Holy Spirit Essay

How did the coming of the Holy Spirit revolutionize the people of God?

After the fall of mankind in the beginning, everyone was separated from perfect relationship with God. During that separation everyone lived under a curse and had to follow the law known as the Old Covenant that God implemented. Now the law was powerless to save, it could only lead people to God. In result Jesus had to come as the perfect sacrifice and shed his innocent blood once for all time to redeem and reconcile everyone back to right relationship with God because it was impossible for man to get to God on their own effort. "So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood not the blood of goats and calves he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever." (Hebrews 9:11-12)    

Now because of Jesus' sacrifice he has brought freedom from the curse and established a new covenant that does not have to do with the law but rather faith in God by living in the Spirit. "Let me put it in another way, The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian." (Galatians 3:24-25). "Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit." (Romans 7:6)  

Jesus prophesied the dwelling of the Holy Spirit in John 14:17 "He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you." Now in order for the Holy Spirit to come Jesus had to leave the earth after his death and resurrection. "But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don't, the Advocate won't come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you." (John 16:7). Now after a few days Jesus ascended to heaven the fulfillment of the Holy Spirit came "On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then what sounded like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability." (Acts 2:1-4) So the coming of the Holy Spirit revolutionized the people of God because now, for the very first time in all history, God could live in his people. This changed everything throughout the whole world. What had become lost in the beginning had now been found, for God's very spirit lives in his people again. Every aspect of life has changed for both the Jews and the Gentiles.   

The two major changes for the Jews now were, not living under the Old Covenant and also being united with the Gentiles. These were very drastic changes within the lifestyle of the Jews, especially the teachers of religious law because all they ever knew and dedicated themselves to was the Old Covenant (Law of Moses). For instance "Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with him. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of Asia. None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke. So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, 'We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God.' " (Acts 6:8-11). We see the Jewish people oppose Stephen with hard hearts not open to and not believing the work of the Holy Spirit that was powerfully demonstrated through him. Stephen is then arrested and taken before the high priest and speaks with the power of the Holy Spirit and rebukes the people because of their hard hearts. "The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen's accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God's right hand. And he told them 'Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God's right hand!' Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him… As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.' He fell to his knees shouting, 'Lord, don't charge them with this sin!' And with that, he died." (Acts 7:54-60). Stephen was a living demonstration of one who had received the Holy Spirit through the New Covenant established through Jesus. It was not by his own strength he performed amazing miracles and signs but it was the power of the Spirit at work in him. As previously mentioned in Acts 1:8 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you." That is exactly what happened, he received power and performed miracles and signs so that Jesus would be glorified. It was Stephen's goal to convince the Jews of this great news that they too could have what he had, but because of their hardened hearts they opposed the idea of it. Now not all Jews were like this, this is just one side of the coin. There were many Jews who came to believe. Example, "As Paul's custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people. He explained the prophecies and proved that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead. He said, 'This Jesus I'm telling you about is the Messiah.' Some of the Jews who listened were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas…" (Acts 17:2-4). This shows a distinct fluctuation within the Jews, some simply opposed and some believed. 

The second major change for the Jews was the state of being united with the Gentiles. There was a dynamic growth happening as the message of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit broke down the age-old cultural barriers between Jews and Gentiles. "For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us." (Ephesians 2:14). Now that the barrier had been broken it didn't mean Jews and Gentiles lived in complete harmony. It was actually quite the opposite, though they were one in Christ they still had conflicts with each other. "But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile Christians, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn't eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. As a result, other Jewish Christians followed Peter's hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, 'Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions?' " (Galatians 2:11-14). Circumcision was highly valued in Jewish tradition and in the early church this brought lots of controversy. Other conflicts between the Jews and Gentiles in the church were "In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike… Don't tear apart the work of God over what you eat." (Romans 14:5;20). This clearly shows there were arguments over the sabbath day and certain foods. 

Life for the Gentiles actually became easier because, even though they were blessed through the promises of Abraham in the Old Testament the total fulfilment and recognition of being fully grafted into God's family came under the New Covenant. "And now you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God's special olive tree." (Romans 11:17). 

What are you equipped, called, inspired to do, with the help of the Holy Spirit? What fruit of the spirit/gift of the spirit are evident in your life, what areas would you like to see growth in?

