IS THE HOLY SPIRIT

  IN THE CHURCH TODAY?

  By Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.

      Before Jesus ascended to Heaven, He left specific orders, directives and promises to His Church and when the Holy Spirit fell upon them in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost, the church was born. Immediately, the Holy Spirit began doing His Miracles through the Church.

      The Church grew exponentially as the Spirit filled Body of Christ leaped into action carrying out the commands of Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church! The Book of Acts chronicles the amazing rise of the Church through the Ministries of Peter, John, Stephen and Philip in Jerusalem, Judaea and Samaria. And after Saul of Tarsus met Jesus on the Damascus Road, the Gospel of Christ became known everywhere he was sent by the Holy Spirit!    

     History proves that within thirty years of the death of Christ, His followers had spread from Palestine throughout Syria; throughout almost all the districts of Asia Minor; through Greece and the Islands of the Aegean Sea, the coast of Africa and even into Italy and Rome.

     At the close of the First Century, JUSTIN MARTYR stated: “There is not a nation either Greek or Barbarian or of any other name even those who wander in tribes or live in tents, among whom prayers and thanksgivings are not offered  to the Father and Creator of the Universe in the name of the Crucified Jesus.”

      JESUS promised:  “And behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you; but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on High.” (Luke 24: 49); “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever;

    “Even the Spirit of Truth; Whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him; but ye know Him, for He dwelleth with Him and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless. I will come unto you.

     “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep My words: And My Father will love him and WE will come unto him and make OUR abode with him.” (John 14: 16-18, 23)

    “And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but WAIT for the PROMISE of the Father, which, sayeth He, ye have heard of Me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many days hence.

   “But ye shall receive POWER, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: And ye shall be WITNESSES unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Act 1:4, 5,8)

   “And when the Day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from Heaven, as of a mighty rushing wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all FILLED with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2: 1-4)

                          TODAY'S CHURCH IS POWERLESS!

    In many churches today the Holy Spirit is being ignored and has become only a foot-note in their worship services, even though He may loom large in their Statement of Faith. This is a tragic mistake and is responsible for their downward slide!

    The blessed Holy Spirit has been degraded and almost deemed insignificant in today's Church World. Cults like the Jehovah witnesses and the Mormons have side-lined Him, and otherdenominations are calling the Holy Spirit a presence, an energy force and some ignore Him completely!

     Jesus, the Head of the Church, spoke of the Person of the Holy Spirit in glowing, loving terms, as the Third Person in the Godhead. He said: “Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is expedient that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart I will send Him unto you. And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement.

    “Of SIN, because they believe not on Me; of RIGHTEOUSNESS, because I go to My Father, and ye see Me no more; of JUDGMENT because the prince of this world is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

      “Howbeit, when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come. He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you. All things the Father hath are Mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall show it unto you.” (John 16: 7-15).

                         D.L. MOODY ON THE HOLY SPIRIT!

    “Shame on the Christianity of the 19^th Century. It is a weak and sickly thing. Would to God that we had a few men like Daniel living here today. 
     "God has a good many children who just barely got life, but no power for service. The Holy Spirit coming upon them with power is distinct and separate from conversion. I believe we should accomplish more in one week than we should in years if we had only His Fresh Baptism.

      “A great many think that they have been filled once, they are going to be full for all time after. But my friends, we are leaky vessels and have to be kept right under the fountain all the time in order to keep full. Let us keep near Him.”   
      During one of his last sermons in Boston, D.L.MOODY addressed the subject of the Holy Spirit thusly: "See how He came on the Day of Pentecost! It is not carnal to pray that He might come again and that the place may be shaken. I BELIEVE PENTECOST WAS ONLY A SPECIMEN DAY!
     "I think the Church has made this woeful mistake that Pentecost was a miracle never to be repeated. I have thought too that Pentecost was a miracle that is not to be repeated. I BELIVE NOW, if we looked on Pentecost as a specimen day and began to pray, we should have the old Penecostal Fire here in Boston."       

     J.B. PHILLIPS said: “Every time we say, I believe in the Holy Spirit”, we mean that we believe that there is a Living God able and willing to enter human personality and change it.”

