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There are many false notions that people have about the Holy Spirit. Many religions deny His existence, or refer to Him as just a vague force, like electricity, or gravity. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is a ‘Person’. There are three attributes associated with being a person: intellect, emotions, and will. What clues do the following verses give to prove that the Holy Spirit is a Living Person? • 1 Corinthians 12:11 • • Ephesians 4:30 1 Corinthians 2:11 DAY 1: Who He is and What He Wants? Not only is He a person, but the Holy Spirit is God. He is equal in every way with the Father and the Son. God can be described as being omnipresent (ever present) , omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing), and eternal (no beginning or end). What hints do the following verses give to prove the Holy Spirit’s deity? • Psalm 139:7-12 • • • • Hebrews 9:14 Romans 8:11 1 Corinthians 2:11 Acts 5:3,4 – Note: To whom did Ananias lie to? “Do not put out the Spirit’ fire” (1 Th 5:19) s “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God” (Eph 4:30) Concerning the Holy Spirit, many believers go to one of two extremes. 1. Neglect or not teach about the Holy Spirit: they might not deny His deity, but they fail to teach the important truths concerning Him. They also fail to explain to believers how important it is for every area of our lives to be submitted to Him (being filled). 2. Overemphasize Him: the other extreme is to talk about Him too much to the point that our eyes are taken off of Christ, and placed on “what can the Spirit do for me?” The Holy Spirit’s main goal in coming to earth was to bring glory to Christ. (John 15:26) • Which of these two extremes does your church lean towards? The following are some things that are true about the Holy Spirit. If you are unfamiliar with them, you are strongly encouraged to read the verses that explain the truths. These are just a handful of the many verses that mention the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was first given to believers on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) He is called the Counselor (NIV) or the Comforter (KJV) (John 15:26) He is the Spirit of Truth (John 15:26); He teaches us all things (John 14:26) He convicts the world (and believers) of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8) He guides believers into all truth (John 16:13); He came to glorify Christ (John 16:14) He helps us in our weakness (Romans 8:26); He intercedes for us (Romans 8:26) He is our deposit guaranteeing our inheritance into heaven (Ephesians 1:13,14) He works God’s sanctification into our lives (1 Peter 1:2) He lives or indwells every believer (Romans 8:9) (Although all believers are indwelt, not all are filled) He is our ONLY source of power (Acts 1:8) • Which one of the above roles of the Spirit do you need most in your life today? Why? God commands us to be filled with the Holy Spirit. “Don’t drink too much wine, for many evils lie along that path; be filled instead with the Holy Spirit, and controlled by Him.” (Ephesians 5:18 TLB) The word “filled” actually means “to be directed or controlled by.” The term does not talk about quantity, but control. The verse does not mean that we have a little of the Holy Spirit, and then we get more of Him. Instead, it refers to who is in control. It is similar to saying “He was filled with anger,” meaning that the person was controlled by anger. We cannot get more of the Holy Spirit. We got all there is to get the day we received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. In the original Greek language, the command in Eph. 5:18 to “be filled” is in the present continual tense. The verse literally means, “keep on continually being filled with the Spirit.” Being filled with the Spirit is not a one-time experience. Rather, we need to be filled over and over again throughout our Christian lives. DAY 2: Experiencing the Filling of the Spirit Take a few minutes right now to read through the booklet “Have You Made The Discovery Of The Spirit Filled Life?” • What are some indications in your life that you are relying on your own strength rather than on the Holy Spirit’s power? Page 10 of the booklet outlines the necessities that one needs in order to be filled with the Spirit Sincerely desire to be directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Confess your sins. By faith, thank God that He has forgiven all of your sins—past, present, and future—because Christ died for you. Present every area of your life to God. By faith claim the fullness of the Holy Spirit, according to: His command to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18) and His Promise that He will always answer when we pray according to His will (1 John 5:14,15) • Which of these steps are your primary obstacles in being filled with the Holy Spirit? • Read Luke 11:9-13. What does God promise in these verses? What are the conditions to this promise? • Have you experienced a time when you’ve confessed your sin, but you haven’t ‘felt’ forgiven? What priority should faith