Author: bonniefaurote

HOLY SPIRIT

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THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…”(Gal 5:22-23 ESV).

“They refer to character, and set forth the kind of man the Spirit produces rather than the things He inspires him to do.  The nine elements have been divided into three sections of three each. (1) In relation to God: love, joy, peace. (2) In relation to our fellows: longsuffering, gentleness, goodness. (3) In relation to ourselves: faithfulness,…meekness, self-control” Samuel Chadwick (ref#195, p138).

“In newspaper English, the passage would read something like this: The Fruit of the Spirit is an affectionate, lovable disposition, a radiant spirit and a cheerful temper, a tranquil mind and a quiet manner, a forbearing patience in provoking circumstances and with trying people, a sympathetic insight and tactful helpfulness, generous judgment and a big-souled charity, loyalty and reliableness under all circumstances, humility that forgets self in the joy of others, in all things self-mastered and self-controlled, which is the final mark of perfecting” Samuel Chadwick (ref#195, p139).

“…fruit…grows by abiding and is perfected without noise or fuss, without anxiety or care.  God glories in fruit” Samuel Chadwick (ref#195, p138). “…Paul… says that they are to be regarded as the proper result of the Spirit’s operations on the soul” Barnes’ Notes (ref#16, [Gal 5:22]).

“Spiritual gifts are not the same as the fruit of the Spirit. Spiritual fruit is produced from within; spiritual gifts are imparted from without.  Fruit relates to Christlike character; gifts relate to Christian service….Paul made it clear in 1 Corinthians 13 that spiritual gifts without spiritual fruit are worthless….” (Kenneth Boa, The Gifts of the Spirit,http://bible.org/article/gifts-spirit).

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THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

“Every regenerate person has the Holy Spirit, but not every regenerate person has what the Bible calls…‘The baptism with the Holy Spirit,’or ‘the Promise of the Father’” R.A. Torrey (ref#223, p115).

The “gift” of the SPIRIT everyone gets at regeneration.  This “gift” over time produces the “fruit of the SPIRIT.”  The SPIRIT works internally in the believer to produce more and more fruit.  “Gifts” have nothing to do with continually changing the believer into the image of CHRIST.  They are unique to each believer and are given whenever the SPIRIT deems best (Heb 2:4).  These “gifts” are to glorify GOD and build up His church.

“…the Baptism with the Holy Spirit is a work of the Holy Spirit distinct from and additional to His regenerating work. In other words, it is one thing to be born again by the Holy Spirit, and quite another thing to be baptized with the Holy Spirit” R.A. Torrey (ref#223, p112).

“In some cases, the gifts of the Spirit coincide with natural endowments, but they transcend these natural abilities by adding a supernatural quality” (Kenneth Boa, The Gifts of the Spirit, http://bible.org/article/gifts-spirit).

The “Baptism of the SPIRIT” is called by some, “the second blessing.”  Both represent the HOLY SPIRIT moving an individual in a mighty way in the service of Christianity.  This movement has been labeled because of the evangelistic supernaturalism of it.  But the reality of it all is that the SPIRIT flows as a fountain, of Himself, of His own accord, and by His own will He proceeds. John Owen (ref#35, p361).

Theologians identify and put into subjects different activities of the SPIRIT but He does not stop one activity and start another.  He is the One SPIRIT doing as He pleases in each believer when and whatever He desires.  Our human judging leads us into false accusations.

This SPIRIT we cannot put in a box and say He does this and that in this and that time.  He leads each individual believer further into spiritual activities as he is able to accept them.  Our walks are all different.   FATHER keep us from finger-pointing because the SPIRIT is manifesting Himself differently in others than in us.

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THE DAY OF PENTECOST

“…you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now”(Acts 1:5 ESV).

“The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is a definite and distinct experience assured and verified by the witness of the Spirit.  The disciples who were commanded to tarry until they were ‘endued with power from on high’ had already received the Spirit for salvation” Samuel Chadwick (ref#195, p49).

