The Holy Spirit

Before Jesus ascended into heaven he promise his disciples that he would send a comforter, who would live in them, abide with them and lead them into all truth. The HolySpirit is that comforter, he is your iOS update with eternal bug fixes and operating systems that we could never comprehend. In an increasingly lonely world, he serves as an anchor and a friend, a help and a peace. Delve in, don’t hold back, meet your divine bestie.

Transcript

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Welcome to Remur Bible Study. This is Bishop Williams, and we're looking forward to a great time today. We are going to delve in the Word, and our topic today is the Spirit, what we commonly call the Holy Spirit. And so we're going to be looking at what it means to talk about spiritual worship. And everyone needs to understand that and to really, really get in into what it really means to have the Holy Spirit and to worship God in spirit and in truth. So as we get together, if you got your Bible, then that would be great. Please get all of it so that you can follow and you can be assured that what is being said is biblical. So today we are going to the book of Acts, chapter 1 and verse 8, and Acts chapter 2, verse 1 to 10. That is where we will be taking our teaching from today. So we want everyone to feel comfortable and again reassured that the Holy Spirit is present and we are looking with great anticipation with what the Lord will do. Now, here the Bible talked to us about God, it talks to us about Jesus, and it talked to us about the Holy Spirit. To a lot of people, there is an element of confusion as regarded to who is God, who is Jesus, and who is the Holy Spirit. Now there are those who believe that there are three gods and that hanging out together. And there are those who believe that they are one God, that, of course, in his operation towards humanity, revealed himself in different ways. Number one is that he's the creator of everything, therefore, that makes him father. And because of sin, therefore, he needed someone who was outside the gene pool of humanity to come in and to redeem us or to save us. And so Jesus became that one. Now we are told that it was God who manifested in flesh. And finally we come to the Holy Spirit. Of course, the Bible already told us that God is a spirit, and they that worship him must do so in spirit and in truth. Okay, so when Jesus was on the earth, he promised us that because he is in the physical realm, as it were, namely as a man, while he was at the same time God, he also assured us that when he accomplished the work of salvation, he is going to leave us. However, we should not become unhappy because he is going to send us the Holy Spirit with God. Now that's what we want to talk a little bit about. Now, the Holy Spirit is the divine presence of God. The Holy Spirit dwells in the believer, and what it does is that it makes it possible for every person to experience the spirit of the living God in this world, if one so desire. Now we also must ask ourselves what is the purpose of the Holy Spirit coming into the world? There are a number of factors that is important to us. One of those is that the Holy Spirit is a guiding force in the world. So it comes to guide us, and of course, that means into all truth. Now it also tells us that he is an empowering force, which empowers the believers to uh connect with God, to overcome various issues in their lives, and so be what God intended for them to be. Okay, so another aspect of the Holy Spirit is that he is the comforter. The Bible not only called him the comforter, but also call him the uh counselor. So here again we see two things: a comforter and a counselor. So the Holy Spirit provides comfort to every person that seek the Holy Spirit presence in their lives. The Holy Spirit also, of course, impart to us wisdom, comforter, a guide, and also wisdom. And this helps us in our spiritual journey. So that is why you hear so much about the Holy Spirit, and every individual is entitled to the Holy Spirit, irrespective of race, creed, or color. The Bible tells us in Joel 2, 28 that in the last days the God will pour out of his spirit upon all flesh. Yes, you included, all flesh. And the Bible let us know that there are some great phenomena that is going to take place when the Holy Spirit comes into us. So not only is he providing comfort, not only is he providing a guidance and wisdom, of course, as Christians, we need help in our spiritual journey. Okay, so the Holy Spirit, of course, continue to broaden his impact on humanity. The next one down is that he is a convictor of sin. Now, of course, um somebody may be in doubt as regarding what sin is. And is not only applied to spiritual situations, but sin can be committed in more ways than one. You can commit sin against the climate, and of course, we pay the consequences for it. When we cut the trees down, release the stuff into the atmosphere, and all of these things, of course, we sin against even nature itself. So when it comes to the spiritual things, the commandments of God that is given to us, of course, form the basis of our life guiding principles. And when we choose by our own violation to not adhere to it, of course, we sin. The Holy Spirit is there to convict us of that sin. Now, oftentimes, a person may do something and don't properly aware that they have sinned against God. And this the Holy Spirit comes in, and the Holy Spirit will speak to your conscience, because of course the conscience we believe is the medium through which the Holy Spirit, one of the mediums through which the Holy Spirit speaks