have in the experience of forgiveness? What priority should our feelings have in the experience of forgiveness? Day 3: The Results of Being Continually Filled Read the following passages and list 5 qualities of what Peter was like before and after he received the Holy Spirit in his life. Matthew 14:26-31 Acts 2:14,38-41 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Matthew 26:38-40 Acts 3:1-8 Matthew 26:69-75 Acts 4:1-20 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. John 18:10 AFTER BEFORE What made all of the difference in Peter’s life and ministry? Can we expect similar results when we are filled with the Holy Spirit? Why or why not? Why do you think so many Christians today choosing to live without this Supernatural power? Look up the following verses and write down what our lives should look like if God is in control. 1. Acts 1:8 2. Galatians 5:22,23 3. Romans 8:5,6 4. Galatians 5;16 5. Romans 5:5 But what if we don’t see the kind of fruit in our lives that we desire? First, we need to review the process mentioned in Day 2 to make sure there is not some secret sin preventing God’s working in our life. Then, we must also realize that true spiritual maturity takes time to develop. • What is one area of your life that the you have seen evidence of the Holy Spirit changing your heart? “For true and abiding progress, the Holy Spirit always establishes the individual in one step before He takes him into the next. We have seen that there must be true conviction of sin and need in the hungry heart before the identification truths can be understood, let alone entered into.” Miles Stanford, The Complete Green Letters DISCUSSION ARTICLES: “PASSION FOR THE SPIRIT” Some years ago a West Texas rancher made a startling discovery. The story goes that for Homer Yates, the end of the road seemed to have come too soon. As he rested a dusty boot on the running board of his weathered pick-up truck, he looked across the acres of ranch land dotted with clusters of cattle. This valley was his valley. He and his family had called this land home form many years. This familiar scene had once brought peace to his heart. It had comforted him. But at this particular moment, it triggered tears. He loved this place. How could he leave it behind? How could he be expected to pack up his belongings and walk away from the ranch he had poured himself into for so many years? And yet what other choice was there now? Things were all right until the depression hit. It came in like a swarm of devouring locusts and stripped him bare financially. He even had to accept government subsidy to keep the beloved ranch running marginally. It had shamed him to ask for help – but there seemed to be no other way. And as carefully as he and his wife had parceled out their meager funds, they never had quite enough. They had gone without, had sacrificed everything possible, but ruin was their reward. Now, in the distance he saw another truck coming down the gravel lane carrying a couple of men, strangers to him. They rumbled to a stop a few yards away, dust settled around them in swirls as they closed in on him. “Are you Yates?” one of them asked. He nodded. “We’ve been looking for you,” he said, surprising Yates with a handshake. The tall one explained they were part of a geological crew sent by a major oil company, and they had reason to believe there might be oil on his land. Would he give them permission to drill a wildcat well on the other side of the ridge? What could he lose? He signed the lease that afternoon. A little below eleven hundred feet they struck an oil reserve that was pumping 80,000 barrels a day before Yates knew what hit him. Several of the wells that followed yielded twice that amount. And Yates and his family owned it all! Overnight the humble rancher, scraping by on government relief, had become a multi-millionaire. He had lived in poverty on the very land that made him rich. The oil reserves had been there all along – all since the day he signed the deed. But he possessed it only after he understood what riches were there, and that they were his for the taking” Consider the story of a poor immigrant who once bought a passage on a ship to the United States. He had only enough money left over to buy a few crackers and a small block of cheese which he rationed carefully over the first few days of the voyage. But his hunger grew. He watched the ship’s waiters dashing past him, carrying trays of succulent fruits and vegetables, fat chickens and juicy steaks to the other passengers. Finally the aromas overpowered his fears, and he stopped a waiter. “Please,” he begged the surprised man. “I am weak from hunger. I’ll do anything to earn a meal – clean rooms, swab decks, wash dishes…” “Did you stow away?” the waiter asked. The man shook his head. “Then why haven’t you eaten? The price of your ticket includes your meals. They’re already paid for. You only have to come and eat!” LEADER’S DISCUSSION GUIDE: “PASSION FOR THE SPIRIT” Review of Day 1: Who He is and What He wants? Briefly review Day 1, asking them to give their findings about who the Holy Spirit is. Review of Day 