“The Holy Spirit—Alive And Active”

Sunday, November 27, 2016

I was recently asked, “Is it true that the Holy Spirit only works thru the written word today?” Simply and confidently, my answer is, “No.” He is, in fact, active in the lives of believers every day.

First, he is active through the written word. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17). The word of Christ was clearly and completely revealed through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. His work in revealing the Scriptures brings about faith in those whose minds & hearts are open to the word.

Second, he is active in our lives in a transformative way. This idea should sound familiar to any who are familiar with the hymn that asks God to “be with me, Lord. [For] I cannot live without Thee.” If the Holy Spirit is God [and the Scriptures teach that he is (Matt. 28:19, Eph. 4:4-6)], then believers should understand that God—in his entire personality—is living in us every day. Various passages make specific mention of all three personalities of the Godhead dwelling within the hearts of believers (2 Cor. 6:16, Col. 1:27, 1 Cor. 3:16). And we must believe this to be true, because only when our hearts are filled with the Spirit of God will we bear the proper fruit that comes from a life led by the will and word of God (see Gal. 5:16-25).

Thirdly, he is active in our prayer lives. In Romans 8:26-27, the word says, “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. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

Indeed, God the Father, the Son, and the Spirit is with his people. And as a result, we have a great deal for which to be thankful! Our God is with us!

- Dan Lankford

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