Weekly Reflection: 4/25/23

“Fellowship With the Holy Spirit” Gospel Reflection to go along with the message on 4/23/23

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

• koinōnia = fellowship, participation, partnership, sharing a common life.

• Sharing a common life.

• Devoting ourselves to a relationship.

• There’s a sense of partnership, this word is even used to refer to a business partnership.

• This brings in the idea of a relationship that is in action.

• A partnership formed in order to obtain an objective.

• Communion carries the idea of communicating intimately, sharing on a very personal level.

• Scripture does not permit us merely to affirm the existence of the Holy Spirit. 

• Scripture calls us to grow in our relationship with him and our experience of his presence and work.

Scripture is Our Final Authority

• Only when we uphold the authority of Scripture can we grow in our experience and pursuit of the Holy Spirit. 

• The Holy Spirit speaks to us primarily through Scripture, and never in contradiction of Scripture. 

• And we grow in our relationship with the Spirit by understanding, treasuring, and obeying the Scriptures.

Importance of the Holy Spirit

• No Spirit, no resurrection (Romans 8:11). No Spirit, no new birth (John 3:5). No Spirit, no confession of the lordship of Jesus (1 Corinthians 12:3). No Spirit, no victory over sin (Romans 8:13). No Spirit, no progress in sanctification (2 Thessalonians 2:13). No Spirit, no spiritual wisdom (Ephesians 1:17). No Spirit, no spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:7). No Spirit, no power to witness (Acts 1:8).

What is a spirit?

• A.W. Tozer 

o “Spirit is a specific identifiable substance. Spirit is as real as matter, but it is another mode of being than matter.”

o “Matter is one mode of being; spirit is another mode of being, as authentic as matter.”

o “Matter bumps against matter and it stops. Spirit can penetrate anything.”

o “Spirit can penetrate your body, your body is matter and yet your spirit has penetrated your body completely.”

o “The Holy Spirit is not matter like us, the Holy Spirit is spirit, He does not have weight, or measure, or size, or color, but nevertheless He exists as surely as you exist.”

The Holy Spirit is a Person

• The Scriptures attribute to the Holy Spirit characteristics that only a person can truly possess. 

• He is portrayed as a thinking being, a being who has a mind, an emotional being, a choosing being, and a speaking being.

• The Holy Spirit Is a Thinking Being

• “these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:10-11 ESV

• The Holy Spirit Is an Emotional Being

• The Holy Spirit not only thinks like a person. He has feelings like a person. We can give the following examples.

• “I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf,” Romans 15:30 ESV

• He also can be affected by the acts of others. He can be grieved. Isaiah the prophet wrote.

• “But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them.” Isaiah 63:10 ESV

• The Holy Spirit Has the Ability to Choose

• After listing the various gifts of the Spirit such as wisdom, knowledge, miracles, and prophecy, Paul links them to the Holy Spirit who gave them. 

• “All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.” 1 Corinthians 12:11 ESV

• The Holy Spirit Is Able to Speak

• The Bible records the Holy Spirit speaking. The Book of Acts records the following.

• “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”” Acts 13:2 ESV

The Holy Spirit is God

• “But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.”” Acts 5:3-4 ESV

• Peter reveals that the Holy Spirit is God. Lying to the Holy Spirit is lying to God.

· Now, the Trinity is a fairly difficult doctrine, I realize.

· The doctrine essentially is this: There is One God who has existed eternally in 3 persons.

Convergent Space

• “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV

• Convergent space is those places where heaven and earth collide, and you get this place where both heaven and earth are present in a very unique and powerful way.

• This passage says as believers we are convergent space, we are the place where heaven and earth collide.

Please see link below for the printable version: