[Thanks]

IACFC would like to thank the following for these dynamic studies:

 - VCF

 - Mary Youtz

Acts 1:4 - 8 (NKJV) ⁴And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father,  “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me;  ⁵for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”  ⁶Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. ⁸But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

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Living an Empowered Life

Introducing the Holy Spirit

“Our understanding of God is forever marked by the fact that in Christ he has been “fleshed out” at one point in our human history. Even if God seems distant… we are not in the dark about God and his character…The glory of God has been imaged for us in the one true human who bears the divine image, Christ himself….

We must recognize the same to be true about the Spirit, not simply theoretically but really and experientially. The Spirit is not lightly called the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Christ has put a human face on the Spirit as well...In dealing with the Spirit, we are dealing with none other than the personal presence of God.”

Gordon D. Fee

“…the point is…the Spirit is a person! This can be confirmed in many ways. The activity of the Spirit is the activity of a person, not a thing. The Spirit speaks, is spoken to, teaches, convicts, intercedes, and calls. The Spirit can be grieved and lied to. Even though the Spirit doesn’t have a physical body, the Spirit is a Someone, not a Something…. In other words, when we receive the Spirit, we are engaged in a personal encounter.”

Rich Nathan and Ken Wilson

What comes to your mind when you hear the words, “the Holy Spirit”?  

If you have ever been to church, then you probably have heard the phrase, “...in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Most people can understand the Father and the Son. These are ideas and images we are familiar with. However, the Holy Spirit is another matter. He is clearly the most confusing and mysterious person of the Trinity. There is nothing or no one anywhere in human experience quite like Him.  

The closest thing we have to the Holy Spirit today is “the Force” from Star Wars (e.g. “May the Force be with you”). The problem many people have with the Holy Spirit is that He is intangible. We cannot touch Him with our hands, see Him with our eyes, hear Him with our ears, or even picture what He looks like. Yet throughout the pages of the Bible, He is said to “fill” people (Ex. 31:3; Acts 2:4); “come on” people (Judges 3:10; Ezek.11:5); “speak” through people (2Sam. 23:2); and “move” people (Is. 34:16; Ezek. 3:14). He is referred to as the breath of God, wind, fire, living water, and a dove. Along with all the unusual and bizarre things that have been attributed to Him over the centuries, it’s no wonder some people prefer that He be kept shut up in the pages of the Bible and given only lip service at the appropriate times.  

The Holy Spirit, however, is essential to our lives as Christians. We know this because Jesus had a lot to say about Him. During His three years of ministry, Jesus spoke often of the Father. He said that if anyone had seen Him, they had also seen the Father (John 14:9). But as His earthly ministry drew to a close, Jesus began to speak more and more about the Spirit. In the same way that Jesus revealed God the Father, He also revealed God the Holy Spirit. As one theologian said, “Christ has put a human face on the Spirit as well.”

On the last night He was with His disciples, Jesus began to prepare them for what lay ahead. He would be leaving and the Spirit would be coming. Naturally, the disciples were upset by this news, but Jesus had words of comfort for them. He began by telling them about the Spirit, someone they would soon be meeting in person!

As you read this study, pray that you would grow in your familiarity with God’s Spirit. Invite Him to be present and reveal more of Himself during this season as you ponder upon these things.  

Let’s look at some scripture… John 14:15-21 and John 16:5-15.  

John 14:15 - 21 (NKJV) ¹⁵“If you love Me,  keep My commandments. ¹⁶And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever- ¹⁷the 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. ¹⁸I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. ¹⁹“A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. ²⁰At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. ²¹He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”  

Throughout this passage, Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as “He” or “Him” and not as an “it.” What does this tell us about the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is not an energy force or an impersonal power. He is not simply the “power of God.” He is a person just like Jesus is a person and God the Father is a person.

Consider some of the characteristics that are true of people that are not true of things.  

