Chapter Eight: The Importance of the Holy Spirit

“I want to live so that I am truly submitted to the Spirit’s leading on a daily basis. Christ said its better for us that the Spirit came and I want to live like that is true.” - Francis Chan

“As the Lord put on the body, leaving behind all principality and power, so Christians put on the Holy Spirit, and are at rest.” - St. Macarius

CHRISTIANITY IS NOT for the strong and those very confident in themselves. Our Lord chose twelve disciples, some of them having no experience at all with ministry. But what was the common denominator amongst them all that turned them into holy Apostles who served the Church faithfully? The Holy Spirit.

This simplicity can offend men, but God clearly states in 1 Corinthians that He uses the weak, the unwise, the unlearned, and the despised of this world. In the disciples we see this pattern: Two wanted to send fire from heaven down on towns; three could not stay awake during a prayer meeting; one was a traitor and thief; and one betrayed Christ denying that he even knew the Lord. They argued over who would be the greatest, and all of them fled when hard times came. Yet with this group of weak, unlearned, simple men God was building His Church, against which the gates of hell will not prevail. This can give us great consolation and hope to be usable in the Lord’s work, for He is looking for those who are not self-seeking but rather are humble, weak, and needy. They are the ones that are calling out to God for His Spirit because they literally need Him in every situation.

Something New or Something Old?

God is not doing something new; He is doing something old and new all the time. The work of the Holy Spirit since the days of the Apostles is the same. There has not been a restoration of a lost work of the Holy Spirit. Some teach that the Church was apostate and lost for over a thousand years and then in the modern day renewed by some prophet or new teacher. This doctrine has given room for a multiplicity of false groups to form with exciting new ideas that have no grounding in the historic Church.

We have to remember that Satan is the father of lies. He is a murderer from the beginning and dwells in falsehood. He never wants the glory to go to Jesus Christ but rather twists the truth and deceives those in the Lord’s work to take glory to themselves. He is also the master counterfeiter who has been deceiving God’s people since the beginning. Should it be no wonder that Satan desires to confuse and malign the pure work of the Holy Spirit in the Church in the past and even in our day.

If men, manifestations, and even the Holy Spirit Himself is glorified beyond Christ, then you can start to know that this is not a pure work of the Lord. A brother said this same truth in a similar way: “Any spirit that focuses on the Holy Spirit and glorifies the Holy Spirit is not the Holy Spirit. It is contrary to His whole nature and purpose.” The Scripture states: “He shall not speak of Himself.” Those that worship, honour, and glorify the Holy Spirit more than Jesus Christ are not led by the Holy Spirit to do that. The Holy Spirit will always honour Jesus Christ. Thus the true working of the Spirit can be distinguished in measure.

We must also be careful not to judge and speak against what seems inaccurate but could be a work of God’s Spirit. This takes great charity, patience and discernment on the side of God’s people.

As modern believers, we should not be scared to experience the fulness of what God wants for our life in the working of the Holy Spirit. That deposit given at Baptism can grow and consume our entire person, being inflamed with the working of the Spirit of Jesus. New infusions of Holy Spirit Baptisms can be given for works of service to Christ. There is always more to experience with Christ, and we should not be ever found sitting back judging others’ experiences but rather set our gaze on the crucified Christ, begging Him to further His work in our hearts.

Coming Poor to Receive

When gathering together as the Church, we should come “poor in spirit,” begging for spiritual nourishment from the Lord. It is a true spiritual principle that those who come to the Lord full and not needing anything will never receive anything of the Lord. The wonderful picture is given by our Lord Jesus Christ of a small child asking a father for bread. The response of the father surely always will be to feed the child and not give him a stone to eat! “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Some conditions for being filled with the Holy Spirit can be surrender, emptiness of self, no pride, no known sins, and asking the Father to fill us. But we must remember the work of the Spirit in us is always by grace and an undeserved gift.

Our desire to receive further workings of the Spirit should always be in humility. A godly, modern-day evangelical preacher said: “The Holy Spirit does not come to entertain, to provide signs and wonders and miracles just to thrill us or make us feel good. No, every one of His workings has this divine purpose: I’m preparing a Bride. The work, ministry and mission of the Holy Spirit is singular: It is to wean us from this world, to create a longing in us for Jesus’ soon appearance, to convict us of everything that would blemish us, to turn our eyes away from everything but Jesus, to adorn us with the ornaments of a passionate desire to be with Him as His Bride!”

There must always be a sense of unworthiness and also gratitude in us that the Spirit of the God would dwell in our very flesh. When one is anointed by a Bishop for the office of Deacon (servant) in the Church, the person prostrates himself forward on the ground towards the cross and altar. Such is the posture of surrender, giving one’s life for a greater work of the Spirit.

God’s Holy Spirit comes upon little one’s. Those dwelling in lowliness, selflessness. He comes to little places like Bethlehem. He works in unexpected places. He raises up hidden ones. God wants broken vessels to fill. He works in ways we cannot understand or explain so He gets the glory. The book of Acts is simply one impossible miracle to another, weaving a picture that brings great glory to the Lord.

Experiencing the Baptism of the Holy Spirit

There are many modern teachings on the experience of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit that are taught clearly in the Book of Acts. Many in Church history experienced definite moments in their walks with the Lord where an overwhelming sense of the Holy Spirit came upon them for service.

