me have been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, one has it in the brain while the other in her bones.  Having spoken to both women I understood that true hope comes only to those who have Christ for only one of them is a believer. The unbeliever is a cousin. Having known her over many years I understad her pain and sorrow. She had a hard life, she never enjoyed her life and now she was diagnosed with bone cancer that has now rendered her bedridden with only a month to live. Her resentment is understandable and heart breaking. The other is a very dear family friend whom I’ve known for over 15 years as a prayerful and godly woman from church. Her diagnosis was shocking but after speaking to her and hearing what the Lord spoke to her was truly encouraging and an eye opener to me and my wife. In her sickness she ministered to the nurses that tended to her and 4 of them accepted Christ while her brother who so refused the gospel all these years also came to the Lord seeing her faith, along with his family. She has provoked me to introspect my own convictions and stand. God removed her fear of death and gave her an inner strength to take joy rather than sorrow and despair as her mantle. Coincidently I was meditating on this topic on the oil as a symbol and the Lord put out this verse to me:

‘To grant those who mourn in Zion, giving them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.’ Isaiah 61:3.

Isaiah 61 starts with, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me…’ and it leads to verse 3, meaning that the anointing of the Holy Spirit is the what gives a child of God the oil of gladness and a mantle of praise to be glad and praise God when faced with hopelessness. The key is that Is 61 talks about the ministry that the Anointing allows us to do, which Jesus quoted at the start of His ministry. The oil of joy is for those who do what is mentioned in the verses 1-2. It is the anointing that defines the purpose of a child of God while the stand/testimony during adversities speaks volumes of their faith and hope in the Lord Jesus and His promise of eternal life to all who believe in His name. We often think that our will power and convictions in the word of God is what will carry us through but the Lord has revealed it differently. The oil of gladness is part of the supernatural gift of faith 1 Corinthians 12:9, that enables the believer to transcend human reasoning. We all know about the shield of faith in Eph 6:16. What many do not realize is the significance. The shield that we commonly see in the hands of Roman soldiers were the big metallic shields but as per the verse a metallic shield would not quench a fiery dart (arrow). The arrow would ricochet of a metallic shield and hit someone else. The actual shield used during war was a wooden shield that was covered with leather. The soldier would drench it with water before going into battle, so that when a flaming arrow was fired upon him the arrow would embed itself into the shield and would get doused. Now to maintain the suppleness of the leather covering the shield was oiled regularly. Without the oiling process the leather would dry out and crack. Our shield is our faith but the anointing of the Lord is what makes our faith strong. It is the joy of the Lord that makes us strong. Amen. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego refused to bow before the idol and deny their faith ready to die even if God did not deliver them Dan 3:16. This is the faith that the Anointing is going to bring more and more in the days to come. This oil of gladness is symbolically represented by its use in the ceremonial sacrifices, since every sacrifice is painful yet the purpose far outweighs the cost and so Jesus sacrificed Himself joyfully Heb 12:2. Consider also that the oil is obtained by beating and crushing the olive and then exposing it to heat. The true essence on a believer is seen in his faith life tested in the rigours of life whether simple or even unto death. Our lives should glorify His name which will only happen when people see our faith life and good works. Is 61:3 ends declaring that the anointed disposition of the child of God will declare His work in our lives thus giving Him the glory. Every believer today stands because someone gave their life to get the gospel to him and they did it joyfully. There is no life without death as seen in Jn 12:24.

This study has been such an encouragement to me on a personal level. As a believer our hope is eternity with our Saviour. It is my prayer that we will accomplish the purpose for which we were sent into the world and that God would furnish us with His word and strengthen us by His Spirit to live life to the fullest in Him. For a believer life begins the day he/she departs from this world. Till next time. God bless

Holy Spirit Series 18

1.     Olive Oil:  The symbol of the olive oil is a known symbol of the Holy Spirit, having been used more frequently in the Bible than the dove and water symbols. The oil was first used to anoint Aaron and his sons into the Levitical priesthood Exo 29:21. It was used to separate men and things as Holy unto God. Specifically, the olive oil indicated the Anointing of the Holy Spirit. Olive oil was the oil of choice among the Jews for this purpose. Why was olive oil the chosen medium? One point I would like to express is that every detail in the ceremonial offerings and its methods are prophetically significant. The same applies to the olive oil. The olive tree is hardy, drought and disease resistant tree very similar to the acacia tree, which was used to build the Ark of the Covenant, The Table of Showbread and the Brazen Altar. The oil tree is capable to regeneration even after its branches and main trunk has been destroyed, thus the olive tree is a symbol of new life. This is symbolically seen when the dove sent out on the 8^th day brought Noah freshly plucked olive leaves. The number 8 signifies new beginnings in Bible and so the olive branch corresponds in meaning symbolically. The olive tree is also symbolic of the redeemed Church (Israel and Gentile) with the Head being Christ, who was crushed, beaten and bruised paralleling the olive pressing process to procure oil. Mt. Olivet is also known as the hill of pressing, the same place where Jesus prayed agonizing whilst blood poured out like sweat upon the earth. Can you see the imagery?

