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The Holy Spirit
There is a great deal of confusion about the
Holy Spirit. Many cults deny He is a Person and that He is God, saying the Holy
Spirit is just a “force” or “influence.” On the other hand, the Christian
Movement, which has absolutely swept today’s religious world, places extreme
emphasis on the Holy Spirit – teaching such things as “ecstatic utterances,”
“healings,” and “exorcism.”
As with all these studies, our aim is to look
beyond what men say and see what the Bible teaches!
Study Outline
1.
Who is the Holy Spirit?
2.
What has the Holy Spirit
done in times past?
3.
What is the work of the
Holy Spirit today?
4.
What does the Holy Spirit
do when we are saved?
5.
What is the relationship
between the Holy Spirit and me?
6.
What about “Speaking In
Tongues” and “Divine Healers?”
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1.
Who is the Holy Spirit?
A. Look up: Acts 5:3, 4 3
But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy
Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4
Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in
thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast
not lied unto men, but unto God.
In verse 3, Ananias is said to have lied to the
Holy Spirit, but in verse 4 he is said to have lied to God. The conclusion we
can draw is that the Holy Spirit is God.
B. Look up I John 5:7 7
For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the
Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
This verse tells us that the Holy Ghost is one
with both the FATHER and the WORD (Jesus, God the Son).
C. Look up Matthew 28:19 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Notice the word
“Name” is singular, which again shows the Holy Spirit to be God
– the Third
Person of the Holy Trinity.
D. Look up John 14:16, 17 16 And I will pray the Father, and He shall give
you another Comforter, that He may abide
with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the
world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him:
but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
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John 14:26 26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all
things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
How many personal pronouns (He, Him, Himself)
that apply to the Holy Spirit do you count in these scriptures? = 6
E. Look
up John 16: 7, 8 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come
unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of
righteousness, and of judgment:
John 16:13, 14 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but
whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to
come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall
receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
Can you draw a
conclusion that the Holy Spirit (The Spirit of God) is a
person… not
just an impersonal force?
F.
List three (3) ways the
Holy Spirit may be affected as a Person:
You can lie to Him - Look up Acts 5:3 3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to
keep back part of the price of the land?
You can resist
Him - Look up Acts 7:51 51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your
fathers did, so do ye.
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You can grieve Him - Look up Ephesians 4:30 30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
2.
What has the Holy Spirit
done in times past?
A. Look up Genesis 1:2 2
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the
deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Job 33:4 4
The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath
of the Almighty hath given me life. (spoken by Elihu ?) The Holy Spirit was active in the formation of the Earth and all things.
B. Look up II Peter 1:21 (starting with
verse 20) 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the
scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the
prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake
as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. The Holy
Spirit is the author of prophecy!
C. Look up Luke 1:35 35
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee,
and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy
thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. The Holy Spirit was part of the miracle of the birth of
Jesus.
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D. Look up Romans 1:4 4
And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of
holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
Romans 8:11 (starting with verse 10) 10 And
if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is
life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus
from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also
quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. The Holy Spirit was instrumental in the resurrection of
Jesus Christ!
3.
What is the work of the
Holy Spirit today?
A. Look up John 15:26 (starting with verse 25) 25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They
hated me without a cause.
26 But when the Comforter is come, whom
I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which
proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: 27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me
from the beginning. The
Holy Spirit testifies of Jesus Christ.
B.
Read John 16: 8-11 (and
more) 8 And when he is come, he will reprove (convict)
the
world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no
more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of
this world is judged. (The
Holy
Spirit will convict men of: sin, righteousness, and judgement.) 12 I have
yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13
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Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth,
is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself;
but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things
to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall
receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
C. When we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, it is
thwe Holy Spirit who doeas the work of regeneration (we are “born again”):
i.
Look up Titus
3:5 5 Not by works of righteousness which we have
done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration,
and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
ii. Look up John 3:5 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto
thee, Except a man be born of water and of the
Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
iii. Look up John 6:63 63 It is the spirit that quickeneth (make
alive); the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are
spirit, and they are life.
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4.
What does the Holy Spirit
do when we are saved?
A. Look up Romans 8:9 9
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God
dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. He comes and DWELLS in you.
B. Look up John 14:23 23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love
me, he will keep my words: and my Father will
love him, and we will come unto him,
and
make our abode with him. God will live in
the heart of every believer.
C. Look up I Corinthians 6:19 19
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in
you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
Our
fleshly body will become a temple for the Holy Ghost.
D.
Look up to see
that every Christian is Sealed with the Holy Spirit.
i. Ephesians 1:13 13
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of
your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that
holy Spirit of promise,
ii. Ephesians 4:30 30
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of
redemption.
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E. Look up John 16:17 7
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for
if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will
send him unto you. The Holy Spirit is our
Comforter.
F.
Look up Romans 8:26 – 27 26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our
infirmities: for
we know not what we should pray for as we ought:
but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be
uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what
is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints
according to the will of God. The Spirit makes
intercession for us.
5.
What is the relationship
between the Holy Spirit and me?