2: Experiencing the Filling of the Holy Spirit Start this section off by reading the following story: Some years ago a West Texas rancher made a startling discovery. The story goes that for Homer Yates, the end of the road seemed to have come too soon. As he rested a dusty boot on the running board of his weathered pick-up truck, he looked across the acres of ranch land dotted with clusters of cattle. This valley was his valley. He and his family had called this land home form many years. This familiar scene had once brought peace to his heart. It had comforted him. But at this particular moment, it triggered tears. He loved this place. How could he leave it behind? How could he be expected to pack up his belongings and walk away from the ranch he had poured himself into for so many years? And yet what other choice was there now? Things were all right until the depression hit. It came in like a swarm of devouring locusts and stripped him bare financially. He even had to accept government subsidy to keep the beloved ranch running marginally. It had shamed him to ask for help – but there seemed to be no other way. And as carefully as he and his wife had parceled out their meager funds, they never had quite enough. They had gone without, had sacrificed everything possible, but ruin was their reward. Now, in the distance he saw another truck coming down the gravel lane carrying a couple of men, strangers to him. They rumbled to a stop a few yards away, dust settled around them in swirls as they closed in on him. “Are you Yates?” one of them asked. He nodded. “We’ve been looking for you,” he said, surprising Yates with a handshake. The tall one explained they were part of a geological crew sent by a major oil company, and they had reason to believe there might be oil on his land. Would he give them permission to drill a wildcat well on the other side of the ridge? What could he lose? He signed the lease that afternoon. A little below eleven hundred feet they struck an oil reserve that was pumping 80,000 barrels a day before Yates knew what hit him. Several of the wells that followed yielded twice that amount. And Yates and his family owned it all! Overnight the humble rancher, scraping by on government relief, had become a multimillionaire. He had lived in poverty on the very land that made him rich. The oil reserves had been there all along – all since the day he signed the deed. But he possessed it only after he understood what riches were there, and that they were his for the taking” • • How does this story represent most Christians today? What would you think of Yates if after discovering oil, he told the drillers to go away, and decided to live on government subsidy once again? Why do so many Christians, even after realizing the power available to them, still choose to live like spiritual paupers instead of children of the King? In your own words, describe what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit Briefly go through numbers 1-7 from Day #2. Make sure that they fully understand each point. How has your view of who the Holy Spirit is, or how to be filled with the Holy Spirit been altered by this study? Did you trust the Holy Spirit to fill and control you as a result of this lesson? • • • • Review of Day 3: The Results of Being Continually Filled Start this section off by reading the following: Consider the story of a poor immigrant who once bought a passage on a ship to the United States. He had only enough money left over to buy a few crackers and a small block of cheese which he rationed carefully over the first few days of the voyage. But his hunger grew. He watched the ship’s waiters dashing past him, carrying trays of succulent fruits and vegetables, fat chickens and juicy steaks to the other passengers. Finally the aromas overpowered his fears, and he stopped a waiter. “Please,” he begged the surprised man. “I am weak from hunger. I’ll do anything to earn a meal – clean rooms, swab decks, wash dishes…” “Did you stow away?” the waiter asked. The man shook his head. “Then why haven’t you eaten? The price of your ticket includes your meals. They’re already paid for. You only have to come and eat!” We often live like spiritual stowaways when all the benefits of a first-class passage are ours to claim! How sad to condemn ourselves to cheese-and-cracker Christianity when Jesus invites us to “come and dine” with Him at the table of honor. • Compare and contrast “Cheese-and-cracker Christianity” to “Abundant Life – John 10:10 Christianity.” Which of these two most often than not characterizes your life? In your own words, describe what a Spirit-filled Christian looks like? How does the length of your relationship with Christ and your level of maturity effect the Spiritfilled life? Review the process of spiritual breathing. Look at the last page of the “Have you made the wonderful discovery of the Spirit-filled life.” Make sure they understand the aspects of exhaling and inhaling. Many are confused about inhaling. Give them some examples of Spirit-filled Christian who sins, and ask them “How can this person breathe spiritually?” • • • •