The Amazing Ministry Of The Holy Spirit: Romans 8:1-17
“9) However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 10) And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11) But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans 8:9-11
As we focus on the walk in the Spirit as emphasized by Paul in Romans 8:1-17, I want to step back and take a broad look at the ministry of the Holy Spirit from the whole Bible. The following is an A-Z overview of the ministry of the Holy Spirit available to every born again believer and every local church in which Jesus has ownership.
SO WHO IS HE?
A. He is the author of Scripture. II Peter 1:20-21, II Timothy 3:16-17
B. He is the promise of the Father. Acts 1:2-5, Acts 2:33, 38-39
C. He is the gift Jesus offers. Acts 2:38-39, John 14:16
D. He is the power of the witnesses. Acts 1:8; 4:30-31
E. He is the conviction of the sinner. John 16:8-11
F. He is the seal of saved. Ephesians 1:13-14
G. He is the regenerator of the believer. Titus 3:5-7
DO YOU WANT TO HEAR MORE?
H. He is the One who indwells every true believers. I Corinthians 3:16; 6:19-20
I. He is the distributer of the gifts. I Corinthians 12:4-7; 11
J. He is the abiding anointing that teaches. I John 2:20, 27; John 16:13
K. He is the source of the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23
L. He is our basis for unity. Ephesians 4:3-4
M. He is our access to the Father. Ephesians 2:18
N. He is the guide to the church leaders. Acts 13:1-4
WELL, HAVE YOU EMBRACED HIM?
O. The stiff-necked can resist Him. Acts 7:51
P. The sinful believer can grieve Him. Ephesians 4:30-31
Q. The insensitive Christian can quench Him. I Thessalonians 5:19
SO DO YOU REALLY NEED HIM?
R. He is the “Daddy Cry” of the adopted. Galatians 4:6, Romans 8:15
S. He is the means of true worship. John 4:23-24
T. He is the inspiration of the singer. 1 Corinthians 14:15, Eph 5:18-21
U. He is the unction of the intercessor. Ephesians 6:18-20
V. He is the overflow of God’s love. Romans 5:5
W. He is the possession of true believers. Romans 8:5-11
SO, CAN YOU LIVE WITHOUT HIM?
X. He is our helper when we are weak. Romans 8:26a, John 16:7
Y. He is our intercessor when we are discouraged. Romans 8:26
Z. He is our assurance when we have doubts Romans 8:16, and He is our inner strength and power when we are empty. Ephesians 3:16
CONCLUSION: Oh, what can I say – even though the alphabet is over we have just scratched the surface. Let’s indulge a bit more: He is the member of the God head that perfected creation (Genesis 1:2), He came upon key Old Testament saints (Psalms 51:10-11), He filled many key figures in the narrative story (Luke 1:41, 2:25-26) He overshadowed Mary at the conception of Jesus to make the incarnation possible (Luke 1:35), and He descended as a dove upon Jesus at His baptism (Matthew 3:16-17). He is also the One currently at work building and fitting together all the believers into a Holy and awesome dwelling for God in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:19-22).
The important question is not “how much of the Holy Spirit do you have, but rather how much of you does the Holy Spirit have?” There is only one baptism of the Holy Spirit placing believers into the body of Christ (I Corinthians 12:13), but many fillings of the Holy Spirit empowering us for life and service (Ephesians 5:18).
The question is not are you a fundamentalist, evangelical, charismatic or Pentecostal; the question is: “Are you born again through faith in Jesus Christ and walking in the filling and power of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:8, Galatians 5:16-24)
Resist the temptation to change your understanding of the Holy Spirit to match your experience, background or theology; instead invite the Holy Spirit to change you to match your calling in Christ Jesus as defined in God’s Word. (Romans 8:1-39; Titus 3:4-7) Friends, this is as simple as I can make it, but it will take you a lifetime to understand and apply it. Just don’t let anything or anyone hinder your sincere effort to walk in the Spirit toward fruitful maturity in Christ!
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