1. People are alive (!). We have a free will, a moral conscience, feelings, the ability to communicate with and a desire to relate to others.
2. Because the Holy Spirit is a person and because He is God, He cannot be manipulated or controlled by us.
3. He is not like a machine that can be expected to do the same thing each time we push a button (e.g., if we pray this, the Spirit will do that).
4. He is free to act and respond in the same way a person is free to act and respond.
5. He has feelings just like a person. Throughout the Bible, we read of instances where the Holy Spirit was grieved (Is. 63:10; Eph. 4:30).
6. He can communicate with us, remind of us what God thinks, or give us guidance. We can respond positively and be led by the Spirit (Rom. 8:14), or we can respond negatively and, for example, lie to Him (Acts 5:3).

According to Jesus, what should we do if we love Him (v.15 and v. 21)? What will God do if we love Him (v.16 and v. 21)? Answer - If we love God, then we will obey Him, because real love is more than just words. True love reveals itself in actions that benefit another person as Jesus revealed in dying for us to free us from eternal death (Rom. 5:8). In this way, real love is similar to genuine faith (James 2:14-26). In John 14, Jesus is not suggesting that God’s gift of the Holy Spirit is contingent upon our obedience and our ability to love Him. What He is saying is that love ought to be the motivation behind our obedience. We must always keep in mind that it’s not that we loved God, and then He responded with a reward of our salvation or the outpouring of His Spirit, but that He first loved us (1 John 4:10).  

• Why do you think loving God is one important “prerequisite” for receiving the Holy Spirit?

Jesus is not suggesting that obedience and loving God are the “price” for receiving the Spirit. This would be inconsistent with other passages, which say we receive the Holy Spirit as a gift by faith (Gal. 3:2). Rather, Jesus is laying out the context of relationship with God for the giving of the Spirit. If a person doesn’t first love and value Christ, how can they love and value His Spirit?  

In verse 16, Jesus told the disciples He would send them “another Counselor.” The Word for “Counselor” in the Greek is Paraclete and means “someone who comes along side to help.” The word another implies “another of the same kind.” Explain in your own words the significance of this title.  

Jesus wanted the disciples to understand that the Spirit is not someone new and different. They have had one counselor already (Jesus). Now they will have another (the Spirit). He wanted to draw a connection between the Spirit and Himself, in the same way He did between the Father and Himself. This is especially significant since the disciples are grieving over His announced departure. God’s presence, however, will remain with them in the person of the Holy Spirit.  

In verse 16, Jesus informed them that the Holy Spirit would “be with them forever.” This is quite different from anyone’s previous experience of the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, the Spirit would “come on” someone to do a particular task, such as prophesying or performing a miracle (1 Sam.10:10; 11:6; 19:23; 2 Chron. 15:1 ). But the Spirit would never remain permanently, so Jesus is saying something completely new. Why is this significant now?  

Jesus was not able to remain with them forever, which caused the disciples grief. They would no longer enjoy His close, intimate fellowship. But Jesus was offering them comfort. The Holy Spirit would replace Jesus’ bodily presence with them and would never leave them. In this sense the Spirit’s coming is better than Jesus’ presence since He was limited by human flesh and could only be in one place at one time. The Spirit, on the other hand, will be able to be with all believers simultaneously.  

• How does it make you feel knowing the Holy Spirit will never leave you?

What did Jesus call the Holy Spirit in verse 17? What do you think this means? (See v. 26 for ideas.) Answer - Jesus called Him “the Spirit of Truth.” Truth is associated with all members of the Trinity in the Bible. Jesus had just referred to Himself as “the Truth” (v. 6). He had said to the Samaritan woman that truth is required when worshipping the Father (John 4:23-24). Soon, Jesus would state that God’s Word is “truth” (John 17:17). Now the Spirit is referred to as “the Spirit of Truth.” In contrast, Satan, God’s enemy, is completely devoid of truth. Lying, according to Jesus, is the devil’s “native language” (John 8:44). The Spirit’s being and His actions are characterized by truth. He will lead us into all things true—things about God, salvation, ourselves, life, etc. (v. 26).

Occasionally, people claim the Holy Spirit has told them something that may not seem true to everyone listening. For example, a person might share an insight or a prophecy in a small group meeting, claiming that the Holy Spirit has revealed this to him or her. It is important to distinguish between what the Holy Spirit says and does and what people believe the Holy Spirit says and does. This calls for people to discern truth from lies.

