LESSON 2 - THE HOLY SPIRIT AND SPIRITUAL GIFTS

INTRODUCTION: THIS WEEK WE CONTINUE OUR STUDY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. SO LETS GET INTO IT!

I. FIELD COMMANDER

A. WHEN YOU THINK OF "THE JOB" OR THE "ROLE" OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHAT COMES TO MIND? (IF SOMEONE SAYS, "COMFORTER," THIS COMES FROM JOHN 14:16 (KJV) (AND OTHER TEXTS IN JOHN)

1. JESUS SAYS THE CHURCH IS LIKE A BRIDE (REV 19:7), SO TELL ME HOW A HUSBAND IS A COMFORTER? (ONE OF THE ANSWERS THAT I AM LOOKING FOR IS "LEADER.")

B. READ ACTS 13:1-4.

1. WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THIS STORY? (CEO. HE IS CALLING THE SHOTS. CHOOSING WHO WILL GO AND WHERE THEY WILL GO.)

2. IS THE HOLY SPIRIT MORE THAN JUST AN AID TO CHRISTIAN LIVING, BIBLE STUDY AND WITNESSING? (SURE SEEMS SO. THAT IS THE POINT OF OUR LESSON. IT REFERS TO THE HOLY SPIRIT AS THE "CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER" AND THE "ADMINISTRATIVE ROLE" OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. I PREFER TO LOOK AT THE HOLY SPIRIT AS THE "FIELD COMMANDER.")

II. HOW WE GET THE HOLY SPIRIT

A. BEFORE WE LOOK AT OTHER ROLES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, LETS LOOK AT HOW WE OBTAIN HIS HELP.

B. READ ACTS 19:1-7. DO YOU SEE THREE STEPS FOR THESE PEOPLE FROM EPHESUS?

1. REPENTANCE;

2. BELIEF IN JESUS; AND,

3. THE HOLY SPIRIT COMING ON THEM.

C. IS IT JUST COINCIDENCE THAT THESE PEOPLE FROM EPHESUS WENT THROUGHT THESE THREE STEPS, OR DO YOU THINK THIS IS THE PATH THAT EACH ONE OF US TAKES?

1. IS THE LAST "ACHIEVEMENT" ALWAYS THE HOLY SPIRIT FILLING US?

D. WHAT WAS PAUL'S INITIAL QUESTION TO THESE "DISCIPLES" IN EPHESUS? (v.2: "DID YOU RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT WHEN YOU BELIEVED?")

1. WHY DO YOU THINK HE ASKED THAT FIRST?

2. WHY DID HE ASK WHETHER THEY RECEIVED THE HOLY SPIRIT WHEN "THEY BELIEVED?"

3. NOTICE HIS ASSUMPTION: IF THEY DID NOT RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT WHEN THEY BELIEVED THEY WERE NOT BAPTIZED IN THE NAME OF JESUS.(IE., "THEN WHAT BAPTISM DID YOU RECEIVE?")

E. LOOKING AT THIS LITTLE STORY, WHAT CONCLUSION DO YOU REACH? WHAT IS THE POINT?

1. WHAT IS THE LESSON HERE FROM THE BIBLE? (THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A NECESSARY ELEMENT OF BEING A DISCIPLE. THAT RECEIPT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS AN INDICATION THAT WE ARE BAPTIZED IN THE NAME OF JESUS. NOTE ACTS 1:4-5 WHERE JESUS SAID THAT JOHN BAPTIZED WITH WATER, BUT IN A FEW DAYS THE DISCIPLES WOULD BE BAPTIZED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.)

F. IS THE RECEIPT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT THE EQUIVALENT OF BEING BAPTIZED IN THE NAME OF JESUS? AND,

G. IS THE RECEIPT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AUTOMATIC UPON BEING BAPTIZED IN THE NAME OF THE JESUS? (NO TO BOTH QUESTIONS. NOTICE IN v.5 THEY WERE BAPTIZED AND IN v.6 THEY RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT AFTER PAUL PLACED HIS HANDS ON THEM.

1. WHEN I WAS ORDAINED AS A DEACON IN THE ALEXANDRIA CHURCH, THEY PLACED HANDS ON ME. I CANNOT RECALL IF THEY DID IT AGAIN WHEN I BECAME AN ELDER IN ALEXANDRIA.

a. BUT I KNOW THIS IS NOT COMMON IN OUR CHURCH. IT IS ONLY DONE FOR DEACONS AND ELDERS.

b. DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD DO THIS FOR EVERYONE? EVERY TIME SOMEONE IS BAPTIZED? III. ASKING FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT.

