Foundations of Faith
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT (IV)
The Holy Spirit guides the believer. Individuals in the church at Antioch, while praying and fasting, were directed by the Holy Spirit to send out Paul and Barnabas as missionaries (Acts 13:1-3). During one of his missionary journeys, the Apostle Paul was directed by the Spirit not to go to Asia nor to Bithynia, but rather to Macedonia (Acts 16:6-10). Such guidance is not just for “spiritual giants” like the Apostle Paul, but “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Rom. 8:14). In a later issue we shall discuss in much more depth this matter of spiritual guidance and knowing the will of God for our lives.
Being filled with the Holy Spirit. Let us begin with the most ideal response of the believer to the work of the Holy Spirit and work down. We are exhorted, “Be not drunk with wine … but be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18). What does it mean to “be filled with the Spirit”? Does it mean that there can be a greater measure of the Holy Spirit indwelling us at some times than at others? No, remember that the Holy Spirit is a Person; He either dwells in us (if we are believers in Christ) or He doesn’t (if we are unbelievers). The first part of verse 18 helps us to understand the second part. To be drunk with wine means to be under the influence of it or totally controlled by it. So to be filled by the Spirit means to be totally controlled by the Spirit, or allowing the Spirit to work freely in our lives and being totally obedient to His directions for us.
Common behaviors of those filled with the Spirit in Bible times included speaking prophetically (Luke 1:41-45,67-79), testifying of Christ (Acts 2:4,14-36), and preaching the gospel with great boldness (Acts 4:31). (See Assignment 2)
We are told in Gal. 5:17 that “the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary the one to the other.” Thus, in every area of our life in which we, in self-will, are retaining control and allowing the flesh to act, we are keeping the Holy Spirit from having control and thus are limiting the degree to which we are filled with the Spirit.
Grieving the Holy Spirit. The commandment given to believers, “Grieve not the Holy Spirit” (Eph. 4:30), is sandwiched among commands against stealing, lying, using bad language, and having bitterness and anger toward others. When we sin in these and other ways, we force the Holy Spirit to give up His normal activities in us–such as guiding us in our service for Christ, helping us in our praying and understanding of the Scriptures, and teaching us about Christ. Instead, the Spirit must turn His attention to pleading with us to recognize, confess, and turn away from our sin.
Quenching the Holy Spirit. A fire is quenched when it is put out and not allowed to carry out its natural effect of burning. The Holy Spirit is quenched when He has a burning desire to do a particular work in a believer’s heart, and that person ignores or disobeys the Spirit’s instructions. In order not to quench the Spirit, we are told, “Despise not prophesyings” (1 Thess. 5:19, 20). If the Holy Spirit gives one a message–say, a word of rebuke or warning–to give to me, and I toss it off, or throw it back in the face of the messenger, I am despising the prophesying (or message given from God) and thus am quenching the Spirit.
Committing blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The three responses–being filled with, grieving, or quenching the Holy Spirit–considered above apply to believers in Christ. However, it is important to state at the outset that committing blasphemy against the Holy Spirit can only be done by an unbeliever. The Pharisees claimed that when Jesus cast out demons, He did it by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of the demons (Matt. 12:22-24). Jesus responded by saying, “All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven unto men” (verse 31). The unpardonable sin, then, is being in such opposition to Christ as to give Satan credit for the works that Christ or His servants have done through the power of the Holy Spirit. This results from a steady course of unbelief and rebellion against God, and cannot possibly be committed by a true believer in Christ.
Running the Race
HOW DOES THE HOLY SPIRIT AFFECT OUR DAILY LIVES? (III)
We continue to listen in on a teen-age Sunday school class where the pupils are discussing ways they experienced the working of the Holy Spirit in their lives during the previous week.
Teacher: Tom, you have been patiently waiting to speak.
Tom: Something weird happened to me Friday afternoon. I was driving home from college on the freeway and all of a sudden this thought came into my mind, “Get off at the next exit and take the back roads the rest of the way home.” It didn’t make any sense to do that because it would have taken at least a half hour longer.
Katy: So what did you do?
Tom: I didn’t do anything, and a couple of miles past the exit I got into the longest traffic backup I have ever experienced. There was a bad accident several miles ahead and it took two hours longer than usual for me to get home.
Susan: Something like that happened to me once.
Tom: Do you think the Holy Spirit was the One who put that thought into my mind?
Teacher: Yes, I certainly do. I guess you will pay more attention next time something like that happens. Katy, you had your hand up.
Katy: Last Monday I was walking to school and just like a bullet the name of my best friend in first and second grade popped into my head. I hadn’t even thought about her for the past five years since she moved away. Could that have been the work of the Spirit?
Teacher: Quite possibly. What did you do then?
Katy: I started praying for her. I wasn’t saved when she and I played together. But now that I am saved, I have begun praying that she will be saved too.
Teacher: Is that the end of the story?
Katy: For now it is. But I want to find out where she lives and write to her.
Teacher: Excellent! Katy’s experience reminds me of a couple of true stories. Don’t let me forget to tell them to you next week.
Assignment 2: (a) Give the verses in Acts 6, 7, and 13 that tell us that Stephen and Paul were filled with the Holy Spirit. (b) Based on the chapters just mentioned, describe the actions of each of these men when filled with the Holy Spirit.