Holy Spirit's Work

 

    The Holy Spirit works as one with God the father and God the son.  They work in perfect unity, but each has their own roles.  There is no power dynamic with them.  It all happens naturally and flawlessly.  If you are a Christian, then you get a basic understanding of this now.  However, when we enter Heaven, we will be a part of that perfection.

    The Holy Spirit is active in creation, life, salvation, resurrection, and our eternal hope.  He bears witness of who Jesus is and always has been.  He confirms to us that Jesus is Christ.   He discloses and reveals Jesus to us in a more intimate way.  He never speaks of himself, only God and Jesus.

    The Holy Spirit is the minister in our hearts.  His role in salvation is vital.  He lives in our heart, cleans house, and helps build us into someone more like Jesus.  He is our counselor to convict us of sin, reveal righteousness, and motivates judgment on our conscience.  His residence in us is our seal that allows us to enter Heaven.  If he has not marked us, then we will never enter.

    When a person is saved, the Holy Spirit comes along side their soul to live out the rest of the human life with that person.  He pours himself into them abundantly like a person that is very thirsty drinks up water.  If you limit the Holy Spirit's access, then you limit the abundance that He is trying to give you.  

    You are only as close to God as you want to be because the Holy Spirit doesn't force himself into you or on you.  You have to be willing and want it.  The Baptism of the Holy Spirit only occurs once when you get saves, but he refreshes, strengthens, and changes your daily.  

Psalm 104:27-30, John 3:5-8, 15:26-27, 16:5-15, 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, Ephesians 1:12-14, Titus 3:3-7, & 2 Peter 1:19-21

The Holy Spirit

 

    The Holy Spirit is God.  He is the feminine element of the trinity.  The pronoun should be it or she, but since we think of God as this big alpha male, we clump the Holy Spirit as a part of the He.  His presence is just as impactful and important as God the father and God the son.  He is always there.  His ministry is in the believer's life.  

    The Holy Spirit is another helper.  He is smart.  He knows and understands reality.  He has his own mind, but he is aligned with God in perfect unison.  He is a researcher.  He looks into depth into everything including God's ways.  He knows everyone's thoughts and understands where each person is coming from.

    The Holy Spirit has emotions.  We are ordered not to grieve the Holy Spirit.  He has volition where he can determine situations and feelings.  He is decisive.  He is the one that decides what Christians get as a spiritual gift.  He sets people apart for certain things.  He understands our value and gives us things that will help us serve God and each other.

    The Holy Spirit's attributes are omniscient, omnipresent, eternal, truthful, caring, witness, and integrity.  He is deity.  Wherever he is Lord, there is freedom.  If you try to lie to Him, then He will know.  It is the same as if you were lying to a person, but you will never get away with it.

Psalm 139:7-12, Isaiah 40:12-14, John 14:12-21, Acts 5:3-4, 13:1-3, Romans 8:26-30, 1 Corinthians 2-10-12, 12:7-11, 2 Corinthians 3:16-18,  Ephesians 4:30, 2 Timothy 1:5-7, Hebrew 9:13-15, & 1 John 5:6-10

Salvation Applied

 

    Salvation is revealed by your good works.  It is lived out by love and hope that endures.  It requires faith that is willing to serve others like Jesus did.  When you accept salvation the Holy Spirit starts working in your heart to help you love the way Jesus loves.  You can't be a true Christian if you do not love other people.  You love is revealed by your actions.

    A true Christian's hope will endure until the end.  You can't endure on will power alone.  You have to have a deep motivation to follow Jesus because your really believe the promises he made.  This hope makes you righteous.  It gives life to salvation and motivation for eternal life.

    Salvation is more than calling yourself a Christian.  It is having faith in Jesus.  It is developing a love for the saints.  It holds onto the truth of the gospel.  It is submitting to God's authority to show how His grace has changed you and given you purpose.  

    God chose you.  He gave you salvation.  He made you blameless through His love.  Having gratitude and feeling cherished are natural responses for Christians.  In response to God's love you should exhort your mind, body, and soul to righteousness.  A true believer will be convicted of sin and turn from it to exhibit good works, love that labors, and hope that will endure.  

Psalm 116:15-19, Matthew 10:21-23, Romans 6:12-14, Galatians 5:5-6, Ephesians 1: 3-14, Colossians 1:3-5, 1 Thessalonians 5:4-8, 1 Timothy 4:3-10, Titus 3:3-7, Hebrews 5:4-6, 6:9-12, & 1 John 3:18-20, 4:7-8

Is your Salvation Evident?

 

    Salvation enables Christians to become slaves to righteousness.  You are a slave to Satan or God.  If you choose God, then a righteous lifestyle becomes the source of evidence of whom you belong to.  You are no longer a prisoner on death row. You are free from condemnation and the penalty of sin, so you should be living like a freely for God.  The evidence is in your spiritual fruit.

    Evidence of your salvation can be found in your sanctification.  Sanctification is the process of being conformed to the image of Jesus.  It starts with faith and is seen in your labors of love and hope in Jesus that endures.  You become an example to other people in how to live a life for Jesus. 

