the Holy Spirit

We're still in our Foundations series, but we are nearing the end. This past Sunday (11/25/07) we looked at the Holy Spirit. First off, remember when we studied that Jesus Christ is a part of a Holy Trinity? The beginning of the Gospel of John tells us that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was there since the beginning of time. So was the Holy Spirit. You could describe the relationship of the Holy Spirit like saying, "me, myself, and I". You could also say it is like water with 3 different states- gas, liquid, solid. Neither quite does the trick, but they give you an idea.

Now keep in mind, there are atleast 100 Scripture passages that talk about or reference the Holy Spirit. Obviously we cannot look at all 0f them, but I believe we hit a pertinent few of those.A couple of those passages are in the Gospel of John. The first passage (14:25-27) teaches us an important thing. The Holy Spirit is there to teach us. To remind us of the teachings of Jesus. This was particularly important for His followers that were with Him while walking on this earth. Although they didn't quite understand what would happen, it would all make sense after Jesus Christ was crucified and resurrected.

The second passage in John (16:12-15). Once again, it shows that the Holy Spirit will be a teacher, a guide. But it also reveals a bit of its character. It says the Spirit will bring glory to the Son. One of the roles of the Spirit is that of a servant. We bring Jesus Christ glory only through the Holy Spirit working in our lives. Whether it is worshipping Him in song, bringing Him glory through our job or schoolwork, or serving others. It is only the Holy Spirit working in our lives that lets us do so.

Next we looked at Romans 8:9-17. Here we mark the changes that happen in us as a result of the Holy Spirit. We are made alive. Our spirit is made alive. Fear does not control us (v 15). This is how we "have life, and have it to the full".

To finish off, we played a game called 2 Truths and a Lie. This is another type of get-to-know-you game, but it also illustrates a couple characteristics of the Holy Spirit. What you do is write down three statements about yourself. Obviously two of them are true and one of them is a lie. The point is not to make it obvious which one is a lie because the rest of the group guesses which one is the lie. You can do this in teams or just have everyone else guess if you have a small group.

Just as you discern what is truth and what is a lie, so does the Holy Spirit as you come to choices in your life. It also tells us about the knowledge the Holy Spirit can give us. The game has you make statements about yourself because obviously, you know the most about yourself. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, so it knows the most about God. The Holy Spirit is the best resource to learn more about who God is (I Cor 2:6-16).

I hope we all strive to live more according to the Holy Spirit to grow intimacy with God and give Him glory.