                           The Anointing oil used was made specifically as prescribed by God. A total of five ingredients went into its making Exo 30-23-25. The five being Myrrh, Cinnamon, sweet Calamus, Cassia and Olive oil. The number Five represents the grace of God. Each of the measurements of these 5 ingredients are multiples of 5! The meaning inferred is that the Anointing is the grace of God and not of merit. The ministry bestowed upon the vessel is by the grace of God and therefore must not be taken for granted nor misused. The oil was also indicative of joy and gladness Ps 45:7, reflected in its inclusion in the sacrifices where it was used as part of the Temple offerings (Ex 29:40/Lev 7:12/Num 15:4) except the sin (Lev 5:11) and jealousy (Num 5:15) offerings. It was also used to perpetually light the seven branched lampstand in the Holy place (Exo 27:20).  We will briefly go through the different olive oil uses that is symbolic of the Holy Spirit.

a.     Holy unto the Lord: The oil was used to sanctify people and objects as Holy and separated vessels (man and object) for purpose of serving God. The key words here is “the purpose of God,” which is the only reason for sanctification. Unless the person or item has been cleansed it cannot be inducted into the divine purpose because of the Holy nature of God. The sanctification process begins once God had made His choice of the said vessel; God is the only One who decides who or what may be used to minister to Him and it is for this reason that Jesus said, “You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and ordained you…”Jn 15:16a. Aaron too was chosen by God as the High priest out of all of Israel Num 17:5-8 and so was King David. Today, everyone who accepts Jesus as their personal Saviour does so because God has chosen them to do so according to Rom 8:29-30 and Jn 6:44. Thus He chooses us and separates us for His service. This is why He calls us to holiness because He is Holy Eph 1:4, 1Pt 1:13-16. Every born again believer is a minister of God, called into the ministry of reconciliation 2Cor 5:18-19 to preach the good news Mt 28-18-20. Warnings have been issued against those who misuse or disrespect that which has been made Holy unto God 1Cor 3:17. King Belshazzar, son of King Nebuchadnezzar, used the Holy Temple vessels to drink vine in the company of his guests Dan 5:3. This defiling act brought the wrath of God upon himself and his kingdom. History tells us that Babylon fell into the hands of King Cyrus of Persia that very night. We must remember God’s exclusivity and revere Him thusly. Our lives are purely by the grace of God and so must be a possession most cherished. Amen

 I am always perplexed at the intricacies of the Old Testament that prophetically reveal the New Testament. The Old Testament is one of my great loves when it comes to studying about prophecy. I hope this lesson has been a blessing and I will see you in our next session when we continue looking into the uses of the Olive oil that signify the Holy Spirit. Till then God Bless.

Holy Spirit Series 17

Today we will be continuing with the symbolisms used to represent the Holy Spirit.

2. Water: The water symbol is used quite significantly throughout the Bible and it has come signify both the Word and the Holy Spirit. The differentiation between the two is very subtle and so it can only be defined contextually since both the word and the Spirit work in tandem to accomplish God’s Will together. Jesus stated that, rivers of living water will flow from the hearts of those who believe in Him. Jesus was referring to the Holy Spirit as the scripture revels in Jn 7:38-39. To imagine that man has been given the provision to become a fountain of this living water should inspire us to be all that God wants us to be. This provision enables the believer to become a wellspring for the Holy Spirit by whom God will minister to the lives of those around us. Jesus first introduces us to this living water in His conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well in John Ch.4, however, the foundation was laid in His conversation with Nicodemus about being born again Jn 3:5. These chapters (Jn 3, 4 and 7) are so arranged for us to learn about this in an orderly manner.

                       When God prophesied concerning the dispensation of the grace of God; He said that His Spirit would be poured out upon all flesh in Joel 2:28. In this verse the verb (pour out) figuratively compares the Holy Spirit dispensation to that of water being poured. The pouring here is indicative of copious quantities without limit and so the imagery to a river flow. When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus about the new birth by water and Spirit, He was indicating to the functioning of the word (water) and the Spirit (Holy Spirit) in bringing about new birth in those who accept Jesus as their Saviour. This point we have discussed earlier.

                      Water in nature is a symbol of life and the same holds true in the Bible. However, the life here is eternal and spiritual in nature. The great thing about it is not possessing it, but it is in being able to share it with others. Therefore, the command to preach the gospel to all Mt 28:19. The river of living water symbolism can be seen in Ps 1:3 where it imparts fruitfulness and a supernatural provision of health to the blessed man. The believer in this verse is a shadow of the Tree of Life in Rev 22:2, which too is fed by a river that proceeds from the Temple of God in the New Heavenly Jerusalem. We see this life giving river in Ezk 47: 1-12 given as a prophecy, reminiscent of the flow of the Holy Spirit in ones life. I will be dealing with this portion later in the study. The Holy Spirit as discussed earlier is the Life giver while the Word is the initiator. An easy way to explain this is when God made man out of clay (the word constructs) and then God breathed into him (The Spirit gives life). So when one receives the Water, he receives life and is then a living temple for God to dwell in. Once we become His dwelling, the Holy Spirit will spring out of us bringing forth life Jn 4:14.

