THE HOLY SPIRIT
The
churches of Christ Greet You (Romans
Let
us pray…
Holy Father, as always we humble ourselves
before
your name.
We give you the honor and glory as our
Creator,
Lord, and Friend.
We thank you for this another opportunity to
speak
to you
and to proclaim the truth of your word.
We’re thankful that you hear our prayers as
your children,
as we pray in accordance with your will.
And because you hear, we know
you have given us the things for which we ask
We cry out to you for wisdom.
We cry out to you for a deeper faith.
Dear Father, bless those who hear these words
about your Holy Spirit
with an understanding heart.
Help them to apply these things to their
lives,
and give them the courage to teach these
things
to their children, grandchildren, and
throughout
the entire world.
We thank you for Jesus,
the one who has the keys to death and Hades.
We pray this prayer by His authority…
in His glorious saving Name.
Let us all say: AMEN!
Friends, all through the Bible we have warnings
galore against false teachers and false teachings. Yet, in the face of
it all, thousands
are accepting these false doctrines merely because they sound good and
they
therefore like them. But all of us should keep in our minds that we are
not
to accept religious things merely because we like them, but because
they
have been divinely authorized. We must also keep in mind that all
authority
both in heaven and earth has been given to Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:18;
Eph.
The apostle Peter
directs
us in the proper direction when he wrote, “If someone speaks, he should
use
God’s sayings…” (1 Peter 4:11). We therefore maintain that when there
is
a matter over which we differ, we should turn to the divine guidebook
for
the correct answer and not to what we think or what some man says
(tradition).
The ultimate authority in all things spiritual is the Bible, not man.
Again, the Holy
Spirit
said through the apostle Peter, “There will be false teachers among you
just
as there were false prophets among the people of
Speaking through the prophet Jeremiah, God said: "I have not sent these
prophets,
yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. But if
they
had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words,
then they
should have turned them away from their evil way, and from the evil of
their
doings. Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord and not a God afar off? Can
any
hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord. I have heard what the prophets
said,
that prophesied lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have
dreamed.
How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies?
Yea,
they are prophets of deceit of their own heart; Which think to cause my
people
to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his
neighbor,
as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal. The prophet that hath
a
dream, let him tell a dream, and he that hath my word, let him speak my
word
faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith
the Lord. Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a
hammer
that breaketh the rock in pieces?
Therefore behold,
I am against the prophets, saith the Lord that steal my word every one
from
his neighbor. Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that
use
their tongues and say, He saith. Behold, I am against them that
prophesy
false dreams, saith the Lord, and do tell them and cause my people to
err
by their lies and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor
commanded
them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the
Lord"
(Jeremiah 23:21-32).
How Does the Holy Spirit Lead?
There is much division over the Holy Spirit and HOW He leads. Men - in their opinions, doctrines, and traditions – believe the Spirit leads by dreams, visions, or direct communication (speaking directly to them); and thus, the WORLD is filled with false teaching on this subject. Additionally, some of the major problems in the BROTHERHOOD also stem from the acceptance of false teachings concerning the Holy Spirit.
Inspiration affirms
that
the Holy Spirit leads Christians. Writing to the church meeting in
Rome,
Paul said: “All people who are being LED by God’s Spirit are sons of
God.
God did not give you a spirit to make you slaves, to be afraid again.
Instead,
you received the Spirit who makes you sons. Through the Spirit, we cry
out,
‘Father, dear Father!’ This same Spirit agrees with our spirits, that
we
are God’s children” (Romans 8:14-16). From this passage we learn that
the
question is not, nor has it ever been, “Does the Holy Spirit lead”? The
essential
(real) question is “HOW does the Holy Spirit lead or guide today”?
With the Lord’s
help,
we will endeavor to put to silence all man-made teachings concerning
the
Holy Spirit and His work. In the process, the truth of the Holy Spirit
will
shine through brightly. It’s our hope and prayer that all believers in
Christ
will learn to speak the same thing concerning this subject, and thereby
glorify
and truthfully serve God together through our unity.
Holy Spirit Baptism |
| Gift of the
Holy Spirit |
| The Household
of Cornelius |
| Work of the Holy Spirit Through the Word |