“…when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world”(Acts 1:7-8 MSG).

“The effects are seen in the Apostles on the Day of Pentecost…Pentecost changed all their outlook.  The Scriptures were made luminous in the light of the Holy Ghost.  The change in their characters was even greater than the change in their knowledge. The Gospels portray these men as proud and contentious, selfish and cowardly; but the first pages of the Acts of the Apostles tell another story…Pentecost transformed them.  It was the fullness that made the difference between timidity and joyous daring, shivering weakness and the exultant power. They were jubilantly fearless and hilariously happy.  That is the difference Pentecost always makes” Samuel Chadwick (ref#195, p159-160).

“The Holy Ghost clothed Himself with the waiting disciples in the Upper Room, and He still clothes Himself with consecrated believers….In them He find a Body, and in Him they find the power of spiritual expression and execution…There is an end of uncertainty when the fullness of Pentecost is known” Samuel Chadwick (ref#195, p158-160).

“…to be full of the Spirit is something distinct and observable in some way….Evidently the Holy Spirit had such control of certain people’s lives that it created a reputation; they were acknowledged for living victorious lives and blessing others through the Spirit’s power” Jim Cymbala (ref#161, p109-110).

FATHER, praise to the HOLY SPIRIT for clothing Himself with me.  How clear He makes the Word and how easy He makes accomplishing Your will. When He clothes me I find no reason to question any thought that enters my mind.  He lights my path and I grow confidently into the likeness of Your Son.  What joy!  This is my destiny!

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THE SPIRIT CALLS EVERYONE TO REPENTANCE

“…it is Christ’s blood, but the Spirit must apply it” A. W. Pink (ref#269, p90).  “All merit is in the Son…and all power is of the Spirit” Jim Cymbala (ref#161, p197).  “The Holy Spirit is here to take the place…of an absent Christ…” A.W. Pink  (A.W. Pink’s Commentary on John and Hebrews, [John 16:1-11], www.studylight.org)

“It is by the Holy Spirit our eyes are opened to see and our hearts to feel the enormity of sin, and thus are we enabled to perceive our need of Christ’s blood” A.W. Pink (ref#269, p110).  It is only ‘through the Spirit’ we can, in any measure, successfully ‘mortify the deeds of the body’” A. W. Pink (ref#269, p113).  “…the soul…does not know its real weakness and deep necessity until taught it by the Holy Spirit.  This is even so after conversion” Octavius Winslow (ref#135, April 4th).

“The Spirit shall convince…of sin, not merely tell…of it.  The Spirit convinces of the fact of sin, of the fault of sin, of the folly of sin, of the filth of sin, that by it we are become hateful to God…” Matthew Henry (ref#18, [John 16:7-15]).

“The renewed heart is moved and melted when it contemplates the holy Savior having our iniquities imputed to Him…But how rarely is it considered that it is little less wonderful for the Holy Spiritto exercise Himself with oursins and hold them up to the eyes of our understanding….He rakes in our foul hearts and makes us conscious of what a stench they are in the nostrils of an infinitely pure God” A. W. Pink (ref#269, p87).

“…He does in some degree mortify and subdue the evils of the soul in which He resides….Though He kills not sin in believers, He subdues it—though He does not subdue the flesh as that it never troubles or defiles them any more, its dominion is taken away” A.W. Pink (ref#269, p101).

FATHER, the movements of the SPIRIT amaze me.  He constantly kills my pride by dropping facts of my sin in my head.  He so times His conviction that I have no words to debate Him.  I am found out before I myself find out.  Thank You for constantly proving that I am depraved and You are holy.

“…what an unspeakable mercy to have One who knows us completely, and who can acquaint us with ourselves” Octavius Winslow (ref#135, April 4th)!  “…forgiveness can only come through Christ’s work on Calvary, daily living for the Lord can only be done through the Spirit” Jim Cymbala (ref#161, p159).