A. He is always dwelling in us: II Timothy 1:14 14
That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which
dwelleth in us.
B. He enables us to know the things of God’s Word,
for He is our teacher. Look-up: I Corinthians 2:12-14 12
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of
God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13
Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but
which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for
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they are
foolishness unto him: neither can
he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
C. A Christian can grieve the Holy Spirit:
Ephesians 4:30 30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby
ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let all
bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away
from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
[more on next
page]
Sins that grieve the Holy Spirit: bitterness,
wrath, anger, clamour, evil speaking and malice.
Godly
attributes: kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving
one another.
This
is the opposite of what the “world” believes is strength!
D.
A Christian can quench the
Holy Spirit: Look-up: I Thessalonians 5:19 [reading
from verse 14] 14
Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the
feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. 15
See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is
good,
both among yourselves, and to all men. 16
Rejoice evermore. 17 Pray without ceasing. 18
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus
concerning you. 19 Quench not the Spirit. 20
Despise not prophesyings. 21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
22
Abstain from all appearance of evil. 23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly;
and I pray God your whole spirit
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and soul and body be preserved blameless unto
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
E. The Holy Spirit is our power. Acts 1:18 8
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye
shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in
Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
F. In Ephesians 5:18, Christians are commanded to
be filled with the Spirit: 18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess;
but be filled with the Spirit;
The “be not drunk with wine” insinuates a
Christian is be under the influence of the Holy Spirit (in lieu of wine).
The work of the
Holy Spirit in me is to produce the fruit of the Spirit: Galatians
5:22-23 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against
such there is no law. This is what the
“world” believes is weak and boring!
The
“secret” to allowing the Spirit to do this work in your life unhindered is
found in John 15:4-8: 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye,
except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches:
He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for
without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a
man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men
gather them, and cast
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them into the fire, and they are
burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words
abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit;
so shall ye be my disciples.
G. The Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to
believers: I Corinthians 12:4-11: 4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the
same Spirit. 5 And there are differences of administrations,
but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of operations, but it
is the same God which worketh all in all. 7 But the manifestation of
the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8
For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of
knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another
the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the
working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to
another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11
But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man
severally as he will.
i.
Every Christian has at least one spiritual gift
(verses 7, 11)
ii. These gifts are not for personal use (I
Corinthians 14:12 12 Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of
spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.)
iii. Some of the gifts are temporary, and ceased
when the written New Testament was completed. These gifts (tongues,
interpretations, miracles,
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healing, prophecy, knowledge, and discernment)
were given as signs to the nation of Israel:
a. Mark 16:17,18 17
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out
devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall
take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them;
they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. 19
So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven,
and sat on the right hand of God.
b. I Corinthians 1:22 22
For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
c. I Corinthians 14:21,22 21 In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will
I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the
Lord. 22 Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not:
but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which
believe. (and much more!...)
d. Hebrews 2: 3, 4 3
How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began
to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; 4
God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers
miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost,
according to
his own will?
These temporary gifts ceased in 70 AD when
Israel was dispersed among nations. The Bible says they (the gifts) would
vanish when “that which is
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perfect (the completed Word of God) is come” I
Corinthians 13:8-10 8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall
fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge,
it shall vanish away. 9 For
we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10
But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be
done away.
iv.
Romans 12:6-8 lists the Holy Spirit’s permanent
spiritual gifts:
… 6 Having then gifts differing according to the
grace that is given to us,
whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to
the proportion of faith; 7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or
he that teacheth, on teaching;
8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that
giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that
sheweth mercy, with
cheerfulness.
Permanent
gifts: The motivation and ability to:
a. Prophesy –
declare God’s truth.
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b. Giving – be a channel for God-given assets
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of the Word
of the Lord
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c.
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Ministry
–serve others in practical
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d. Ruling – lead others in accomplishing the
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ways
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work of God
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e.
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Teaching
present the Word of
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f. Mercy – identify with and share in the
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God clearly
and accurately
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suffering and
joys of others as a
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comforter
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g.
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Exhorting –
encourage others
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through the
application
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of Truth
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6. What about “Speaking In Tongues” and “Divine
Healers?”
The Charismatic Movement is a modern phenomenon
which had its beginning in the USA just before the turn of the century. In the
last 60 years, it has snowballed in to the most active movement within
Christendom. One of the main reasons for this is because spiritual “deadness”
of most mainline denominational churches – and the apparent “aliveness” of the
Charismatics.
Don’t be fooled!! – II Corinthians 11:13-15 13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of
Christ. 14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of
light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed
as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
The test of whether someone is right or wrong
is not determined
by how it feels or by who’s doing it, but by “What saith the Lord?” – Isaiah
8:20
A.
The Bible defines “tongues”
as known, understandable foreign
languages. Look-up Acts 2:4-11 4
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost,
and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews,
devout men, out of every nation
under heaven. 6
Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were
confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. 7
And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not
all these which speak Galilaeans? 8 And how hear we every man
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in our own tongue, wherein we were born? 9
Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in
Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, 10
Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and
strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretes and
Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
The Charismatics
do not practice this. They speak in a babbling gibberish – which at the least
is a psychologically induced, ecstatic aberration that comes about when the
conscience mind loses control and the subconscious takes over.