                        Water flows and so does the Holy Spirit and just as water refreshes thirst; the Holy Spirit satiates the thirst for God. The Psalmist penned his feelings regarding his thirst for God in Ps 42:1 whilst he sought Him in his prayers. Jesus spoke regarding this thirst to the woman at the well in Jn 4:13 saying that those who drink from Him will thirst no more. Man by nature tries to answer all of life’s problems but there comes a point where he can’t; however those who look to the Lord have a totally different experience. In Ps 121:1-2 we see the resolute decision of the writer to seek God and nowhere else, a decision that can only be reached by faith. It is to such that the Spirit of God flows in abundance. This is why Jesus said He came to give us life and to give it abundantly Jn 10:10, a life that will flow through the Holy Spirit to all who call upon His name. Amen. Ezk 47: 1-12, basically prophesies that the Dead Sea will one day be raised up and become a water body that will be teaming with life. This is also a picture of the transformation of the repentant soul from death to life 1Jn 3:14a / Jn 5:24. One simple truth here is God will always give abundantly and liberally to all who come to Him.

            At this point I will not be able to go into further details since we are only looking into the symbols of the Holy Spirit, however we delve further into this topic in greater detail when we study on the Anointing. We will continue with another symbol in our next session. Till then God Bless

Holy Spirit Series 16

Holy Spirit Symbolism

The Holy Spirit is represented throughout the Bible using a variety of symbols. The purpose of a symbol is to provide specific information without the use of words. It is also used to signify the ethos of that which it represents. The symbols are discerned only by those to whom its significance is revealed while to other it is just a depiction. It is this cryptic nature of symbols that makes it the ideal medium to communicate information without compromising its content. Parables are by nature symbolic and thus was used by the Lord during His teachings so that the common people did not understand Mt 13:10-16. In this session we will be dealing with the different symbols that have been used to represent the Holy Spirit and the meaning of each of them. There is no particular order of representation however, we will see that each representation was purposeful.

1.      Dove: The symbol of the Dove is seen during the Baptism of Christ Mt 3:16/Mk 1:10/Lk 3:22. This was the sign given by God to John the Baptist to identify the Messiah Jn1:32-34. The Dove is not the exclusive symbol of the Holy Spirit, it has been also used to signify the Church (Songs 5:2) and Mourners (Is 38:14). However, it’s best known for its representation of the Holy Spirit. Why did God give the dove as a symbol to John the Baptist? The dove symbolism was already well known throughout the ancient world even before the time of Christ. In ancient Sumeria it was the symbol of the goddess Inanna, in Babylon it was Ishtar, in Greece it was Astarte and Juno in Rome. Typically these goddesses symbolised war, sex and fertility. They personified the worship of the queen of heaven, who was originally Semiramis, the wife of Nimrod, King of Babylon. Form what I have gathered one of the first reasons for God to give this symbol was to break the worship of the pagan goddesses by nullifying the gender representation by the dove. God specifically told John the Baptist that the Holy Spirit will descend upon the Messiah and when it did happen He came in the form of a Dove! This point lines up with what we studied about the character of the Holy Spirit in the previous session, where we looked into the feminine characteristics of the Holy Spirit. The traditional rabbinical teachings suggests that the hovering of the Spirit of God over the waters in Gen 1:2 is like the brooding of the dove. One thing I would like to point out is that this symbol was only known to John the Baptist although many people would have seen it during Christ’s baptism. Only John was privy to its significance. To everyone else it would be one of two meanings:

1. A dove came and sat on someone getting baptized.

2. If they took John seriously the dove would become a symbol of the gods choosing Jesus for some great purpose and so they would follow Him.

I am inclined to consider the latter to be part of God’s plan since the same scenario is seen in the life of Jonah, who was vomited out by the great fish. Consider this that the Ninevites worshipped the fish god ‘dagon’. It would only be natural for such a people to listen carefully to what Jonah had to say. God will use anything to get man to listen to Him.

Just a tit bit

The Dove in the Bible is first seen when Noah sent it out to check if the waters had abated. We today all know that the olive bearing dove is a symbol of peace and how ironic is it that the meaning of Noah is rest, peace, and comfort. Noah was the actual symbol of peace to those to whom it was prophesied that the wrath of God was coming and so thus they named him. The dove on the other hand was an instrument by which this peace was confirmed. According to Jewish teachings the dove was used because of its nature. A nature that always propelled it to return home no matter how far away it was from it. The Bible states that the Ark rested upon Mt. Ararat and typically if the waters were to recede the mountain top would be the first to be dry.  So, logically what Noah was trying to see was if the dove’s original home was dry and habitable.  However, the dove can be a symbol of peace through it being the used as a sacrificial animal for the sin and burnt offering giving man temporary peace with God Lev 1:14/ 14:22. Mary offered doves once her days of purification were complete in Lk 2:24.

              Coming back to the dove being a symbol of the Holy Spirit, the one area that it would really signify the Holy Spirit is in its mannerisms. It is monogamous in its choice of a partner. The Holy Spirit once given to us will never be taken away (possibly) unless we forsake Christ through apostasy and blasphemy. Another one of its characters is its gentleness, a character that Christ exhorts His followers to have Mt 10:16. As mentioned earlier the dove always returns to its home no matter how far the separation. One way or the other it will always find its way home, a trait that was used by the military to send forth and receive messages. The Holy Spirit will also one day return home to the Heavenly Father after accomplishing the purpose for which He was sent. This return will only take place after the word of God has been accomplished, because the Holy Spirit and the Word always working in tandem as we have already discussed because they work together to fulfil the purpose of God before returning Is 55:11. An imagery of this very verse is the cry of Christ upon the cross when He said “it is finished” and “into Your hands I commit My Spirit”.