    ANDREW BONAR stated: “Let us put ourselves under the Spirit's teaching anew, to be taught the Word, and how to preach the Word, not our own thoughts upon it. One spark of lightning is worth a thousand tame candles. So one sentence given by the Holy Spirit is worth volumes of any other.

      “I long more and more to be filled with the Spirit and to see my congregation moved and melted under the Word as in great revival times. The place was shaken where they were assembled together because the Lord had come in power.

                       TRUTHS ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT!

1.  The Holy Spirit Is the Teacher that Reveals Jesus Christ:

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” (John 15: 26); “Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say the Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.” (1 Cor. 1: 3)

2. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth and Bears Witness of Christ:

“This is He that came by water and blood, even Jesus Chris; not by water only, but by water and the Word. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is Truth.” (1 John 5: 6)

3.  The Holy Spirit Baptizes Believers into the Body of Christ:

“For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” (1 Cor.12: 13)

4.  The Holy Spirit has Placed His Gifts in the Church:

“And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.” (1 Cor.12: 28)

5.  The Holy Spirit is the Revealer of Truth to the Church:

“I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak:  And He will show you things to come. He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall show it unto you.” (John 16: 12-16)

6. The Holy Spirit Gives the Gifts of the Spirit severally as He wills:

“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will.” (1 Cor.12: 7-11)

7. The Holy Spirit Glorifies Jesus Christ:

“Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come. He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are Mine; therefore said, that He shall take of Mine, and shall show it un to you.” (John 16: 13-15)

8. The Holy Spirit Convicts the World of Sin, Righteousness and Judgment:

“And when He is come, He will reprove the world of Sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. Of sin, because they believe not on Me; Of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and ye see Me no more; Of judgment because the prince of this world is judged.” (John 16:8-11).

9.  The Holy Spirit draws men to Christ:

“All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me: and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out. No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him; and I will raise him up at the last day. And He said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto Me, except it were given unto him of My Father.” (John 6; 37, 44, 65

10. The Holy Spirit gives His fruit to Believers in Christ:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” (Gal.5: 22-23); “For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth.” Eph.5: 9)

11.  The Holy Spirit Guides Believers into all truth:

“Howbeit, when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all the Truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak; and He will show you things to come.”  (John 16: 13)

12. The Holy Spirit gives Believers power for Service:

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1: 8)

13. The Holy Spirit shows Believers things to Come:

“Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come.” (John 16: 13)

14. The Holy Spirit Seals Believers until the Day of Redemption:

“In Whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your salvation: in whom also ye after that ye believed, ye were SEALED with the holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the Redemption of the purchased possession (the believer), unto the praise of His glory.” (Eph.1: 13); “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are SEALED unto the Day of Redemption.” (Eph. 4: 30)

15.  The Holy Spirit Comforts Believers in Christ:

“I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” (John 14: 18); “Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the COMFORTER will not come unto you: but if I depart, I will send Him unto you.” (John 16:7)

16. The Holy Spirit proceedeth from the Father:

“But when the Comforter is come, Whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me.” (John 15: 26)

17. The Holy Spirit Gives Believers Assurance:

“At that day ye shall KNOW that I am in My Father, and ye in Me, and I in you. Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep My words; and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” (John 14: 20, 23); 
       “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of Adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit that we are children of God; and if children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together.” (Rom.8: 15-17)

18. The Holy Spirit was Sent to Oversee the Church:

“Howbeit, when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come. He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you. All things the Father hath are Mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall show it unto you.” (John 16: 7-15). “For as many as are LED by the Spirit of God, they are the Sons of God.” (Rom.8: 14)

19. The Holy Spirit Raised Jesus Christ from the Dead:

“But if the Spirit of Him that raised Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead, shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Since the Holy Spirit raised up Jesus Christ from the dead, He shall also make life in our mortal, (weak, old, sick) bodies!

20. The Holy Spirit  Shall Heal our Mortal Bodies:

“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit Himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”(Rom.8: 26, 27).

     In the literal Greek, this verse states that the Holy Spirit takes a hold of against our infirmities (He holds the infirmity away from us) and prays through us (in the Spirit) to our Heavenly Father for the miracle we need. Amen. Blessed be the name of the Lord!