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BABES IN CHRIST

GOD in His mercy has given to His human creation laws that help us navigate living in a world full of sin. GOD’s commands are moral laws recorded in the Old Testament; if followed they reconnect us back to GOD healing our break with Him caused by the Fall.  And in our depraved nature we think we are able to, on our own, keep the laws and secure GOD’s favor.  However,…

Theologians coined the phrase, “covenant of works” to define that impossible way of reconciliation to GOD. GOD established the works of the law, not to reconcile us back to Him but to prove we can’t.  It is impossible for me to do what He asks.

JESUS who followed the laws perfectly can only accomplish our reconciliation back to GOD.  GOD requires of us that we acknowledge our inability to follow His laws and put our trust in JESUS to do it for us.

The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Corinthian church says: “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to babes in Christ” (1 Cor 3:1 NASB).  “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all…”(John 6:63 ESV).  “The indwelling Spirit is the sure mark of the believer’s freedom from the Covenant of Works…” A.W. Pink (ref#269, p100).

 “…the greatest lack of all in Christendom today is the absenceof the Holy Spirit’s power and blessing….Until the Holy Spirit is again given His rightful place in our hearts, thoughts, and activities, there can be no improvement.  Until it be recognized that we are entirely dependent upon Hisoperations for all spiritual blessing, the root of the trouble cannot be reached” A.W. Pink (ref#269, p7). “The issue is not our ability but rather our availability to the person of the Holy Spirit” Jim Cymbala (ref#161, p45).

FATHER, I pray against defaulting back into the “covenant of works” where I try to reach and please You using my born-with abilities.  I am trusting You to remind me of the power and love of the SPIRIT so that I might walk daily with His blessing.

“The preservation of God’s people through all the vicissitudes of their pilgrim journey is accomplished, immediately, by the Holy Spirit.  He it is who watches over the believer, delivering him when he knows it not; keeping him from living in the world’s sinks of iniquity, lifting up a standard when the Enemy comes like a flood against him (Isa 59:19).  He it is who keeps him from accepting those fatal heresies which deceive and destroy so many empty professors [faux Christians]. He it is who prevents his becoming contented with a mere ‘letter’ ministry or satisfied with head-knowledge and notional religion” A.W. Pink (ref#269, p171, brackets mine).

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BABES IN CHRIST

“…make certain about His calling and choosing you…” (2 Peter 1:10 NASB).

FATHER, it is not that You commission me to work hard so that You choose me.  No, You have already chosen me and I need to convince myself that You have chosen me.  What pleases You and proves to me that fact is my complete submission to the HOLY SPIRIT. Thank You for the joy that fills my heart when I obey.

“Religious enterprise that has not learned to rely on the Holy Spirit makes everything depend on the human intellect—‘God has said so-and-so, now believe it and it will be all right’, but it won’t.  The basis of Jesus Christ’s religion is the acceptance of a new Spirit, not a new creed,…” Oswald Chambers (ref#8, Sept 10th).

“Christ had unfolded to His disciples an infinite system of truth, but it lay cold and dead in their memories. He deposited precious seed in the soil; but the soil lacked the warmth and sunshine that the Spirit of God alone could give. Compare the difference between the disciples before and after Pentecost. When the Spirit of God is in you you have spiritual

  1. Life.
  2. Satisfaction.
  3. Power.”

(D. Thomas, The Spirit With You and In You,[John 14:16], (New York, NY: The Bible Illustrator, 1905-1909, https://www.studylight.org/commentary/john/14-16.html)

“…we cannot transform ourselves.  Only the Holy Spirit can do that….we must bring ourselves under the transforming action of the Holy Spirit.  This means…that we must continually submit our minds to the Word of God, which is the chief instrument the Holy Spirit uses to transform us” Jerry Bridges (ref#192, p172-173).

“The greatest test is that the true Spirit always glorifies Christ.  Christ is always in the center….The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of order, not of disorder,  Doctrine and love are required; experience and power, intellect and mind—the whole person is involved and functions as this perfectly balanced body with no schism, with no rivalry and competition, but with the whole manifesting and ministering unto the glory of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Make sure the Spirit of God is in you” Martyn Lloyd-Jones (ref#189, Nov 5th).