We will continue with the symbolism in our next session. Till then God Bless

The Holy Spirit Series 15

The Personality of the Holy Spirit

To begin this topic I must emphasize one point that we must not forget and that is to remember that the presence of the Holy Spirit at a personal level is a prophecy and promise being fulfilled. The 1st Prophecy was made by God in Joel 2:28-3:1, since the prophet Joel served during 835-796 B.C. Isaiah would be the second prophet to prophecy regarding the Holy Spirit in Is 32:14-18 and 44:3-5; while Ezekiel would the 3rd to prophecy regarding Him in Ezk 36:26, 37:13-14 and 39:28-29. These prophecies became a promise to the children of Israel and was revealed to be so by Luke in Acts 2:33. What this means is that He is literally the representation of God, the Lord Jesus and Himself all at the same time. He would therefore, always exalt the Father and Christ in all His works. When we read portions in the Bible where the Holy Spirit expresses Himself, we must not forget that He would be displaying the characteristics of the Father and Christ as well. However, there are some exclusive attributes that are solely His and these are what I would like to dwell upon.

A.   He is grieved: The Bible admonishes us not to grieve the Holy Spirit in Eph 4:30. How do we grieve Him? If we read the verse above and those following we can see that the Holy Spirit is grieved when the spirit of our mind is not renewed (Eph 4:23-24), causing us to be unchanged in our attitudes, behaviours and actions. This will happen when we resist Him and His work in our lives. Stephen the Martyr accused his accusers of resisting the Holy Spirit and persecuting and killing those sent by God with His message. When the Light comes it  reveals what the darkness hides in each of us. When this happens the correct response must be to acknowledge our sins and confess them. However, not everyone does so as the Bible states

 “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” Jn 3: 19-21 

The resistance comes when we love sin more than God. This grieving process of the Holy Spirit does end. It ends with the Holy Spirit being quenched 1 Thes 5:19. Why does it say quenched? This is because the Holy Spirit arrival was first signified by tongues of fire which rested on the faithful in the upper room in Acts 2. I will talk more about this Fire later. As believers we are all being moulded into the image of Christ and the process continues till Jesus returns. However, as we transform our ministry is also revealed. Unless this transformation progresses; the lives that we are to bless may be lost or given to others to bless (like what was told to Esther). We may end up as paupers and standing against the Will of God, even after receiving the Holy Spirit, Shocking as it may seem, this warning was given to the Church and not to the world. 

B.    Blasphemy: This is the most serious sin as warned by Christ (Mat 12:31–32), one that has no forgiveness. Why is this so and why did Christ say even if people blaspheme Him they will be forgiven but not the Holy Spirit? The very fact that Jesus left His glory and took up human form is the reason for this. When we talk about Jesus we cannot exclude His humanity which made Him of a lower standing. However, He is later glorified by God (through His Death and Resurrection) and exalted (through His Ascension) to His current state and position. This current state and position is at the right hand of the Father in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come Eph 1:21. I believe at the time that Jesus spoke this verse He implied that He being in human form would be undergoing many things, as it was ordained by God however, the Holy Spirit being in His original form with God was not to be blasphemed  in any manner as is God the Father. We must remember that Jesus was crucified under the pretext of blasphemy against God! The punishment for Blasphemy was death Lev 24:13-16

         Blasphemy comes from the Greek word blasphemia which means to “speaking ill, impious speech, slander.” In today’s context it is to speak with irreverence of that which is considered Holy. Basically at its core it means to slander with a false accusation, much like what the scribes accused Jesus of casting out demons using demons. They implied that the power Jesus used was demonic! Whenever we falsely accuse God we are in danger of blasphemy. God told Job to pray for his three friends because they had spoken wrong regarding Him and their forgiveness would be upon Job’s prayer Job 42:7-9. The Holy Spirit is here to be all that we need Him to be in our lives to help and mould us into Christlikeness. He will never leave us nor forsake us, however we can circumvent His work in our lives by disobedience.  

C.   He can be Insulted: We are insulted when the good we do or the image we have is questioned or abused. Likewise people can insult the Holy Spirit when they turn away from Christ and embrace false doctrines and religions, thereby becoming an apostate. The Bible says this action of sinning wilfully by trampling the blood of Christ underfoot insults the Spirit of Grace Heb 10:29. I have always wondered who in their right mind would reject Christ after having experienced God and His goodness. The answer that I have so far received is:

“Truly, truly, I tell you, it is not because you saw these signs that you are looking for Me, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For God the Father has placed His seal of approval on Him.” Jn 6:26-27

The people flocked to Christ but Jesus openly admonished their misplaced priorities. Many come to Christ to get what they want. It could be for healing, deliverance, financial breakthroughs, solution to family problems so on and so forth. When they do receive it, their love and attention begins to wane. I have seen this happen first hand over the years. Some even leave the faith because they do not get what they wanted in the way they liked and when they like. God does not conform to our whims and fancies although He does entertain it at times but we must not forget that He is God. The Holy Spirit is to dwell in all those who accept Jesus. How much of our nonsense does He put up with on a daily basis ranging from our faithlessness, to all our filthy habits and traits? He continues His persistent presence in our lives regardless of how we live and imagine the insult when one departs from the faith. It is like slapping God in the face or spitting upon it, like the Roman soldiers only they did not receive anything from God. We must not take the Holy Spirit for granted. There will always be that spiritual struggle in our lives and yes we do sin wilfully on many things knowing that it is wrong to do so. Many men of God have fallen into adultery, and all sorts of sins but are they beyond forgiveness. No! not unless they have completely turned away from Him. Therefore ,we must value His grace and mercy and always seek His face while He is near us. Never ever turn away from God because of your guilt on the contrary go boldly before Him accepting your sin Heb 4:15-16. Heaven rejoices when we are saved now imagine the sadness when one turns away. It is saddening to even think about it.