Jesus makes it super clear we are called and commissioned to share the good news of Jesus with all people. "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this; I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20.  We are also commanded "Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2).  There is a song that expresses very clearly why we honour the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. "For the honour of the Father who reaches out to us that we might live inside his love, he gave his only Son. For the honour of the Saviour let the cross be lifted high, the great exchange of love and grace came down to give us life. For the honour of the Spirit whose power lives in us, that we might see much greater things as we embrace Your love. For the honour of Your kingdom whose reign will never end, we'll give our lives in sacrifice until You come again." We are to be representatives of Jesus here on earth and bring honour to Him through all areas of our lives, in our personal lives, in our relationships, jobs, schools, etc. He has given us his Spirit to help shape our character so that we are more like him. "For the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." (Galatians 5:22) and the more we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, the more fruit we will see produced!

Paul's Epistles

Galatians

1. What is the church being written to like? What are it's strengths and weaknesses? Is this Church, or Paul's time in this location mentioned in Acts?

1:6 

"I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ."

The above verse shows two things about the Church of Galatia. One that they are similar to infants because they are so easily led astray. After Paul preaches the gospel of Christ to them some false teachers come and lead them astray by telling them the way to be saved and accepted is through the law and they believe it. As you can see this would also be a weakness of the church, they did not test what was being said after they received Jesus whom Paul preached. The second thing shown in this verse is that Paul had expected that the believers faith in Galatia would have been stronger than it was. A strength this church did have was they were very hospitable. (4:14) They took Paul in and cared for him. Yes this church is mentioned in Acts. (Acts 14:21-23)

2. What is the main idea of this epistle? Are there key words or repeated ideas that the author uses to highlight the point of his message?

The main idea is summed up in Galatians 5:1 "So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law." Paul addresses over and over to the church of Galatia that it is by grace they have been saved, they don't need to live under the law anymore because Christ has come. A repeated word throughout Galatians is "circumcision". The false teachers forced the act of circumcision upon the Gentile church because they believed that was the way to be saved and also they wanted to look good and boast about it. (6:12-14) Another repeated idea and key word is the promised Holy Spirit. (3:14) The Holy Spirit now lives inside our hearts and draws us to God our father. (4:6) As we live by the Spirit, the Holy Spirit produces in us good fruit. (5:22) Paul also encourages the believers to stay in step with the Spirit. (5:25) Yes this church is mentioned in Act. (Acts 18:23)

3. What does this epistle show about the character and nature of God?

I see God's grace repeated. (2:16, 20) (2:11) (5:1)

Application

Galatians 5:6

"For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself through in love."

The key thing this verse speaks to me is what matters is that my faith is being expressed in love that overflows from my relationship with Jesus.

Philippians

1. What is the church being written to like? What are it's strengths and weaknesses? Is this Church, or Paul's time in this location mentioned in Acts?

1:3-5, 7

"Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now… So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. You share with me the special favour of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News"

These verses show that the church in Philippi is faithful in their partnership with Paul in spreading the Good News and not only are they are pleasing to Paul but they have a special place in his heart. One of the strengths found within the church is they are generous with their finances, in fact they are the only church to support Paul financially. (4:15) One of the weaknesses within the church is they seem to be selfish and seeking their own interests. (2:3-4) Yes this church is mentioned in Acts. (Acts 16:11-40)

2. What is the main idea of this epistle? Are there key words or repeated ideas that the author uses to highlight the point of his message?

The main idea is summed up in Philippians 2:5-11

"You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honour and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Though these people were people of status and privilege Paul calls them to live in a manner worthy of Christ, to put Jesus first, serve others second and themselves last. Paul uses Jesus as the example because he is the perfect representation of humility. One of the major repeated words is "rejoice/joy'. Paul himself choses to rejoice even if he loses his life. (2:17) Paul also encourages the believers to rejoice in the Lord no matter what the circumstances may be, there is power in rejoicing (3:1, 4:4) Another repeated word is "citizenship". Paul strongly emphasizes that they are citizens of heaven and should conduct their lives in a manner that is worthy of Christ. (1:27, 3:20)

3. What does this epistle show about the character and nature of God?

In 2:5-11 the character of Jesus is shown. It shows the attitude Christ had when he was on earth and the attitude that is to be reflected.

Application

Reading this book has challenged me and encouraged me to try and reflect the humility of Jesus and also take joy in every circumstance

1 Thessalonians 

1. What is the church being written to like? What are it's strengths and weaknesses? Is this Church, or Paul's time in this location mentioned in Acts?

1:3

"As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ."