According to the Bible, people are not entirely dependable (Jer.17:9; Rom. 3:4), so we may not always hear or perceive the Holy Spirit’s message accurately. Therefore, we use the objective standard of God’s written Word to measure and evaluate what people claim is the Holy Spirit’s leading. If something doesn’t agree with Scripture, we ought to discard it as not being from the Spirit (1 Thess. 5:19-22).

• How has the Holy Spirit brought God’s truth into your life?

Jesus said that the world could not accept the Spirit (v. 17). Why do you think that is?

The world cannot receive the Spirit because it does not even perceive Him (“neither sees Him”). The world is completely unaware of and unfamiliar with God, Jesus, and the activity of the Holy Spirit (“…nor knows Him”). The world cannot receive Him because it does not love and obey Jesus—a prerequisite for receiving the Spirit. Finally, the world is under the influence of the “prince of this world”—the devil, who blinds people’s minds and keeps them enslaved to him (John 14:30; Eph. 2:1—3; 2 Cor. 4:4).

• If the disciples had never met the Holy Spirit, how could Jesus say that they “know Him, for He lives with…” them (v. 17)?

• Unlike the world, the disciples have a personal relationship with Jesus and they know Him. If they know Him, then they also know the Spirit.

Let’s read one other passage on the work of the Holy Spirit.  

John 16:5 - 11 (NKJV) ⁵“But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ ⁶But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. ⁷Nevertheless I tell you the truth. 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. ⁸And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: ⁹of sin, because they do not believe in Me; ¹⁰of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; ¹¹of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

  John 16:12 - 15 (NKJV) ¹²“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  ¹³However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. ¹⁴He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

As the disciples were trying to deal with their grief over Jesus’ departure, He told them that it was good for them that He would be leaving (vv. 5-7). Why would He say that?

“Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you, but if I go, I will send Him to you.” The Greek translation literally means, “It is expedient that I go away.” Jesus was saying that it would be to their benefit. Nevertheless, to the disciples, Jesus’ departure seemed disastrous. How could it possibly be to their advantage? He had already told them how: He would prepare a place for them (14:2); they’d be able to do greater works now (14:12); they’d gain more knowledge (14:20); they’d actually be drawn closer to God (14:28). Also, the presence of God [through His Spirit] could be with every believer at all times unlike Jesus who was limited by His flesh. The Spirit would not be limited to one body, and He would never leave. Jesus’ “going away” also alludes to His death on the cross; His resurrection triumph over sin, death, and Satan; and His glorification in heaven. All that He accomplished through the cross made the coming of the Spirit possible. Therefore, if Christ had never left-if He never goes to the cross-the Spirit would not come.  

• What did Jesus say the Spirit would be doing once He came into the world (vv. 8-11)?

According to Jesus, the Spirit will do the unseen work of bringing conviction to a guilty world. The Greek word translated “convict,” elencho, seems to mean here 1) to prove guilty and 2) to awaken a consciousness of that guilt. According to Paul, the gospel itself proves that the entire world is guilty (Romans 1-3), but the Holy Spirit makes that guilt real and personal (e.g. Acts 2:37). With believers, the Spirit is like a defense attorney or “advocate,” but with the world, He is like the prosecutor!

There are three things the Holy Spirit convicts people about:

• “In regard to sin, because men [people] do not believe in me.” The Holy Spirit could convict everyone, believers and unbelievers alike of sin, because all are sinners. The unique sin of the world, however, is that they do not believe in Christ but reject Him (John 3:18; 15:22).
• “In regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father.” The world had [and still has] the wrong standards for righteousness. Some in fact believed that they were righteous in killing Jesus because they thought that He was a sinner who deserved to die (Is. 53:4; Matt. 27:39-44). By going to the Father and leaving behind an empty tomb, Jesus has proven His own righteousness and the Father’s approval. Only the Spirit can convince the world-corporately and individually-of this truth.
• “In regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.” The cross brought about Satan’s defeat (Col. 2:13-15), which was a form of judgment against him. The devil’s final demise is yet to come, however, and he is still at work in those who do not believe (Eph. 2:1-2). As certain as Satan’s judgment was and ultimately will be, so is the judgment that awaits all those in the world who refuse to believe in Jesus. The Holy Spirit alone is able to convince the unbeliever of the reality and certainty of this future judgment.