D.   He expresses His Will: Yes the Holy Spirit expresses His Will though He does the Will of God the Father. The expression of His Will is always in line with the Will of God the Father. This expression is seen in 1 Cor 12:11, where the gifts are distributed to each believer as per the will of the Holy Spirit. This would seem strange but let’s consider the fact that since the Holy Spirit dwells in us He is the most knowledgeable person regarding our individuality and how uniquely God has made us. He with this knowledge I believe grants the gifts that are best expressed through us based on our call and what God has ordained for us to do. As per the verse I believe God has granted Him freedom to grant gifts as He sees fit.

We will next be looking at the person of the Holy Spirit as signified by different symbols in the Bible. This is wonderful portion of this study and I am looking forward to sharing it with you. Till next time. God bless.

The Holy Spirit Series 14

We have come to a new topic and this one is not an easy one. Some of the concepts I will be touching on is going to be hard to understand but it must be dealt with since the evil one is using our ignorance to deceive us and divert our faith away.

The Character of the Holy Spirit:

So much can be said about the character of the Holy Spirit but it will never be complete since we do not know everything about Him yet. What we will be dealing with is the personal character of the Holy Spirit as revealed through scripture which distinguishes Him from within the Godhead. We spoke about the Trinitarian doctrine a few months ago. I would like to state once and for all that the Trinity does not mean three different individuals unlike what is found in paganism. YHWH/ Yahweh is the name of the Godhead which consists of three natures not three individuals. Traditional Jews do not use this name rather they call Him ‘HaShem’ or ‘Adonai’. The most opposing doctrine out there; that has been used to malign the Triune Godhead is the threefold gods of paganism, which actually consists of three individual gods, whose nature and character are vastly different and do not work together unlike Yahweh God. In India it is Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva being the primary trinity, however the most worshipped is Shiva, Parvathi and Ganesh. In Egypt it is Osiris, Isis and Horus. In Babylon it is Baal, Ashtoreth, and Tammuz and in Greece Zeus, Athena and Apollo and the list goes on. The number of tri-unified gods is unbelievable and if anyone wants to look into this further a must read is The Two Babylons by Rev. Alexander Hyslop, who has revealed the truth regarding this tri-unified pagan godhead that opposes the one true God. Biblical doctrine speaks of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit but the pagan godhead speaks in terms of mother, son and father! And in some cases an all-male trinity.

                            I am aware that the some movements have won a lot of points with people using this pagan godhead example to discredit the triune nature of God. I say this because I was personally canvased using the same ploy.  I was able to stand up to the challenge because of what the Lord had taught me and this is the very same reason I am moved to teach you today.  God says that, “My people are destroyed because of the lack of knowledge...” Hosea 4:6. This is the sad state of general Christendom, where Biblical knowledge is very rarely pursued and those that do are far and few.

                           So, what is the basic character of the Holy Spirit? This is question is also very difficult to answer since no one can really reveal Him except God. However, we do have some of the character attributes and traits mentioned to piece together an outline of the personality of the Holy Spirit. One of the first traits mentioned is in the second verse in the Bible.

“…And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Gen 1:2

The Hebrew word for moved here is rachaph, which means to hover. The root of this word is `to brood. ` This word provides the imagery of a hen brooding over her eggs. This imagery is mentioned by Jesus when talking about how God has always longed to gather Jerusalem to Himself in Mt 23:37. This statement therefore gives credence to the interpretation of Gen 1:2. As mentioned in our study of the 7 offices of the Spirit we came across the Spirit of Wisdom. There is a word play here because the Hebrew word for wisdom in Is 11:2 is `chokmah` and in Greek describing the Spirit of Wisdom is `sophia`, both words are in the feminine gender! Technically I would have just overlooked the feminine tense used to describe this office of the Spirit had it not been for a statement made by Jesus when He said, “…But wisdom is justified by Her children.” In Mt 11:19. Jesus is also referring to wisdom in the feminine tense. Could it be true that the Holy Spirit is feminine? I asked the Lord this question many years ago and this is what He taught me.

Is the Holy Spirit male or female? When we talk about the trinity we always refer to it as God the Father (male), God the Son (male) and God the Spirit (male). But is this interpretation accurate? The fact is it is not. With the rise of feminism many challenges have been put forward including the accusation that the Bible is gender biased because of the importance given to the men throughout scripture. This too God taught me to be wrong. This is where the wisdom of man tries to comprehend the wisdom of God and in doing so falls far too short to actually be of any significance.

We commonly think that when God made man in His image, He made Adam as a male because God is a male and then He made Eve the female out of Adam`s rib. This is a wrong assumption. Was Adam a male in the day he was made? Let`s read Gen 1:27 carefully:

“So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.”

At first God refers to him in a singular form then denotes to him as them (plural). Normally anyone reading it would be reading it keeping the male and female form in mind; without considering for a moment that when Adam was initially made the differentiation of male and female had not yet been recognised or assigned. So, if Adam was not assigned a gender what was he? The answer is he was Adam, in the image of God, without a defined gender. Meaning that there was no gender when Adam was made; why because God does not have a gender either. The very reason gender exists is for the sole purpose of procreation; other than that it truly serves no purpose.

