This introductory message was given by APOSTLE B. K. ARTHUR, Former International Missions Director, at the 2000 North America Holy Ghost Convention in Toronto.

THE SCRIPTURE READING - JOHN 14:16-31

The Holy Spirit has been described by Bible students as "The neglected member of the Godhead" because while many Christians know about God as their loving Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ as their Risen Saviour, they do not know much about the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. The average Christian is so ignorant of the Holy Spirit and His role, that he or she has no idea whether the Holy Spirit is living within him or her as a person. In fact it has been said that if the Holy Spirit withdrew from the Church at large, most people would not know the difference. What a sad thing that this is such a neglected theme, for in the New Testament alone, the Holy Spirit is mentioned scores of times and yet in much preaching and teaching today, He is ignored. Little wonder that the Church is weak and powerless in their life of testimony. Many real Christians are trying hard to live the Christian life, and they are struggling hard to serve God but it is impossible to live and serve the Lord effectively unless we rely upon the empowering of the Holy Spirit, who dwells within us. Let us therefore, commence this study by emphasizing three fundamental truths in relation to the Holy Spirit.

i) The Holy Spirit is a Person - The Holy Spirit is a Divine person. 
Look up Acts 5:3-4. He is the third person of the Trinity - Look up Matthew 3:16-17. Read Gospel of John Chapters 14, 15 and 16, and notice all the references to the Holy Spirit in which He is clearly presented as a person, and as a person who is one with the Father and with Christ Himself.

ii) The Holy Spirit indwells every Christian - The fact is clearly 
taught in the scriptures and it will be well to look up and com pare John 14:16-17, Romans 5:5; Romans 8:8-18; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 1 Thessalonians 4:8. In these references the Holy Spirit is said to dwell in the Christian. He has been given to the Christian; that is , at the time of total surrender, the Holy Spirit comes to possess or have the believer.

iii) The Holy Spirit indwells the Christian as the Executive of the Godhead - This means that He is the member of the Godhead who is Actively engaged in the life of the Christian. He lives within the Christian to make Real to him all that God the Father has planned and all that God the Son has made possible.

The Divine standard that God has set for Christian living and service is very high. (In its proper setting, it is the kingdom principles) (Look up to Matthew 5, 6 and 7) So that it is impossible to reach that standard except by the Enabling Ministry of the Holy Spirit. Human ability and Human genius are quite inadequate. Thus the person of the Holy Spirit has made His residence in the life of every Christian in order to do - what? What is His Ministry? 
Let us take a quick bird's eye view of some of the things He does in the life of the Christian.
 
1. He is the sap of the Christian life - How do we become Christians? The answer is: By being born again - John 3:3 and 5. Whose duty is this work of producing the new birth? It is the work of the Holy Spirit. We are born again when He implants the New Life in us, and from that moment the very life of the Risen Lord begins manifest in us; we become Partakers of the Divine Nature 2 Peter 1:4.

Jesus is on the throne and He is our life. The Holy Spirit conveys His Life to us when we are born again. He is the Vine and we are the branches, and His life flows from Him (as the sap) into us. The sap rises within us and the One Who imparts this new life to us and extends it within us is the Holy Spirit.

2. He is the Seal of the Christian Assurance: We read about His sealing in Ephesians 1:13 and 4:30. Every Christian is sealed with the Holy Spirit. What is the significance of this sealing. A seal is a Mark of Ownership and it speaks of Safety and Security - Look up Romans 8:15-17.

3. He is Secret of the Christian Victory: The Christian Life is meant to be, Not a life of failure but a life of victory and triumph. The Christian life is the life of the Risen Lord Jesus who lives in our human bodies, and the One who lives this life in us, is the Holy Spirit. Thus we are through His indwelling and empowering victorious over sin, self and Satan.

4. He is the Strength of the Christian Service: Every Christian is saved to Serve but Christian service is impossible with our own strength. It is only effective in the Strength and with the Enabling grace of the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament times God called people to serve Him and He gave them special anointing of the Holy Spirit to make effective in their service, look up Exodus 31:3; Numbers 11:29; 1 Samuel 10:10 and 1 Chronicle 12:18. Even the Lord Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit when he commenced His public Ministry as Prophet, Priest and King - Look up Luke 3:21-22 and Luke 4:18. The same is true with each one of us - Zechariah 4:6.

5. He is the Spring of the Christian Joy: What a wonderful joy this is, and the Holy Spirit dwells within the Christian to produce this joy. Look up and compare Galatians 5:22 with Acts 5:41. Read also Acts 13:52, Acts 16:25 and Ephesians 5:18. The Holy Spirit dwells within us to make us joyful, happy and radiant people.

6. He is the Source of Christian Knowledge: See what Jesus said in John 14:26 and compare John 15:56 and 1 John 2:20. The Holy Spirit is within us to teach us all that we need to know concerning our walk and our work, what we are and what we are to do.

7. He is the Succourer of the Faith: We are to live by faith for the just shall live by Faith (Romans 1:17) and without Faith, it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6) therefore the Devil attacks our faith - Look up Luke 22:31-32. We are overwhelmed by sorrow and losses but the Holy Spirit is to be succour or help us in such distressing times - see this truth clearly in 1 Peter 4:14  and see it illustrated in the record we have of Stephen - Look up Acts 7:54-60.

8. Conclusion - In this study, we have underlined two important truths:-

(i) The Holy Spirit is a Person, He is God and He indwells every Christian to exercise His Ministry in the seven - fold way outlined above.
(ii) We must recognize His presence within us and rely upon Him to do His work - Look up Galatians 5:16 and Ephesians 5:18. A hymnist says "He was there all the time" we can rightly conclude that the Holy Spirit has been there all the time with the Father and the Son; from Eternity to Eternity. He who proceeded from the Father and the Son has been and will continue to be eternal.

Exhortation - It is our prayer that Christians will come to know Him and experience Him - the Holy Spirit - in a personal and more intimate relationship so that He will have His way in the Church, which He is preparing for Her (the Church's) bridegroom Jesus.
 

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