ziggy88 Loc: quincy illinois 62301

HOW CAN I EXPERIENCE THE FULLNESS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT?
Researched by Pastor Gary Boyd

A short answer is: Focus on Jesus, by praying, by reading your Bible every day and by trying to be obedient to Him and not to give in to temptation!

But for the longer answer let’s begin with the opposite: When will we get less of the Spirit? The apostle Paul speaks of ‘quenching the Spirit’ (1 Thessalonians 5:19), but how do we do that?

To understand this we need to know that the Bible (and especially Paul) makes a very clear distinction between ‘the flesh’ and ‘the Spirit’. With ‘the flesh’ he means a person without the Holy Spirit (so not only his body, but also his spirit is part of ‘the flesh’). But Paul uses the term ‘the Spirit’ to refer to a person who has received the Holy Spirit.

Now there is ‘but’. When we receive ‘the Spirit’ ‘the flesh’ is not totally gone. It will still lure us to do its will.

So Paul says in Galatians 5:16: ‘So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh’. A bit further Paul explains very clearly what are the characteristics of ‘the flesh’ and what are the characteristics of ‘the Spirit’ (Verses 19-23):
‘The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law’.

So when do we ‘quench the Spirit’ or ‘grieve the Spirit’ (Ephesians 4:30)? When we start giving in to the luring of the flesh and shut our ears and eyes to what the Holy Spirit tells us through the Bible.
But how are we filled with the Spirit? In Ephesians 5:18-20 Paul says:
‘Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ’.

Being filled with the Spirit clearly has to do with focusing on the Lord in many ways: Singing, praying, reading and studying his Word! This way we use all the means God has given us to be filled with the Spirit. Paul says somewhere: ‘Now the Lord (Jesus) is the Spirit’ (2 Corinthians 3:17). This does not mean we cannot distinguish between the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit, but it does mean that there is a very tight bond between Jesus and the Holy Spirit: Where we focus on Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Lord, there the Spirit is at work, filling us with Himself.

Hebrews 12:1,2 says "Therefore since we are surrounded by such great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sins that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance, the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning it's shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

The Holy Spirit is referred to as the Lord and Giver of Life in the Nicene creed. He is The Creator Spirit, present before the creation of the universe and through his power everything was made in Jesus Christ, by God the Father.

Question: "Who is the Holy Spirit?"
Answer: There are many misconceptions about the identity of the Holy Spirit. Some view the Holy Spirit as a mystical force. Others understand the Holy Spirit as the impersonal power that God makes available to followers of Christ. What does the Bible say about the identity of the Holy Spirit? Simply put, the Bible declares that the Holy Spirit is God. The Bible also tells us that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, a being with a mind, emotions, and a will.

The fact that the Holy Spirit is God is clearly seen in many Scriptures, including Acts 5:3-4. In this verse Peter confronts Ananias as to why he lied to the Holy Spirit and tells him that he had “not lied to men but to God.” It is a clear declaration that lying to the Holy Spirit is lying to God. We can also know that the Holy Spirit is God because He possesses the characteristics of God. For example, His omnipresence is seen in Psalm 139:7-8, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.” Then in 1 Corinthians 2:10-11, we see the characteristic of omniscience in the Holy Spirit. “But God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”

We can know that the Holy Spirit is indeed a divine person because He possesses a mind, emotions, and a will. The Holy Spirit thinks and knows (1 Corinthians 2:10). The Holy Spirit can be grieved (Ephesians 4:30). The Spirit intercedes for us (Romans 8:26-27). He makes decisions according to His will (1 Corinthians 12:7-11). The Holy Spirit is God, the third Person of the Trinity. As God, the Holy Spirit can truly function as the Comforter and Counselor that Jesus promised He would be (John 14:16, 26, 15:26).


So stay focused on Jesus!

fuzzybill

This picture is not jesus. If you want to find out if their is a heaven and a holy spirit, strap 2 sticks of dynamite to the sides of your head and lite it. Then you can ask the holy spirit in person. But stay focused.

EL Loc: Massachusetts

No you can't ask the Holy Spirit in person if you do that. It's suicide.

EL Loc: Massachusetts

Staying focused on Jesus, knowing that the picture above only represents what we believe Jesus looks like. We can't really know what He looks like until we die. I'm sure we can't even come close in our imaginations.