The Holy Spirit is a hot topic in the church world. He is not believed by some and misunderstood by others. Over the next four weeks, I hope that we all will be able to learn more about who He is and how He wants to be a HUGE part of our lives.

•     The Holy Spirit in the World:

•     He testifies of Christ

•     John 15:26 ““But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.”

•     He will testify to the world, convicting them even while they are hating Christ

•     He empowers to preach

•     1 Peter 1:12 “It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.”

•     We are to preach not mans thoughts, but we are to preach the thoughts and the good news of God, the good news of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ.

•     He affords communion with God

•     2 Corinthians 13:14 “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

•     This is one of the most used blessings in the Bible. This blessing includes three parts:

•     The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ

•     The Love of God

•     The Communion of the Holy Spirit - Paul wished for you and I to experience the presence and power of God’s Spirit as we walk in fellowship with the Father and the Son and with other believers

•     He convicts

•     John 16:8–11 “And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”

•     Through the power of the Holy Spirit, He convicts or pricks our heart until we sense and know we are guilty of sin. 

•     He regenerates

•     John 3:5 “Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

•     He sanctifies

•     2 Thessalonians 2:13 “But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.”

•     The Holy Spirit as Our Teacher:

•     He guides us into truth

•     John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

•     He reveals the things of God to us

•     John 16:14 “He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

•     The Holy Spirit declares only who Christ is, only what Christ has done, and only what Christ has said.

•     He gives us holy freedom through divine guidance

•     Galatians 5:18 “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

•     He assists us in prayer

•     Jude 20 “But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,”

•     To pray in the Spirit means ...

•     that we pray under His guidance and influence,

•     that we pray under His energy and power,

•     that we seek and ask His help as we approach the throne of grace,

•     that we focus our minds and concentrate upon the Holy Spirit to help us as we pray

•     that we ask and depend upon the Holy Spirit to cleanse our requests and make sure we stay in God’s will,

•     that we walk in the Spirit day by day and offer unbroken prayer to God,

•     that we set time aside every day and wrestle in prayer before God for our needs.

•     The Spirit, Our Comforter:

•     The Spirit comforts the soul

•     Acts 9:31 “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.”

•     The church at peace; the church strengthened; the church walking and living for the Lord

•     He helps our weaknesses and infirmities

•     Romans 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”

•     He gives us hope

•     Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

•     God is our God of hope; God is the Author of our hope; God is the Foundation of our hope; God is the Builder of our hope; God is the Finisher of our hope.

•     He comes as an abiding, comforting Presence

•     John 14:16–17 “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

•     He gives faith and divine fruitfulness

•     Acts 11:24 “for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.”