Friday: Further Thought – The Work of the Holy Spirit
Read selections of Ellen G. White, Ye Shall Receive Power, especially the October section “Ready for the Spirit.”
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
We can summarize the activity of the Holy Spirit by saying that the Holy Spirit works harmoniously together with God the Father and God the Son to accomplish our salvation. The Holy Spirit awakens us from our spiritual death. He leads us to an awareness of our sinfulness and opens our eyes to the fact that we are in and of ourselves lost. He kindles in us the desire for change and leads us to Jesus Christ, who alone can meet the needs of our innermost being. He gives us assurance of salvation because He always points us to Jesus and to what Jesus has done for us. He conforms us to be more like Jesus. He keeps us faithful in our walk with God. He enables us to fulfill God’s will and effectively engage in mission. He generates the Written Word of God as our safe guide and norm for our Christian life and doctrine. Where would we be without the Holy Spirit? What could we do without the Holy Spirit? We would be miserable and lost and could do nothing that would give God the glory and honor. Thanks be to Jesus for having promised and sent the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit was the highest of all gifts that He could solicit from His Father for the exaltation of His people.” – Ellen G. White, Ye Shall Receive Power, p. 13.
Discussion Questions:
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The only real assurance that I should have is that God still loves human beings. And I need to dwell more on that!
But let's say that I am an 8 to 9 year-old syrian boy living in the middle of a crazy war, with my parents dead, hungry, fighting to survive and eating whatever I can find. How can I think of love?
This up side down reality that we live sometimes does not let us see what love is!
"Have I met God? Have I seen His face?"
May the Mercy of All end this horror picture that mankind painted for itself! May the Donor of All Love say "enough!" and come to rescue His creatures because Earth is in pain!
Either I choose to hope for this, or I choose to become cold and blind, self-centered, negleting the sufferings of my neighbors because I do not need to get involved!
God, have Mercy! Please come help!
The Holy Spirit convicts me of sin - the unbelief of Jesus who is my righteousness! When I accept Jesus as my righteousness, I look forward to the judgment which declares me free indeed from the evil one and the associated sin! My hope is in a Jesus who is my brother and joint heir of eternal life with a God who loves me that much!
I believe before we talk about sin and righteous, we should establish the context, which I believe is the foundation of the Bible, which is the Everlasting Covenant of Love that the Father, Son & Spirit have between them and which they offer to share with us. They say - I will be your God and you will be My people and I will dwell with you.
If He is our God & He is Love & He is our Ruler, Provider, Protector, Saviour
then to be His people our goal and desire is to be like Him and He has promised to send the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts, to change us until we become like Him.
Then sin is when we fall short of being like Him and righteousness is when, through His Grace & Power, we are like Him.
Is it possible to be like Him? The following is one of my favorite EGW quotes:
Desire of Ages, pg 668
But to pray in Christ's name means much. It means that we are to accept His character, manifest His spirit, and work His works. The Saviour's promise is given on condition. “If ye love Me,” He says, “keep My commandments.” He saves men, not in sin, but from sin; and those who love Him will show their love by obedience.
All true obedience comes from the heart. It was heart work with Christ. And if we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, so blend our hearts and minds into conformity to His will, that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying out our own impulses. The will, refined and sanctified, will find its highest delight in doing His service. When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience. Through an appreciation of the character of Christ, through communion with God, sin will become hateful to us.
As Christ lived the law in humanity, so we may do if we will take hold of the Strong for strength. But we are not to place the responsibility of our duty upon others, and wait for them to tell us what to do. We cannot depend for counsel upon humanity. The Lord will teach us our duty just as willingly as He will teach somebody else. If we come to Him in faith, He will speak His mysteries to us personally. Our hearts will often burn within us as One draws nigh to commune with us as He did with Enoch. Those who decide to do nothing in any line that will displease God, will know, after presenting their case before Him, just what course to pursue. And they will receive not only wisdom, but strength. Power for obedience, for service, will be imparted to them, as Christ has promised.
Here is another insightful quote from EGW:
"Only through Christ can we find harmony with God and be made holy. - STJ 18"
The hope that is discussed, may have what is meant and where the source, or Hope is found. Very simply Hebrews 11:1 is very familiar. Faith Is the substance of things hoped for. This doesn't require a lengthy explanations of what some might think is meant by the word Hope. Yes there are a number of different applications. But when we use the word Hope in our everyday life, often it refers to an expectation or possibility, but is not an absolute life dependent event. Faith is the motivation and Hope is the positive aspect or result.
After much discussion about the Holy Spirit and the purpose for this Gift, John15:26 is the one all encompassing verse with the hope or desire of our eternal salvation. Thankfully, the Father,Son,and Holy Spirit
are all mentioned in this verse.