According to Jesus, where does the Spirit get His messages (vv. 12-15)? How would you describe His role in the Trinity-the Father, Son and Holy Spirit?

In John 14:16-17, Jesus said that He would “…ask the Father and He [emphasis added] will give you another Counselor…the Spirit of truth.” In John 14:26, Jesus said that “…the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name…” would teach them. But in John 15:26, Jesus stated, “…I [emphasis added] will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father….” We can only conclude that both the Father and the Son are involved in sending out the Holy Spirit.  

Throughout the gospel of John, Jesus emphasized that He did and said only what the Father wanted Him to (5:19; 7:16; 12:49). Likewise, the Spirit will never act independently of the Father or initiate a message or ministry of His own. He, like Jesus, will submit to the Father in word and deed. The Spirit also will take the very things Jesus did and said while on earth and “make them known” to Jesus’ followers. The Spirit enables us to comprehend truth about God and therefore to truly know God.  

APPLICATION

• Share one thing you learned about the Holy Spirit today with someone you know.
• From what you learned thus far, list all the benefits of having the Holy Spirit live in and with us.
• What have you learned about God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit from these passages? How can this help deepen your relationship with God?

Once the Holy Spirit came, the true nature of God became clearer to believers. Jesus was the incarnation of God-He was God in the flesh. Paul wrote that Jesus was the visible “…image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15)-that in Him “God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell” (Col. 1:19). The teachings, character, and works of God that Jesus displayed not only made the Father more evident to us, but also introduced God’s Spirit to us. 

The Holy Spirit is God the Spirit (Rom. 8:9-11; 2 Cor. 3:17 ), not some impersonal power. The Holy Spirit made the true nature of our relationship with God more tangible. God actually indwells us, corporately and individually, by His Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16-17; 1 Cor. 6:19 ). 

All believers are “in Christ” or joined to Jesus Christ by faith in His death and resurrection on our behalf (Rom. 6:5; Eph.1:11-14; Col. 2:6-7). Because He lives in us through His Spirit (Rom. 8:9), and we in Him (Col. 3:3), we enjoy all the benefits of salvation: forgiveness, justification, cleansing, regeneration, freedom from the power of sin, adoption, access to God, His promises and power, etc. (Rom. 5:1-11; Eph. 1:3-8; 2 Pet.1:3-4). 

The Spirit will bring all these truths about God to light for us and enable us to understand them.

As we connect our understanding of Jesus with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and grasp more fully all we have received through our relationship with Him, we may learn to trust God more completely, believe obeying Him will be to our advantage [rather than disadvantage], and feel more “at home” with each Person of the Trinity. Thus we may grow in our ability to believe, obey, and fellowship with God to His delight and our benefit.

WRAPPING IT UP

In these passages, we saw Jesus preparing His disciples for His imminent departure. There were some rough times ahead for them, but they had a lot to be encouraged about from what He had told them. They could expect to receive “another Counselor”, someone who was just like Jesus. He would come along side each of them to help them, and He would never leave. This other Counselor would actually be their link with Jesus and the Father. This other Counselor knew all about the things Jesus had taught and done with them the past three years. In addition, He would remind them of anything they may have forgotten.

As Christians, each of us was given the Holy Spirit when we were born again. He is our link with Jesus and the Father. He will be with us always—in every situation, we find ourselves in. Moreover, He does not have to remain a mystery to us. We know that as we read the New Testament and learn about Jesus, we are also getting to know the Holy Spirit, because He is “another Counselor,” one just like Jesus.

[Wisdom]

“For the first twelve years of my Christian life, I gave little thought to the kingdom of God . My pastors and Bible teachers had taught that the kingdom would come at the second coming of Christ and, therefore, had little significance in our lives today…I find my neglect of the kingdom remarkable because it is so clearly at the center of Jesus’ teaching…I [now realize] that at the very heart of the gospel lies the kingdom of God, and that power for effective evangelism and discipleship relates directly to our understanding and experiencing the kingdom today.”

John Wimber

Luke 24:46 - 49 (NKJV) ⁴⁶Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, ⁴⁷and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. ⁴⁸And you are witnesses of these things.  ⁴⁹Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”