to us. Now we are clear in our mind that when he speaks, man, we begin to feel it in our spirit and our soul that something is wrong. And what it does, it leads us to repentance. You know, so the moment you feel that conviction, then it leads to uh repentance. And this is very uh simple to appreciate and understand. If you do something against someone, you know within yourself if you did it intentionally or you uh did it uh unintentionally, and so your conscience, as it were, how should I say, your human spirit will speak to you regarding what you've done, and it brings conviction if you are that morally sound person. So the Holy Spirit does the same thing to us, it brings it leads us towards repentance and to have a better relationship with God. Now, so far, we not only understand the divine presence of God, which the Holy Spirit brings to us, we understand the fact that He is a comforter and counselor, we understand that He brings conviction of sin. Now, the fourth one is He is a giver of gifts. Now, everyone at different points in your life receives gifts, and we know how much value we put on someone's kindness to give us gifts. So the Holy Spirit from God comes and it empowers us and it it gives us gifts that works in conjunction with God's plan for our life and the purpose to which He has called us. So the so as the Holy Spirit gives us gifts, we see that these gifts are spiritual, and that is we have wisdom. Now, everyone needs that at some point in your life. You need to have the wisdom of God. It also gives us understanding with God, and it also helps us with issues when we need healing, whether in spirit, in mind, in body, or even in our environment. Because, of course, from time to time we all experience this and we need it. So we call on the Holy Spirit through prayer to help us to deal with any issues we find ourselves in. Regarding wisdom, the Bible tells us in the book of James if anyone lacks wisdom, then let them act of God who gives to everyone liberally. So that's important. And of course, understanding when you know the word of God and the Holy Spirit is using the word to impart knowledge to you, you're going to be a better person. And with the wisdom, you will be able to appropriate um knowledge as it were. And now we go on to healing, and this is important. So the Bible gives us different kinds of gifts, comes through the Holy Spirit. In the book of Corinthians, chapter 12, it tells us about the nine gifts of the of this of the spirit, and it also the Holy Spirit comes with nine fruits of the spirit, and these two are compatible one to each other. One deals with our nature, with who we are as people, and bring us into a godly state where our relationship with God reflects the nature of God in us, and that is why we have the nine fruits of the Spirit. Now, these are important. In fact, while we appreciate the gifts and it brings um almost immediate um solution to our problem, but what really, really is important and what is the core work of the Holy Spirit is to bring us into a right relationship with God, because that is what he's looking for. God is holy, and if you're going to dwell in his presence, worship him, then you must also be partaker of that holiness that the Holy Spirit is bringing to us. So really it's important to have that. And the Holy Spirit does an excellent job in empowering the believers to serve in ministry. So every one of us are called by God for divine purpose, and they are those who have the special responsibility to serve in the ministry. And the Holy Spirit empowers them to serve as God would have them to serve. Now we have seen how God, or Jesus Christ rather, we chose those disciples during the time when he was walking upon the earth, and he empowered them through the word, and the Holy Spirit dwell with them, dwell in them, and they were able to demonstrate the fact that God was with them through the Holy Spirit, and their ministry was impacting. We see that even the sick were healed through the power of the Holy Spirit. We see blind eyes open, we see the dead raised, we see so many different things happen purely because of the Holy Spirit. And it's important, and God encourages us to receive this Holy Ghost. Now, the Bible tells us in the book of Acts, chapter one, that just before Jesus ascend to heaven, um, he told his disciple, Tarry or wait in Jerusalem until you be endued with power from on high. Now, these um disciples, they went and they waited. And after ten days of waiting, the Holy Spirit descended from heaven, as it were, like a mighty rushing wind. That is how the Bible described it, like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the location, the temple, the temple, fill the room that they were in. And the Bible tells us that this wonderful phenomena began to take place. What was happening? The Bible said that they beg they all begin to speak in unknown tongues. This is one of the great phenomena of the Holy Spirit. It empowers you to show you that He is now dwelling in you. It enables you to speak languages that is only God who can understand it. And furthermore, um, there are those who he has given the gift of interpretation to enable them to understand what the Holy Spirit is saying. So the indwelling Holy Spirit is really a must. Everyone should seek to have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you. Why is this important? Because of its cultivation to the moral order of God. It is also cultivate the spiritual relationship that God is seeking with his children. It also transforms one's character into the character that God is pleased with, and of course, it brings you into a place of moral soundness. So the in the indwelling Holy Spirit is necessary and it's important. And so, whenever time you receive the Holy Spirit, it is important that you take care of it because you don't want for the Holy Spirit to leave you. The Holy Spirit is here to guide you, it's not hostile to you, it's not going to take anything away from you that is good. It is going to enhance every good thing about you and add to you even more things that make you become acceptable to God. This is what it does. So the indwelling Holy Spirit, amen, in the believer, and every believer in Christ should receive and have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. Now, Jesus Christ, amen, is our Lord and Savior, and we should seek to be like him. And the way to do so is to invite the Holy Spirit into our life. This is what is required. Now, as I said to you initially, that in Acts 1, verse 8, before his ascension, the value he puts on it, he told his disciples that they should tarry our weight in Jerusalem until they be endued with the Holy Spirit. Now there are those who may say that you don't need to have a dynamic uh expression of the Holy Spirit. Now you got to ask yourself, why did God say to his disciples that they should tarry? If it was something that just comes from the moment you accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, then why did he tell them to wait? Why did he say to them, wait until you be in due? So the Holy Spirit will come into your life at a specific time, a specific moment, and the experience that you would have will leave you in no doubt that the Holy Spirit is with you. Because one of the phenomena, if we look in the book of Acts, chapter 2, and it tells us from verse 1 that when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were with all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, like a mighty rushing wind, fill all the house where they were sitting, and there appeared unto them cloven tongues of fire, and it sat on each of them. So the Holy Spirit, amen, to these new believers, manifests himself in one, in sound, like a mighty wind, two tongues of fire, so nobody can doubt that the Holy Spirit present was there. So imagine you have fire on your head, but yet it is not consuming you. Amen. This is an incredible phenomenon. Then the next thing that took place was that they all begin to speak in languages that they have no prior knowledge to knowing. And this is one of the great phenomena of the Holy Spirit. So you can imagine when you receive the Holy Spirit, it bypasses your linguistic consciousness and it begins to speak through your vocal. Yes? So you can hear yourself speaking in tongues, but you have no natural knowledge of what you're saying, because the Bible again reassured us that when this is happening, we should not become uh paranoid about it. He said that the Holy Spirit is speaking not to men, but is speaking to God. And of course, if God wishes for men to understand our humanity to understand what is being said, he will endue them by the same Holy Spirit with the gift of interpretation. And this is what would happen. And the Bible says that when the Holy Spirit came on them at Pentecost, it was so overwhelming that they were like junketed men. In other words, can you imagine? Well, I think all of us have seen junky people, uh, men and women, uh, praise Jesus, especially when they go out into this city and decided to have their rave or their party, and they overdone it, drink until some of them falling down, others staggering from one place to the other, because they are under the influence of that alcoholic spirit. Now find them the next day and they are completely normal. They're back to themselves. But during the time of them being intoxicated with that alcohol, you see their action wasn't exactly theirs in reality. Something else making them do the things that they do. So when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, yes, we become infused with his spirit, and things begin to happen. Like Acts 2, the Bible said they were like drunken men. And um you can imagine, as I said, everyone knows the phenomena of the drunken of a drunken person. And but somebody were critical of it and said, These men are full of new wine. Someone said, Why do you say that? Their action, their behavior, they're speaking strange languages, they are moving, they are shaking, they are doing things that they you don't normally do. But one of the disciples stood up and said that is Peter and said, We are not junking, as you are thinking. Seeing that this time the pub and clubs are not open. So what is it then? He said, This is that which was spoken five hundred years before by the prophet Joel, that in the last days God would pour out of his spirit upon all flesh, sons and daughters will prophesy, dream dreams, etc. Now, this is what was happening. And um as it concludes that particular day, the word of God was preached, and so many accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. You can find that in the book of Acts, chapter 2, and verse from verse 1 through to the end. So having heard what God is now doing in the earth, over 3,000 people were now born again. And I think in my last uh lesson, um, you would remember I told you about the born again experience, where Jesus told um Nicodemus, he said, You must be born again, and he was a little bit perplexed. He was wondering why, and how can I return to my mother's womb and born, be born. So Jesus said, No, I am not talking about literal being born again, it's a spiritual concept that when you accept Jesus Christ in your heart