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by Jerry Hamilton
The Who, What, When, Where and Why of the Holy Spirit
Introduction
There are certain observations that prompt this study. They are not in every case scientific but empirical research and observation show them to be valid.
The Needs In The Body of Christ Are Not Being Met
The physical, emotional and spiritual health of members of our churches is worse today then at anytime in the last century. The divorce rate within the Christian community, by recent studies, is on a par with the secular world; quickly approaching fifty percent. At no time since the rebirth of Pentecost in the early years of this century have more sick believers suffered physical maladies with fewer of them being healed through the ministry of the church. Addictions of all kinds thrive unchecked in our churches. It is a common observations that many in each church are emotional "basket cases".
The sad fact is that in the majority of churches people leave a service in the same state they came in, or worse. It does not take a scientific study to substantiate the above diagnoses. Simple observation shows these situations to be common.
The primary purpose of the local church is the edifying or building up of the believer, equipping that believer for ministry. The church is responsible for the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health of each member. It is tragically apparent that this responsibility is not being met, either by the clergy or by the members ministering to one another.
Perhaps the prime cause of the ill-health of our churches
is the lack of liberty allowed for the ministry of the Holy Spirit. This
is not only related to the manifestation of the spiritual "gifts" (e.g.
tongues, prophecy, etc.) but to His total work in the church.
This work includes, but is not limited to: Anointed worship, preaching
and teaching; conviction of sin in the believer's life; guidance and
anointing in "body ministry".
The church has effectively scheduled, organized and
programmed the Holy Spirit into a subordinate, if not totally ineffective,
role. Christians do not "bear one another's burdens" but prefer to "not
get involved". The problem can be narrowed down to one of two gross errors. Either
Christians are not listening to the Holy Spirit or are not
obeying when they do hear Him. The tragic
consequences
Because of the factors enumerated above, the majority of our
churches today are powerless, lifeless and near to death. The glory and power
of God are not manifested, the sheep are not being fed and cared for and
communities go relatively unreached and untouched. The Two Critical
Needs
There are two remedies that, if applied aggressively and
consistently, will aid in solving the terrible situations enumerated
above. The first of these is the ensure that each believer has a solid
understanding of and knows how to appropriate the knowledge of what occurred
at the new birth. Much of the weakness in believers today has to do with a
lack of understanding of this basic doctrine.
Building upon this knowledge must be solid teaching in the work of the
Holy Spirit in the Body of Christ and in the individual believer. This
teaching is not enough by itself, however, unless there is specific and
continual leadership into the practical application of that knowledge.
There is much teaching today on the Holy Spirit - usually centered
around the fruit or the "gifts". The lack is not so much in the teaching
as in helping to see to it that the teaching finds actual application in
the life of the believer.
A good case in point to substantiate this is the lack of emphasis
placed by the churches today in the believer receiving the infilling with
the Holy Spirit. We have relegated this unique pentecostal distinctive to
a "nice to have" rather than a need "to be sought after".
Conclusion
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Person of the Holy SpiritThe New Birth - What Really Happened?
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