A. LETS TURN TO MATT. 7:7-11. READ. DO YOU THINK THESE "GIFTS" INCLUDE SPIRITUAL GIFTS?

1. DO YOU THINK JESUS IS PRIMARILY SPEAKING OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS?

2. DOES THIS MEAN THAT YOU DO NOT GET SOME THINGS SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU DO NOT ASK? (YES)

3. WHY? (ISN'T THIS THE SAME FOR YOUR CHILDREN? YOUR FRIENDS? FELLOW WORKERS? SOMETIMES YOU GIVE THINGS UNASKED. BUT FOR MOST THINGS, IF THEY DO NOT ASK YOU THINK (CORRECTLY) THAT THEY DO NOT CARE.)

B. IS THE HOLY SPIRIT ACTIVE TODAY IN THE SAME WAY HE WAS ACTIVE IN THE EARLY CHURCH?

1. WHY NOT?

C. IS IT POSSIBLE THAT WE DO NOT HAVE MORE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT BECAUSE WE DO NOT ASK?

D. WHAT ABOUT THIS LAYING ON OF HANDS? ARE WE MISSING SPIRITUAL GIFTS BECAUSE WE ARE NOT "LAYING HANDS" ON INDIVIDUALS AS IN ACTS 13:3 AND ACTS 19:6?

1. NOTICE THAT IN ACTS 13:3 THEY PLACED HANDS ON THESE MEN BEFORE THEY LEFT.

a. DO YOU THINK THAT HANDS HAD BEEN PLACED ON THEM BEFORE? (YES! v.1 INDICATES THAT THEY WERE PROPHETS OR TEACHERS, SO THEY SURELY HAD HANDS PLACED ON THEM BEFORE.)

b. MAYBE WE SHOULD "PLACE HANDS" ON PEOPLE BEFORE THEY EMBARK ON A NEW CHURCH TASK?

E. ARE WE BEING TOO SIMPLISTIC? THAT SOMETHING SIMPLE AND EXTERNAL, LIKE LAYING ON HANDS, CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE?

1. LETS READ A TEXT I HAVE SHARED WITH YOU SEVERAL TIMES IN RECENT WEEKS. ROMANS 8:5-9. DOES THIS GIVE US A MORE SERIOUS LOOK AT WHAT IT MEANS TO ASK THE SPIRIT FOR HIS GUIDANCE? (I THINK SO. BUT NOTE THAT THE MIND CONTROLLED BY THE SPIRIT WILL SEEK GOD'S WILL, AND THAT MEANS STUDYING THE BIBLE. IF, IN OUR STUDY OF THE BIBLE, WE SEE THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT CAME BASED ON THE LAYING ON OF HANDS, THEN IT SEEMS WE SHOULD DECIDE WHETHER THAT IS NECESSARY.)

F. SINCE WE HAVE FOUND THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE "FIELD COMMANDER" HERE, WE CERTAINLY WANT TO BE SURE THAT WE ARE NOT MISSING THE HELP OF THE COMMANDER! LETS LOOK AT OTHER WAYS IN WHICH THE HOLY SPIRIT CAN HELP US.

IV. OTHER GIFTS

A. READ JOHN 16:12-15

B. WHAT OTHER ROLE DOES THE HOLY SPIRIT PLAY? (HE TAKES UP WHERE JESUS LEFT OFF AND GUIDES US INTO MORE TRUTH.)

C. I JUST GOT THROUGH DESCRIBING THE HOLY SPIRIT AS A "FIELD COMMANDER." HOW DOES THIS TEXT SUGGEST THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT OPERATES IN RELATION TO JESUS?

D. IT LOOKS LIKE A DIRIVATIVE ROLE. JESUS TAKES FROM THE FATHER AND THE HOLY SPIRIT TAKES FROM JESUS. FATHER->JESUS->HOLY SPIRIT. WHAT IS IT THAT JESUS AND THE HOLY SPIRIT ARE TAKING? (I BELIEVE A REVELATION OF THE FATHER.)

1. JOHN 14:9-10. READ. JESUS SAYS THAT IF YOU HAVE SEEN ME YOU HAVE SEEN THE FATHER. HE THEN ASSURES THE DISCIPLES THAT HE SPEAKS WHAT HIS FATHER GIVES HIM, WHICH IS EXACTLY THE SAME ASSURANCE THAT IS GIVEN HERE REGARDING THE HOLY SPIRIT.

E. READ 1 COR. 12:8-11. WHO IS THE "HE" IN "HE GIVES THEM TO EACH ONE, JUST AS HE DETERMINES?" (HOLY SPIRIT)

1. WHAT ROLE DOES THIS TELL US THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT FILLS? (THAT HE ALSO ASSIGNS THE SPRIRITUAL GIFTS. "FIELD COMMANDER" AGAIN!)

V. NEXT WEEK: SPRITUAL GIFTS AND THE CHURCH. STUDY!