The Grace Notes - Grace Baptist Church, Kansas City, MO

Home Page Grace Notes About Us Calendar Day Care Ministries Personal Testimonies How to Get to Grace Baptist Links & Resources	Thoughts from Pastor Dave: January 31, 2005 What Is this Holy Spirit? “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.” — John 14:16-17 When I speak of the Holy Spirit, I find that there exist many conceptions about this part of the trinity. So, before we move on to discover the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a follower of Christ, I would like to ask the question, “What is the Holy Spirit?” The wording of my question is intentional. Probably one of the most commonly held conceptions of the Holy Spirit is that it is an impersonal force that is sent to accomplish God’s purposes. We have little problem with talking about the personality of Christ. We have four gospels that are dedicated to telling us about his many activities. We also have little problem visualizing the work of God the Father in creation leading us to recognize his personality. Yet, when we talk of the Holy Spirit, his ministry is of such a nature that it is hard to feel and see and touch. But the Bible makes it plain that we should change our question about the Holy Spirit to, “Who is the Holy Spirit?” You see, the Holy Spirit is described in the Bible, not as a force, but as a person. On the day of Jesus baptism (Matt. 4.16-17) and on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2.1-4) the Holy Spirit made a physical appearance in the form of the dove and the tongues of fire. The book of Acts describes the person of the Holy Spirit directing the mission of the church. Philip was directed by the Holy Spirit to talk with the Ethiopian and at the conclusion of that interview the Holy Spirit whisked him away to Azotus (Acts 8.26-40); Peter was told by the Holy Spirit to go to the house of Cornelius to spread the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 10.9-48); the Holy Spirit instructed the church to set apart Saul and Barnabas for a special mission (Acts 13.1-3). The Bible draws a very personal picture of the One who Christ sent to be our Helper and Comforter. It is this person, who I invite you to get to know as we study about him in these articles for the coming weeks. For His Glory, Pastor Dave To view past issues of the Grace Notes, click HERE.

Thoughts from Pastor Dave: January 31, 2005

What Is this Holy Spirit?

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.” — John 14:16-17

When I speak of the Holy Spirit, I find that there exist many conceptions about this part of the trinity. So, before we move on to discover the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a follower of Christ, I would like to ask the question, “What is the Holy Spirit?”

The wording of my question is intentional. Probably one of the most commonly held conceptions of the Holy Spirit is that it is an impersonal force that is sent to accomplish God’s purposes. We have little problem with talking about the personality of Christ. We have four gospels that are dedicated to telling us about his many activities. We also have little problem visualizing the work of God the Father in creation leading us to recognize his personality. Yet, when we talk of the Holy Spirit, his ministry is of such a nature that it is hard to feel and see and touch. But the Bible makes it plain that we should change our question about the Holy Spirit to, “Who is the Holy Spirit?”

You see, the Holy Spirit is described in the Bible, not as a force, but as a person. On the day of Jesus baptism (Matt. 4.16-17) and on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2.1-4) the Holy Spirit made a physical appearance in the form of the dove and the tongues of fire. The book of Acts describes the person of the Holy Spirit directing the mission of the church. Philip was directed by the Holy Spirit to talk with the Ethiopian and at the conclusion of that interview the Holy Spirit whisked him away to Azotus (Acts 8.26-40); Peter was told by the Holy Spirit to go to the house of Cornelius to spread the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 10.9-48); the Holy Spirit instructed the church to set apart Saul and Barnabas for a special mission (Acts 13.1-3).

The Bible draws a very personal picture of the One who Christ sent to be our Helper and Comforter. It is this person, who I invite you to get to know as we study about him in these articles for the coming weeks.

For His Glory,

Pastor Dave

To view past issues of the Grace Notes, click HERE.