This experience in many places came to those who were in rapture and delight with the Lord of glory and simply desired to serve and worship Him with no ambition or ministry desire. The empowerment is given by the grace of God as the Lord determines. Though there is a filling (deposit) of the Holy Spirit received upon water Baptism there can be re-fillings (baptism experiences).

Andrew Murray said: “Let us trust Jesus, who fills with the Spirit, and cling to Him in love and obedience. It is He who baptizes: in contact with Him, in devotion to Him, in the confidence that He has given and will give Himself wholly to us, let us look to Him for nothing less than all that the baptism of the Spirit can imply.”

So much struggling can be done with when we walk in the strength of the Spirit:

“The Holy Spirit is pictured in the New Testament as a river flowing from the throne of God and falling to earth. To be baptised in the Holy Spirit is to be immersed under this waterfall. Jesus said that all those who thirsted could come to Him and receive the Holy Spirit so that rivers of living water could flow out from their innermost being.

The experience of the average believer, however, is more akin to the hand-pump - a life of struggling and pumping up a few drops of blessing from a dry heart. Yet it need not be like that. If our dryness would only drive us to the Lord, things could be different. To have rivers of blessing flowing out from us to all who come in touch with us is the will of God for our lives.”

The Book of Acts Today?

As one reads through the Book of Acts, the work of the Holy Spirit in the early Church is evident on every page. The Ancient faith was overwhelmingly filled with the working of the Holy Spirit. If you remove the work of the Holy Spirit from the Book of Acts, you have virtually nothing left. Truly, He empowered the first disciples to “turn the world upside down.”

The Holy Spirit can scarcely be said to have been dismissed from the book of Acts at any point. “The Holy Spirit appears prominently in Acts, so much so that the book has been called ‘the Gospel of the Holy Spirit.’” F.F. Bruce has correctly evaluated the Book of Acts in his commentary, saying “in all the book there is nothing which is unrelated to the Holy Spirit.”

The places in the world today where the Church is expanding the fastest are those places where Jesus’ followers are yielded and empowered by the Holy Spirit. This should not surprise us. The Holy Spirit can accomplish more in ten seconds than we can accomplish in ten years of our own efforts. Thus, it is of vital importance that the disciple-making Presbyter (priest, deacon, etc) or lay-person understands what the Holy Scripture teaches about the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives and ministries of believers.

In the Book of Acts, we frequently find examples of believers being filled with the Holy Spirit and empowered for ministry. If we are going to do what they did in the Book of Acts we have to have what they had. Those who believe what God’s Word promises will experience the promised blessings. Like the unbelieving Israelites who failed to enter the Promised Land, those who don’t believe God’s promises today will fail to enter into all that God has prepared for them.

We can sin against the Holy Spirit as believers and hinder His working in our lives and midst. We can lie to the Holy Spirit. Grieve, Quench, Resist, Insult, and Blaspheme. May we seek His blessing and submit to His leadership.

In the Holy Spirit is Wisdom, Fear of the Lord, Fruits of Love. He is our divine Teacher. He is our Intercessor.

We recommend in St. Thomas Churches that you read and re-read the Book of Acts. Read it even 10+ times in a year. Let it become a part of you. It is a sure way to allow the early passion and dependence on the Spirit to grow in your life. We cannot plant parish Churches without the blessing and help of God.

Why divorce yourself in any way from this help from above?

Historic Prayers to Follow

One way to cater to the work of the Spirit in your life is to pray to the Father in heaven, asking for His grace in your life. These historic prayers by godly men and liturgies in the Church are wonderful to be read out loud on your knees before the Lord. “The Holy Spirit Himself must be entreated by us.” Before you pray these prayers or read them out loud, confess your sins before God. “For a defiled spirit can receive no recognition from [the] Holy Spirit.”

COME, HOLY SPIRIT Come, Holy Spirit, our souls inspire, And lighten with celestial fire; Thou the anointing Spirit art, Who dost thy sevenfold gifts impart.

A PURE HEART O God Almighty, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Your only begotten Son, give me a body unstained, a pure heart, a watchful mind, and an upright understanding, and the presence of Your Holy Spirit, that I may obtain and ever hold fast to an unshaken faith in Your Truth, through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord; through whom be glory to You in the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.

SPIRITUAL RENEWAL O Lord, who hast mercy upon all, take away from me my sins, and mercifully kindle in me the fire of thy Holy Spirit. Take away from me the heart of stone, and give me a heart of flesh, a heart to love and adore thee, a heart to delight in thee, to follow and to enjoy thee, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

HEAVENLY MINDEDNESS Grant us, O Lord, not to mind earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to cleave to those that shall abide; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

SPIRITUAL COMMUNION Jesus, my feet are dirty. Come even as a slave to me, pour water into your bowl, come and wash my feet. In asking such a thing I know I am overbold, but I dread what was threatened when you said to me, ‘If I do not wash your feet I have no fellowship with you.’ Wash my feet then, because I long for your companionship. Amen.

POUR OUT YOUR GRACE O Holy Spirit, Love of God, pour out your grace, and descend plentifully into my heart. Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling, and scatter there your cheerful beams. Dwell in that soul that longs to be your temple. Water that barren soil, overrun with weeds and briars, and lost for lack of cultivating, and make it fruitful with your dew from heaven. Come, refreshment of those who languish and faint. Come, Star and Guide of those who sail in the tempestuous sea of the world. You are the only Haven of the tossed and shipwrecked. Come, Glory and Crown of the living, and only Safeguard of the dying. Come, Holy Spirit, in your great mercy, and make me fit to receive you. Amen.