B. In the Bible, the miraculous gift of being able
to speak in an unknown foreign language was a sign to unbelieving Jews:
• I Corinthians 1:22 22
For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
•
I Corinthians 14:21, 22 21 In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other
lips will I
speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the
Lord.
22
Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that
believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but
for them which believe.
• Isaiah 28:11 11 For with
stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
In each recorded case in the New Testament where
the miracle of tongues occurred (only 3) – Jews and at least one apostle, were
present:
• Acts 2:5 5 And there were dwelling at
Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
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• Acts 10:45-46 45
And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came
with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the
Holy Ghost. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and
magnify God.
• Acts 19:6 6 And when Paul had laid his
hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and
prophesied.
C. The Bible says “tongues shall cease” and goes on
to say when they would cease.
• I Corinthians 13:8-10 8
Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies,
they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be
knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part,
and we prophesy in part. 10
But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be
done away.
Charismatics argue “that which is
perfect” refers to Christ and that tongues will continue until the Second
Coming of Christ. But Joel 2:28-31 indicates an
outpouring
of the Holy Spirit associated with gifts after the rapture.
And it
shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh;
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream
dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I
pour out my spirit. 30 And I
will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars
of smoke. 31 The sun
shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and
terrible day of the LORD come.
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Also, “That which is perfect refers to the “more
sure” Word of God, which replaced the gift of prophecy – II Peter 1:19-21 19
We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take
heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the
day star arise in your hearts:
20Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the
scripture is of any private
interpretation. 21
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God
spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
D.
The gift of tongues was
still operative today, which is not, the Bible
would place
certain restrictions on its use:
I Corinthians 14:27 - 28 27 If any man speak in an unknown
tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let
one interpret. 28 But if there be no interpreter, let
him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.
• No more than three people to speak in a foreign
tongue during any meeting.
• Each speaker must follow after the other has
finished (not all at once).
•
One person is to interpret.
• If there is no interpreter is available, then no
one should speak in another language.
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•
The Holy Spirit NEVER takes anyone out of
control. I
Corinthians
14:32 32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the
prophets.
•
Women are not to speak (in tongues or
otherwise).
I Corinthians14:34 34
Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it
is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under
obedience as also saith the law.
The modern
Charismatic movement is dominated by women.
E. The Charismatic Movement is dangerous because it
elevates “experiences” above the Word of God. Remember, the devil can give you
any experience you desire. The Christian must walk by the Word of God:
•
II Corinthians 5:7 7 (For we walk by faith,
not by sight:)
• Romans 10:17 17 So then faith
cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
F.
The truly spiritual person
will acknowledge the supremecy of the
Written
Word over any religious experience: I Corinthians 14:37 37
If
any man think himself to be a prophet, or
spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the
commandments of the Lord.
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G.
Many
Charismatic groups say or imply, you arte not saved unless you have spoken in
tongues. They claim to have the “full” Gospel. But, the
real full Gospel is given in I Corinthians 15:
1,3, 4 1 Moreover,
brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached
unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2
By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you,
unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that
which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the
scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again
the third day according to the scriptures:
Those that add
something to this are in fact preaching another
gospel: Galatians 1:6-9 6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him
that
called you into the grace of Christ unto another
gospel: 7 Which is not another; but there be some that
trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But though we,
or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we
have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now
again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received,
let him be accursed.
Remember
Colossians 2:10 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the
head of all
principality and power:
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H. By focusing so much on these alleged gifts, the
Charismatic movement elevates the Holy Spirit above the Son of God. The Spirit
is God. He is equal to the Father and the Son in every way – but he is the shy
Member of the Godhead. He does not speak about Himself, but always of Christ:
•
John 15:26 26
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto
you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the
Father, he shall testify of me:
• John 16:13-14 13
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come,
he will
guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of
himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he
will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of
mine, and shall shew it unto you.
I.
The miraculous gift of
healing was also a “sign gift” to Israel.
Mark
16:17-18 17 And
these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall
they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18
They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not
hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
J. Healings were overshadowed by Gospel preaching
and conversions: See all of Acts 3 and Acts 4.
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Study # 8
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K.
Healings were sometimes
done on unsaved people: II Corinthians
12:7-9 and I
Timothy 5:23
L. Today we are instructed to pray for Gods healing
mercies, but not to seek or expect a miraculous, instantaneous healing.
James 5:14-15 14
Is any sick among you? let him call for the
elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing
him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick,
and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be
forgiven him.
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Study # 8
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Study Outline
1.
Who is the Holy Spirit?
2.
What has the Holy Spirit
done in times past?
3.
What is the work of the
Holy Spirit today?
4.
What does the Holy Spirit
do when we are saved?
5.
What is the relationship between
the Holy Spirit and me?
6.
What about “Speaking In
Tongues” and “Divine Healers?”