Working of the Holy Spirit
Through the entirety of my journey as a follower of Jesus and His teachings, I have been especially intrigued by the concept of the Holy Spirit, the third member of team Godhead. You see, all my life I experienced various levels of conviction that enabled me to know whether or not something was right or wrong. Upon becoming a “Christian” I now know that that “something” can be accredited to the Holy Spirit who was bringing about conviction into my life.
As a preacher, one of my favorite passages of Scripture is I Corinthians 6:19 which asks, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?” For sometime know I have challenged audiences to consider the fact that this passage doesn’t qualify the text that this only pertains to believers. But after closer examination of the context, the passage is written to believers. After all, in verse 11 it reads, “you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” That being said, the context is to believers who have had an experience with Jesus.
So why is this distinction important? Because I have been under the impression that the entirety of the human race, regardless of what a persons belief or experience has been, is seen in God’s eyes as walking temples where the Holy Spirit dwells. Now I am seeing that the Holy Spirit only makes its dwelling in your house once you have received the gift of righteousness as is found in Jesus. It is then that we believe by faith that the body becomes the or a temple for the Holy Spirit to dwell. Before this experience, we still have conviction in our lives as the Holy Spirit is still at work drawing us back to our great Designer. Jesus himself speaks of this Spirit in John 16 when He states that: “… when he (the Holy Spirit) comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment...” (:8).
If you are a believer today, are you aware that the Holy Spirit is abiding in you? That the very presence and character of Jesus is alive in you today? Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will raise you up to become just like Jesus in word, act, thought and deed.
Courage ~ mwg
Posted by matthew gamble on November 17, 2008 at 03:46 PM
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Hi Matthew,
How much difference does it make whether the Spirit is “convicting” someone or “dwelling” in someone? Either way, the Spirit is active in the person’s life. When we Christians tell ourselves that we have special access to the Spirit, that can be good if it increases our willingness to listen and be taught. It can be harmful, if it leads us to close our minds to what God might teach us through people who are not “in-dwelt”.
Posted by John McLarty on November 19, 2008 at 01:55 PM | #I prefer to focus on the texts that emphasize the Spirit’s global work--Gen.1:2, Jn 1:9,Ps 19:4, 1 Jn 2:2. If the Spirit is actively globally, then I have the assurance of divine accompaniment whenever and to whomever I voice the good news. John
Thank you for taking the time to post John! I do think that there is a significant difference for the believer/follower of Jesus as the Holy Spirit is abiding in that person, so long as they are willing to allow the Spirit in. This is significant because with the Spirit living in us, He is working His good pleasure and perfect will out through our lives. According to Scripture it is actually JESUS LIVING HIS PERFECT OBEDIENCE and RIGHTEOUSNESS out in our lives. This is an amazing gift that is available for anyone who believes!
Posted by matthew gamble on November 20, 2008 at 11:55 AM | #Hi Pastor Gamble, Happy Sabbath.
I was at Philadelphia SDA Church on Friday Nov. 28, 08 and i heard your sermon. i just want to say thanks because the Lord use your personal life experience to encounter the lives of many of our young people. I will keep you in my prayers; praying that the Lord will keep and your wife under his wings as you spread his message to one person at a time. Continue to keep up the good work of our Lord.
Posted by Kesha on November 29, 2008 at 05:18 AM | #Praise God Kesha! Thank you for taking the time to post. Do keep in touch!
Courage,
mwg
Posted by matthew gamble on December 07, 2008 at 10:16 AM | #Page 1 of 1 pages