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BABES IN CHRIST

“…many born-again Christians remain spiritual babes in attributes which should characterize strong men and women of God.  Paul equated the term ‘babes in Christ’ with carnality, characterized by ‘envying, and strife, and divisions’ (1 Cor 3:1,3).  Paul also speaks of those Christians as ‘children’ who are ‘tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine’ (Eph 4:14)” (Henry M. Morris, Ph.D., Babes in Christ, Friday, March 26, 2010,https://www.icr.org/article/5209)

“…natural men may be the subject of many influences of the Spirit of God (as in Numbers 24:2; 1 Samuel 10:10; Hebrews 6:4-6), yet they are not spiritual persons…” Jonathan Edwards (ref#229, p90).

 “I. A MAN MAY HAVE THE DIVINE SPIRIT WITH HIM, BUT NOT IN HIM….Every man has the Spirit with him.

  1. In the operations of nature.
  2. In the revelations of the Bible.
  3. In the events of history.
  4. In the lives of all good men.
  5. IT IS A GREAT PRIVILEGE FOR A MAN TO HAVE THE SPIRIT OF GOD WITH HIM. We have one who is ready to
  6. Guide;
  7. Protect;
  8. Strengthen;
  9. Perfect us.”

(D. Thomas, The Spirit With You and In You,[John 14:16], (New York, NY: The Bible Illustrator, 1905-1909, https://www.studylight.org/commentary/john/14-16.html)

It is the greatest privilege, though to have the SPIRIT of GOD in man.  “…a holy baptism by the Holy Spirit—will change you from the inside out” (Mark 1:7-8 MSG).

“…Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord…” (Zech 4:6 ESV).

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THE HOLY SPIRIT REPRESENTS CHRIST

“The Spirit…is Christ without the limitations of the flesh and the material world.  He can reveal what Christ could not speak.  He has resources of power greater than those Christ could use, and he makes possible greater works than his” Jim Cymbala (ref#161, p18).

“…the Spirit…was the gift of God to His Son, and the gift of His Son to the world.  He came to fulfill the mission for which Christ came into the world.  He is our Lord’s Paraclete, His Advocate and Administrator” Samuel Chadwick (ref#195, p37).

“The Spirit is not our Advocate, but Christ’s.  An advocate appears as representative of another, and the Holy Spirit comes to represent Christ, interpret and vindicate Christ, administer for Christ in His Church and Kingdom; to be to the believer all that Christ Himself was and is…” Samuel Chadwick (ref#195, p33).

“He [the SPIRIT] is sent primarily to make us holy—to conform us to the character of God” Jerry Bridges (ref#244, p71, brackets mine).  “He reveals, through the Word, the great love of God to sinners…” Martyn Lloyd-Jones (ref#189, Jan 14th).

“…our spiritual life is drawn directly from the Lord Jesus Christ.  We are sustained by Him through the indwelling Holy Spirit.  There is nothing more important in the Christian life than to realize that our union with Christ is a vital one.  It is a living thing.  It is not something mechanical or conceptual; it is not a thought or an idea; it is really a vital, spiritual union….something of His fullness and of His life is passing into us, and we are receiving it” Martyn Lloyd-Jones (ref#189, Jan 19th).

FATHER, guide me to correct thinking about the HOLY SPIRIT.  I too easily think of Him as a “vending machine”—His presence to aid me through life.  But He is CHRIST’s.  And CHRIST’s purpose is so I might walk in Your will and be transformed into holiness.

“He [the SPIRIT] employs simply and only the truth as it is in Jesus…He enters the soul…He moves over the dark chaos, without form and void, and in a moment a world of immortal beauty bursts into view.  He overshadows the soul, and a vital root is planted whose stream of existence, once it begins, flows on with the eternity of God Himself” Octavius Winslow (ref#135, July 4th, [brackets mine]).