as your Lord and Savior, and you repent of your sin, you acknowledge the love of God for you, and you then get baptized, and your relationship, your walk with God begins. So he's happy to come into your life. Why? To bring about transformation that helps you live a godly life and according to God's will. That is the purpose of the indwelling Holy Spirit, but it doesn't just stop there, the Holy Spirit goes on further to give us inspiration, and that is of scripture. You not only inspire us in so many aspects of our lives, sometimes you're going through a situation and you're not sure what to do or how to get out of it. But with the Holy Spirit in you, he will begin to guide you. As I said, many people are not cognizant of the voice of the Holy Spirit. You know, they will hear it, but they will relegate it to just, oh, it's just merely what I am thinking in my mind. No, you see, your conscience is the voice of your spirit. That's what it is. Just as how your tongue articulates, I mean what your mind is saying. That's what that's what um goes on. So that's what the Holy Spirit is doing. So it gives us inspiration, and it also gives us inspiration of the scripture. We are told through the word of God that the scripture that we have, the holy scripture, was given to us, are come to us by way of the Holy Spirit, inspiring godly men to write as the Holy Spirit instructed them to do. Praise God. And so we have the authors of the Bible and uh putting together the scriptures that has been divinely authoritative and relevant to all of us. So that is what the work, that's what the Holy Spirit is doing in the world today, and is ready to come into your life as soon as you acknowledge the love of God for you. Now, in the book of St. John, chapter 3 and verse 16, it tells us, for God so loved you that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. That is the beautiful thing about it. Now that word so, it is so is the smallest of the word in the Bible. Yes, only two letters, but it is so emphatic to the extent that it defies the very vocabulary of men, amen, because there's nothing within the human vocabulary that can truly express the depth of God's love for us. So therefore, that little word, it is a word of infinity, it is infite, infinite in its notion, because you cannot quantify or put any limitation to that word. And that is how it describes the love of God for you and I. And so no one, every love that I've ever experienced, and I'm sure the same thing applies to you. Every love that you ever have has got limitations to it. Some people can love you until you do something they don't like, and then I mean, of course, that love becomes something else. I never really believe that that is a love, that's love, anyhow, because true love doesn't just change because someone does something you don't like. In fact, the Bible uh values love, I mean, and the power that is within love to forgive, that it reminds us that love covers a multitude of sins. Uh, please call a multitude, not just one, not just ten, not just a hundred, not just a thousand. See, that word multitude is normally used when you cannot really quantify something, and that is the extent of God's love for you and I. Yes, and when you have that, so you imagine you've got God's love that is so infinite, and then you have the love of someone that is really genuine and sincere, then you are truly a child of favor. So as we look at how the Holy Spirit inspires us in more ways than one, and we we go to the next one, and that is sanctification. Now, the Holy Spirit, amen, brings us or brings the believer, amen, to this wonderful state, and it lets us know that this is designed to bring us into a state of life or a condition of life that makes us acceptable to God. Yes, that is what it does. So when you accept Jesus, and when you acknowledge a man is death, burial, and resurrection, and when you accept that love of God towards you, then you are truly engaging in what the Holy Spirit has brought to us, holiness, and help us to develop Christ-like character. That's what it does, so that we can better serve Him. We can better be a greater reflect, our reflection of God's goodness. So, brothers and sisters, wherever you are, it's important for you to understand and appreciate how much God loves you. So when he tells us that we are to worship him in spirit and in truth, you see, it really helps us to understand how much value that he puts on interactiveness between you and the Holy Spirit. See, that is what you're looking at. Now, in St. John chapter 4 and verse 23, we see that happening. Worship God in spirit and in truth. Now we have just defined what the spirit is. Yes, we understand the various principles that governs the Holy Spirit. Now we are told that we must worship God not only in spirit but in truth. So you may be asking yourself the question, what is truth? Now don't worry, the Bible has given us some example of what is truth. The word of God tells us, amen, that the word is truth. Amen. Now, in another scripture, St. John 6 and verse uh 6 to 3, it tells us that the word is spirit and it is life. These are the three things it tells us. So when we consider truth, the truth is the word of God. Yes, that is what truth is. So the Holy Spirit works in conjunction with truth, which is the word of God. The word is truth. Praise God. And when you look at Ephesians chapter 6 and from verse 10, he said, Finally, my brethren, say be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. He said, For we wrestled not against flesh or blood, but against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places. That