However, where did the male and female definition arise? It arose the day God made Eve. When we talk about God making Eve from Adam`s rib we only consider the physical aspect. But, I tell you the rib was only the physical portion. How about the soul and spirit? Did God breathe into Eve as well? The answer has to be No! If He had, then the two can never become one. The very concept of two become one is because God Himself exists in this multiple singularity. The male and female attributes arose when Eve was taken out of Adam. The personalities were divided up and that is why we have to equal halves, which unite as one. This answers the age old question why men and women are so different. Even the Angels are genderless and thus aren`t given in marriage, since procreation has no place in Heaven, as evidenced by Jesus’ statement in Mt 22:30. Therefore there is no gender in Heaven and so no such differentiation exists within the Godhead either.

So, where did this male female attributes arise from? The answer is God Himself, since He is the One who cleaved Adam and formed Eve and assigned the character traits to distinguish between the two apart from the obvious physical differences. We need to keep in mind that everything we know as feminine has its origin from God, therefore it must exist within Him before it got assigned in creation. When asked why women are not given prominence in the Bible. I always refer to the day Adam was made in God’s Image. Since Adam was one and then cleaved into two, God still looks at it as one. That is why we have the verse “the two shall become one flesh” so if the two is one then there actually is only one to begin with. Thus whenever God counts a man He has already included the woman in that count. Please see the formula below:

Adam ^(1/2) + Eve ^(1/2) = 1

Without his helpmate man is incomplete in a count. Man is only one half while the woman is the other half. So, coming back to whether the Holy Spirit is male or female…if there is no gender in heaven then there is no gender differentiation with the Godhead however, let’s, now consider the male and female as an attribute or character rather than as an individual. We can now say that the Holy Spirit displays these feminine traits due to His function within the Godhead. We need to keep in mind that everything we know as feminine has its origin from God, therefore it must exist within Him before it got assigned in creation and that these traits are differentiated by function and not by gender.

Another point regarding this feminine trait is that everyone who accepts Jesus as their personal Saviour will be Born Again by the Holy Spirit of God into the Kingdom of God, having God as their Father and Jesus as their Husband, since we are part of the Church which is the Bride of Christ. So everyone whether male of female is going to marry Christ!

These topics are indeed really intense and can prove to be very confusing to a lot of people but that is a given since we are studying about the Holy Spirit, who has no limits or boundaries and transcends time and space. I sincerely hope that I have been able to adequately explain this concept as clearly as possible. We will continue to look into His person and see what more we can learn about Him. So stay tuned.  

Holy Spirit Series 13

In previous session we completed the study of the functions of the Holy Spirit in the individual life of the believer. However, there are a few points that I have left out purposely such as the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit; both of which operate in the individual life of a child of God. We will definitely look into these when we will deal with them under the topic of the Anointing.

Today we will begin to study the Holy Spirit in a different capacity:

             The function of the Holy Spirit in the Church

J. To bring unity:

“Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment on the head of Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended on the mountains of Zion: For there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.” Ps 133:1-3

This is the key verse for us to study regarding the unity brought by the Spirit within the Church. As most of us know the ointment upon Aaron’s head is akin to the Holy Spirit anointing. As per scripture any person chosen to assume an office must be anointed to do so. David was anointed by the Prophet Samuel to be King. Every Levite was anointed prior to joining the ranks to serve God. It was the initiation process to the service for the Lord. The anointing is based on the God’s choice and not that of men. We all know how hard it is for men to dwell and work in unity; egos and complexes tend to cause a lot of friction. Love is the key lubricant to ease the heat produced. One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit produced is Love. Truly only God can bring about this emotion in men, that has no agendas of its own. Bind us together with chords of Love that cannot be broken. Amen.

Paul exhorts the Roman church to pursue everything that aid in peace in order to build one another in Rom 14:19. 1Pt 3:11 asks us to seek peace and pursue it, meaning that we must never give up and seek the betterment of our brother/ sister. It is a continuous process because each instance is a challenge in itself which the Holy Spirit can help us overcome. To pursue peace is to seek it as the end result in every situation. Peace again is another fruit of the Spirit. I believe that from the day be are born again there begins a process in each of our lives, where the Holy Spirit begins His work of moulding us into the image of Christ. Thereby we begin to seek the things that are in the will of God. We become a part of His great work according to the level of our submission and commitment to His cause. When Gideon set out to defeat the Midianites many people joined him but finally only 300 were chosen by God because only they possessed the right attitude and poise. In the end the numbers do not matter but the quality does and our role in this depends on our love for God and His people. The Holy Spirit is there for us but are we there in readiness?

Another way in which the Holy Spirit is bringing about unity is by teaching men and women the pure doctrines that held the 1^st Century believers together. The restoration of the five- fold ministries is one of the ways in which God will bring us together as mentioned in Eph 4:11-13. Paul speaks of endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace in Eph 4:3 as part of our walk, which should be worthy of the calling of God and the Five-Fold ministry exists to accomplish this very task within the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit gives the children of God the necessary gifts to bolster their abilities and function in certain capacities. This particular ministry is part of God's restorative  ministry since it was lost shortly after all the Apostles died. However, there are been a resurgence of this work in the past 70 yrs. or so.