    Faith that reflects Jesus will be proven in your character and deeds.  A proven character is refined throughout the faith journey.  It produces praise, glory, and honor for Jesus.  God has prepared your path, you just need to take every opportunity to glorify Him along the way.  Be careful to devote yourself to good works that will profit everyone.

Romans 6:15-23, 8:1-4, Ephesians 2:2-10, 1 Thessalonians 1:2-7, Titus 3:8, James 2:18, & 1 Peter 1:6-7

Conversion

 

    People have been sinning against God since the beginning of humanity.  God still love people, so He sent Jesus to become the final sacrifice for sin.  If you believe in Jesus, then you will have salvation.  When you have salvation, you start experiencing conversion.  Conversion is the change that the Holy Spirit produces in you.

    The Holy Spirit convicts you of your sin to reveal your old nature.  Sin is powerful, but God is more powerful.  Jesus showed us that there is another and better way to live.  The Holy Spirit shows us how to do that in real time.  The law showed us what defined sin, but Jesus showed us how we are meant to live out the laws.  Sin should grieve the heart which brings about a response to change.

    When you see your sin as sin and it grieves your heart, then repentance is the next logical step.  Cry out to God about all you have done and ask for forgiveness.  This is not like an apology where you hope the other person will forgive you and you can move forward.  God accepts your repentance immediately and removes your sins as if they never happened.  It will not be brought up again by Him or used against you when you mess up.

    Sin should bring upon your heart Godly sorrow which means you regret and are ashamed of your sin.  Repentance means that you turn away from your sin as you turn to God.  You can't embrace a life of sin and God at the same time.  You either follow the path of sin or you follow the path God.  Following God while you are alive is your investment into your eternity.

    Faith in Jesus is the only way to obtain salvation and follow God.  Call upon God and you will not be rejected.  All you have to do is believe in your heart that Jesus is who he says he is.  That he died for your sins, resurrected, ascended to heaven, and will return again one day.  Then proclaim to the world what you believe.  Faith is trusting, clinging, and embracing Jesus as God.  It will bring conversion into your life.

Numbers 21:4-9, Luke 18:11-14, Acts 2:36-37, Romans 3:19-20, 10:5-13, & 2 Corinthians 7:8-10

Reveal Salvation

 

        Jesus revealed the secret of salvation when he manifested it.  He made God known among nations leading people to obedient faith.  Before salvation, we are convicted to eternal death for our sins.  When we encounter Jesus and follow him in faith, we acknowledge that sin is sin.  The Holy Spirit convicts us of what we deserve to be judged on and shows us how to be righteous.

    Jesus is the only way to salvation.  He grants it to anyone who believe and declares their faith.  If you don't die right then, you also are expected to follow him obediently.  He opens the doors to the truth, so you should repent your sins and get in right standing with God as his child.

    Salvation is not something you can be born into.  It is not a religion.  You can't earn it or will it into happening.  Faith in Jesus is the only way to obtain salvation.  God uses it to help people grow and resurrect into new people.

    When you become a Christian through salvation, you start looking like Jesus.  He is the first born of many people from many cultures and nationalities.  He becomes your big brother when you become a real Christian.  You are spiritually reborn into the glory of Jesus so you can enter heaven as a citizen.  Jesus gave you love that will never die.  How can you not respond?

 John 1:10-13, 16:5-11, 17:22-24, Romans 8:26-30, 16:25-27, 1 Corinthians 3:5-9, 6:12-14, Ephesians 2:1-3, Philippians 3:17-21, & 2 Timothy 2:23-26

Salvation Part 2

 

    A life without Jesus is a life sitting on death row just waiting to die.  You can distract yourself.  You can pretend things are different, but the reality is this life is short.  Eternity is long especially without God.  Salvation is the only found through Jesus.  Jesus is the only way to the eternity that each person wants and needs.

    I can't make anyone face reality.  I can't force people to fear God.  I can't convince people that salvation is the key to life.  All I can do is proclaim the truth and pray.  They have to hear the message in their heart and come to salvation on their own.  People have to realize for themselves that they need help, restoration, and resurrection.  

    Jesus revealed the plan of salvation.  It is recorded in the Bible how to find and live out your salvation.  He told us that he is the only way.  Any other path is a lie.  Your journey is still going to be different from anyone else.  Once you have salvation, you never travel alone again.

    Salvation is for everyone, but only a few will have it.  You have to believe in Jesus and be willing to follow him.  You conform your life to be more like Jesus.  He justified you at the moment of salvation to glorify God.  If you accept his gift, then you are justified on judgment day.  You get to live free now.  You are no longer locked up on death row.

    Salvation is choosing to be holy and blameless because you love God.  The purpose is to reveal God's glorious grace that is lavished on us through Jesus.  Grace is God's free and sovereign act of love and mercy displayed through salvation.  Jesus died and resurrected to open the door to heaven to all people.  To accept salvation, you are set apart like Jesus was.  Jesus sustains you to glorification.  It is time to live free.

Psalm 116:1-14, Acts 4:1-4, Romans 8:26-30, 10:5-12, & Ephesians 1:3-8, 2:8-10