is what your fight is against. So forget about your brother, forget about your sister, forget about your neighbor and all of those who you think is against you. You are missing the point. You are too uniquely made for frivolous things to take up so much of your time. You are in a warfare, you're in a battle that is far beyond this physical existence around you. You're in a spiritual warfare. And unless you understand the dynamics of that warfare, that on your side you have the Holy Spirit and you have truth working for you. Amen. That makes you more than conqueror. It makes you the head and not the tail. It makes you above and not beneath. It makes you bless when you go out and when you come in. It puts you into a position of infallibility because you are undergirded by the two most powerful things in and around our lives today. And that is the Holy Spirit and the Word. Let us have a bit more in-depth understanding of what the Word entails. Now, the Bible tells us that we must remember the uh the forces that we are working, that are working against us. So when you look at your life and you see things happening in your life, don't get depressed. Don't decide that, okay, you know what, I'm gonna have a pity party because I don't know why me. Amen. You know, if you can understand who you are, you would never think like that. You would never say, why me? In fact, you'd say, why not me? Because if you are representing Jesus Christ on this earth, then the question would be, why not me? Because why? When you can stand and defend, when you can stand up in the face of adversity, when you can stand up, when everything seems like it's all falling down, but you can stand and declare that you are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ who loved you and gave his life for you. So I am here today to let you know and to let you understand how valuable your relationship with God is and how important it is to acknowledge the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. And this is what he says that put on, this is in Ephesians chapter six, he tells us that we should put on the complete armor of God. Why? That you will be able to withstand all the trickeries of the devil. That is what he put on. And what are the armor of God? The armor of God is the word of truth, that's what it is. So whatever you put on, make sure it is in line with the word of God. If you put your shoes on, the Bible said it must be for preparation to preach and teach the gospel. Amen. If you put on the girdle, uh the belt around your waist, it must be to strengthen your resolve to declare who Jesus is. If you put on the helmet of salvation, it must be for the purpose of declaring and making known to those around you that Jesus Christ has provided salvation for every person. And the Bible tells us about the shield of faith, it tells us about the breastplate of righteousness. See all of this combined together to make the word of God so powerful, and you need to know that it's all to do with the word of truth. Yes, yes, your feet shut with the preparation of the gospel. Without the word of God, there is no gospel. So you need to know that. The word of God tells you about the gospel, about what Jesus has done, about what God's plan is. So it tells you need the word. Having your loin gird about with truth, truth again is the word of God. Thy word, O God, is truth. And then it tells us that the element of salvation, that is it. Jesus spoke to Zacchaeus and said, Come down from that tree, because today salvation comes to your house. That was Jesus, Avan himself. So you need to know the word of God. And then it tells us about the helmet of salvation. It tells us about the shield of faith, which is the word of God. Me and it continues. So, brothers and sisters, wherever you are, I want you to understand that that Holy Spirit that was first poured out on the day of Pentecost, in line with God's promise to the prophet Joel, that when we are coming to the close of human government, this is going to happen so that we can meet our Savior, holy, upright, righteous. That is what he wants. And we will be accounted worthy to enter into the kingdom of God and to there be with him forever. Yes? So it is essential that you allow Jesus Christ of Nazareth to come into your life and to transform your life and make it what it should be. Brothers and sisters, thank you so much for listening. And at this time, I'm about to pray with you so that the Lord will come into your heart. And whatever you're going through, the Holy Spirit will be present to bring you through, bring you deliverance, bring you peace of mind, give you hope, inspire you to be the best that you can be. Bow your head with me right now in honor and in humility before God. Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus, we bless you, we thank you, and we truly appreciate you, Lord God, for giving us something that would abide with us even when we cannot see our Lord Jesus Christ. But we know that He brings the presence and the reality of Jesus into our life and in the lives of everyone who will accept him as Lord and Savior. Today I pray for those who are sick, for those who are afflicted, I pray that the word today that they have heard will bring deliverance, will bring proof that the Holy Spirit is alive and well. Father, in Jesus' name, let the Holy Spirit touch the lives of your people everywhere and bring them into a good place. Father, we appreciate you. Thank you for everyone that has been online and the TikTok and the YouTube. We are grateful. And Father, we appreciate you so much. We ask these mercies now in Jesus' name. Amen.