K. To Glorify Jesus

How does the Holy Spirit glorify Christ? He glorifies Christ by talking what belongs to Christ and revealing it to His disciples Jn 16:14. This ministry of the Holy Spirit is our life blood bringing nourishment for our spirit. It is this function that gives us the Rhema word, prophetic utterances, etc. It is the provision that grants us all spiritual blessings, gifts and fruits. The Lord is glorified in our lives thorough these and we in turn use them for the glory of God. This function is recipient specific and basically works within the believer however each one receives for the benefit of the whole body (Church) 1Cor 12:7. Whatever we receive from God is actually His investment in us. We are required to be accountable for it just as the parable of the 10 minas (Lk 19:11-27) and 10 talents (Mat 25:14-30) dictates. The Holy Spirit will help us to minister these gifts effectively as we begin to use them in faith Rom 12:6-8. When we operate in the gift of teaching/prophecy etc. with faith the Holy Spirit will give us the words we need to speak to being about spiritual edification because only the Spirit can edify the spirit of man.

L. Gives Birth

The Holy Spirit is the one who convicts us of our sins and thus when we confess our sins He births us into God’s Heavenly Kingdom.

“Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit.” Jn 3:6

The word “Church” is transliterated from the Greek word Ekklēsía, is a composite of the words ek, "out from and to" kaléō, "to call". The English word "Church" comes from the Greek word Kyriakos, "belonging to the Lord" This would therefore mean that the Church translates to mean “those who have been called out from the world and belong to God.” The Bible tells us that God has called us (2 Timothy 1:9/ Isaiah 43:1) but have you considered how we are translated to His Kingdom?

“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son…” Colossians 1:13

“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he performed in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places…” Eph 1:18-20

We all know that God raised Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. Now as per Eph 1:18-20, this same power was worked in us to raise us from the spiritual deadness to Life; thus translating us from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of Jesus. This is the way in which we are born of the Spirit. Once born of the Spirit we are spiritual beings encased within this earthly flesh. This is what Paul the Apostle meant by putting off this tent in 2Pt 1:14. God has begotten millions of children through the Holy Spirit who will one day be revealed. Each one of us spirit born children have the mandate to speak of Jesus and His eternal work, which is the gospel (the seed of God). This seed has the potential for growth depending upon the heart (ground) it is sown into (the parable of the sower Mt 13:3–9). Those called by God are convicted by the Holy Spirit, it is in these hearts the word and the Spirit bring about new birth. What a wonderful work this is. We have so much learn and impart, if only we knew who we are and what is expected of us.

The Holy Spirit Series 12

Today we explore the first name that the Lord Jesus used to signify the Holy Spirit in Jn 16:7. The word used here is the Helper or Advocate. This title has multiple functions in the life of a believer so I will try to cover as much as the Lord has taught me. God bless you as you read on.

I.    To Help/Advocate:

“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” Jn 16:17

This is the most prime function of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We already saw that His presence signifies the presence of the Lord making His promise to never leave us as orphans true. The word for Helper in Greek here is ‘Paraklēton’ which has a three-fold meaning:

       I. One who pleads another's cause before a judge, a pleader, counsel for defense, legal assistant; an advocate

    II.  Universally, one who pleads another's cause with one, an intercessor

  III.  In the widest sense, a helper, succourer, aider, assistant

Let’s examine each of these meanings for a deeper understanding of what these words actually talk about the Holy Spirit.

             i)The first speaks of the Holy Spirit being our Advocate to plead our cause before the Judge. As a child of God we are being accused on a daily basis in front of God. The accuser being none other than satan himself Rev 12:10. This is a fact…satan cannot lie before God. He will always tell the truth. The truth here is that every one of his accusations are based on the sins we commit. Basically he is asking God to judge us without any leeway. Why does he do this? He does this because he is going to be eternally condemned without any chance of redemption; and this provokes him to take as many of us along with him as possible. The Bible clearly shows us that our Advocate during these times is Jesus 1 John 2:1-2. Now this is in Heaven; what about here on earth. How does the Holy Spirit advocate on our behalf? It is the Holy Spirit who makes know to us our sins, and it is He who bring us to repentance, it He who teaches us and preserves us in this world. So, basically the Holy Spirit executes the interests of God in us through Christ. What does this mean? From a legal point of view He is Heavens advocate (voice of authority) to champion God’s cause or plans in us to bring us to the full measure and stature of Christ. An illustration of this ministry is that of Eliezer, the servant of Abraham, who was sent to find a wife for Isaac. He had to find her then get her to follow him to Abraham’s house to be Isaac’s wife. During which time Rebecca was being prepared to be Isaac’s bride. The story of Esther, similarly undergoing various preparations to meet the King, under the guidance of Hegai the Eunuch, is also a similar example. Another scripture portion that comes to mind is how Ezra prepared the people of Israel, who had drifted away, to return to God after the exile. This grooming process of preparing us to the standard of Christ likeness is what the Holy Spirit advocates on behalf of the Lord Jesus, thus making Him our Advocate, as He preps us to meet our King. Amen.

              ii) Now we shall look at the second meaning of how He is an intercessor. We saw a bit of this portion earlier when we discussed how the Holy Spirit prays on our behalf when we do not know how or what to pray. He knows us best and so is always in a better position to petition God on our behalf. The greatest assurance that anyone can have is the assurance of being the child of God and we all know that this is only possible to them that have been born again of the Spirit.

