1. The Holy Spirit is a Person.
How can we know this to be true?
The Holy Spirit: -Can be grieved: “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God” Eph 4:30 -Has a mind: “the mind of the Spirit” Rom 8:27 -Has knowledge: “knows the thoughts of God” 1 Cor 2:11 -Processes affection: “the love of the Spirit” Rom 15:30 -Has a will: “distributing to each one individually as He wills” 1 Cor 12:11
2. The Holy Spirit as the Promise.
The background to the story is that Jesus has just risen from the dead and is spending His last few days with the disciples before going back to heaven. He had some very important things to tell them, they would not see Him on earth again. They had been His closest friends for the last 3 and a half years. And he was leaving them with the responsibility of carrying on his work (which is found in Luke 4:18-19. Evangelising/spreading the good news, encouraging others, healing and deliverance). Jesus knew that they wouldn’t be able to complete this work of spreading the good news in their own strength and ability, and so one of His last conversations with them was to urge them to wait for a supernatural gift that would help them. This gift they were waiting for; found in Luke 24:49 “I am going to send you what my Father has promised. In Acts 1:4 And 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."
This gift that the scriptures are talking about is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and his power
3. The Holy Spirit and his Power.
How can we know this to be true?
The Holy Spirit: -Can be grieved: “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God” Eph 4:30 -Has a mind: “the mind of the Spirit” Rom 8:27 -Has knowledge: “knows the thoughts of God” 1 Cor 2:11 -Processes affection: “the love of the Spirit” Rom 15:30 -Has a will: “distributing to each one individually as He wills” 1 Cor 12:11
2. The Holy Spirit as the Promise.
The background to the story is that Jesus has just risen from the dead and is spending His last few days with the disciples before going back to heaven. He had some very important things to tell them, they would not see Him on earth again. They had been His closest friends for the last 3 and a half years. And he was leaving them with the responsibility of carrying on his work (which is found in Luke 4:18-19. Evangelising/spreading the good news, encouraging others, healing and deliverance). Jesus knew that they wouldn’t be able to complete this work of spreading the good news in their own strength and ability, and so one of His last conversations with them was to urge them to wait for a supernatural gift that would help them. This gift they were waiting for; found in Luke 24:49 “I am going to send you what my Father has promised. In Acts 1:4 And 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."
This gift that the scriptures are talking about is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and his power
3. The Holy Spirit and his Power.
Acts 1:8 - But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you The gift of power is not receiving the Holy Spirit in salvation. When people are born again, their conversion is dependent on and effected by the Holy Spirit in response to their repentance and commitment to Christ. The Holy Spirit, in salvation, draws people, convicting them of sin, then pointing them to Jesus and making His sacrificial death real. The Holy Spirit then enters people lives and baptises them into the Body of Christ, the church. Salvation is to be confused with the gift of power to carry out the task of evangelism. Even the disciples were saved before the day of Pentecost.