“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” Romans 8:16

On reading this verse contextually we see that the Holy Spirit along with our spirit testifies that we are the children of God, thereby revealing our new born spiritual nature enabling us by spiritual birth to call God “Abba, Father.” Being aware of our born again spirit we seek to be led by the Holy Spirit. Thus we have the verse, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” Rom 8:13. This Spirit of Advocacy I believe is mentioned as ‘The Spirit of Adoption’ in Rom 8:15. This adoption is mentioned as being grafted into the family of God in Rom 11. Once a child is adopted into a household the child is trained in the ways, beliefs and traditions of the adoptive parents. Likewise once born again we undergo the same process where we are taught the ways of God, and are led by His Spirit in the paths determined by God fulfilling His pre-determined good works thereby accomplishing the very purpose of our birth in this world Eph 2:10. If this witness or advocacy of the Holy Spirit did not exist we would be like men out at sea without a map or charts to plot the course in this life.   

          iii)The third and final meaning speaks of the Holy Spirit as our Helper. 
        
         Why do we need His help? The people of this world seem to do just fine without Him so why do we need Him? One of the differences between a child of God and a person of the world is that the former depends upon the Father to provide for them and they know that the words of Eternal Life are with Him Jn 6:68, without which they would not know how to live a godly life; that is wholly acceptable to God. They depend of Him to guide them through all that life brings them. It is here that we need a Helper to help us live according to our election and calling; to fulfil the purposes of Him. The Holy Spirit is not distant from us but rather lives within us. The following verse gives us a visual image of how He helps us:

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Mt 11:29

Another one of Jesus’ profound statements encourages us to learn from Him. How can we learn from Him is He is not here with us? We learn by seeing, hearing or reading tangible things. Since He was to ascend into Heaven this statement would only be possible if the Holy Spirit was to be present in us to fulfil all that Christ promised He would do. A technique used to break/train a new ox is to yoke it with a seasoned one. The new ox would learn from the old without much effort because the old one would guide it in all its daily functions. If this form of teaching and learning is applied to the verse then it would make more sense. We get yoked with Christ and He will teach us the way we ought to go and function. Now with the presence of the Holy Spirit this yoking would literally be possible and we can learn from Christ because the Holy Spirit presence is the presence of Christ in us. We would be co-workers with Christ and not as slaves under a hard taskmaster. This companionship enables us to fulfill His purpose of evangelism where we plant or water and God gives the growth 1 Cor 3:5-9. In this partnership we are held up when we falter. We never go through life without His counsel, provision, and protection. This is why we are called His ambassadors 2 Cor 5:20. Just as an ambassador’s needs are met by the country he represents our needs are also met by God, when we represent Him in this world. Amen.

Another point I would like to explore regarding the Holy Spirit being our Helper is by looking at it as our protector. Does the Holy Spirit protect us? Although there is not direct verse to indicate this, there are however many verses that imply it. Let’s take a look a couple of them.

A Tester of spirits: The Bible in 1 John 4:1 informs us to test every spirit. A spirit is a non tangible entity that cannot be observed or tested using regular techniques so in a worldly sense it is impossible to test a spirit since the laws of testing require the subject and result to be quantifiable at the least, and it also requires that we get the same results each time the testing procedure is followed. This is where the Holy Spirit enables us to recognize the spirit at work. The wild man of the Gadarene would have been called a mad man by the people while Jesus revealed the true nature of his madness. The Bible records how the evil spirits began to manifest as Peter walked by them. This would be the physical verification of the spirit, where, as a child of God we carry His presence and as the Bible declares we are the light of the world Mt 5:14 and our presence itself can expose the evil spirits at work Eph 5:13. It is this same light that enrages (Jn 3:20) those under the influence of satan to attack the believer.

The Holy Spirit also protects us from false doctrines and heretical teachings. This mode of protection is dependent on our ability to hear His voice. My personal experience with this inner voice is that it would alert me to verses that would counter the teaching and also provide me the reason why it is wrong. For this to function properly we need to study the bible because the error can only be revealed if the counter verse is within us.

A Revealer of the signs of the times: Jesus was very vocal about the times that were ahead of the Church and especially of that right before His coming. Many of the Old Testament prophets and the apostles also voiced their revelations of what is to come. The average believer is oblivious of these things because he/she isn’t looking and so is unprepared to deal with what happen. The 10 virgins (Mt 25: 1-13) are basically a parable of those who were prepared and those who weren’t. There are so many references to these times, some of which are direct while many are hidden. The hidden ones are the most difficult to understand, not to mention that even the direct ones are not so direct as well. The Holy Spirit is the only One who can teach us what to look for and how to interpret things as and when they happen. We have seen many so called Doomsday prophets, proclaimed men of God, predict the end of the world only to find that they were terribly mistaken; while others have demonstrated great miracles and signs through their flamboyant ministries, deceiving thousands  even the hundreds of thousands into believing lies. The end result is people falling away from the faith (Mt 24:10/1Tim 4:1) and also of others mocking the word of God because of them. It is high time that we believers woke up to realize that the eye is not to be believed nor the ear of what it hears. It’s time to study His word and keenly rely on His Spirit to guide us into all righteousness; seeking God and pursuing holiness without which we men set adrift in the vast ocean of confusion.  

For now I will only deal with these two points. We will study this is greater detail when we come to Spiritual Warfare. I hope to continue the study with a look at the Holy Spirit function within the Church as a body, till then God Bless