This verse shows that the church in Thessalonica are faithful, loving and doing their best to stand firm in their faith. One of the strengths of the church is they are encouraging and building each other up. (5:11) One of the weaknesses within the church is, they seem to be struggling with sexual sin. (4:3) Yes Paul's time in Thessalonica is mentioned in Acts. (Acts 17:1-9)

2. What is the main idea of this epistle? Are there key words or repeated ideas that the author uses to highlight the point of his message?

The main idea is summed up in 4:1

"Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even-more.

The repeated theme I see is the theme of encouragement.  4:1;11,5:11

3. What does this epistle show about the character and nature of God?

This epistle shows God's yearning for his people to be holy and Paul addresses that. (4:3-4)

2 Thessalonians

1. What is the church being written to like? What are it's strengths and weaknesses? Is this Church, or Paul's time in this location mentioned in Acts?

2:4

"We proudly tell God's other churches about your endurance and faithfulness in all the persecutions and hardships you are suffering."

This verse shows that the church in Thessalonica are standing firm in their faith to the point of enduring persecutions and hardships. One of the strengths within the church is the fact they are not abandoning their faith in the midst of trials. (2:4) One of their weaknesses they seem to struggle with understanding the coming of the Lord. After Paul taught on it in 1 Thessalonians false teachers came and tried to fool the believers in Thessalonica. (2:1-2) Yes Paul's time in Thessalonica is mentioned in Acts. (Acts 17:1-9)

2. What is the main idea of this epistle? Are there key words or repeated ideas that the author uses to highlight the point of his message?

The main idea is summed up in 2:2

"Don't be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don't believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us."

The key theme is about encouragement. 2:15

3. What does this epistle show about the character and nature of God?

It shows God as a enabler. (1:11) He is the one who is all powerful. It also shows God's love and grace. (2:16-17)

1 Corinthians

1. What is the church being written to like? What are it's strengths and weaknesses? Is this Church, or Paul's time in this location mentioned in Acts?

The church in Corinth was in a state of many different conflicts that were threatening the church. The conflicts included division (1:10, 3:21, 6:1), jealousy/quarrelling (3:3) and sexual immorality (5:1). One of the strengths within the church were, they had the humility to ask for help and ask questions about things that they were uncertain about. (1:11, 7:1; 25, 8:1, 12:1) Yes, Paul's time in Corinth is mentioned in the book of Acts. (Acts 18:1-19:1)

2. What is the main idea of this epistle? Are there key words or repeated ideas that the author uses to highlight the point of his message?

The main idea is summed up in 16:14

"And do everything with love."

Paul wants the believers in Corinth to fully understand that the root of everything is love and that is how they are to live with one another. If they were doing everything with love there would be no problems in the church. Chapter 13 is "love" themed, it describes what love is and what love is not, it also relates to what the church was going through by giving a solution on how to overcome the problems. Also the very first verse in chapter 14 says "Let love be your highest goal!" As you can see Paul was highlighting the importance of love.

3. What does this epistle show about the character and nature of God?

Chapter 13 strongly shows God's character displayed through love. Love ultimately comes from God and in order for the believers in Corinth to live a life of love they needed to know and be shown love first so they themselves could love one another. They couldn't give what they didn't have.

2 Corinthians

1. What is the church being written to like? What are it's strengths and weaknesses? Is this Church, or Paul's time in this location mentioned in Acts?

7:7b

"When he told us how much you long to see me, and how sorry you are for what happened, and how loyal you are to me, I was filled with joy!"

This verse shows the repentive heart of the church in Corinth from their previous ways of acting as mentioned in 1 Corinthians. One of the strengths within the church is there is good fruit being produced in their lives. (3:2) One of the weaknesses of the church is believed to be they are not fully loving one another as they should which results in quarrelling,jealousy,anger,etc. (12:20) Yes Paul's time is mentioned in Acts.  (Acts 18:1-19:1)

2. What is the main idea of this epistle? Are there key words or repeated ideas that the author uses to highlight the point of his message?

The main idea is summed up in two verses. 

4:7

"We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves."

12:9

"Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me."

These two verses go hand in hand with each other, they point to God being the ultimate source of strength. Paul was addressing that it is not about them but the power of Christ in them. The people of Corinth did not fully understand the power of Christ, they were more focused on the worldly expectations of the way Paul presented the Gospel and how it did not suite their culture. Paul tries to change their thinking by focusing on four cultural expectations the Corinthians had and he goes against it. The first cultural expectation Paul opposes is "eloquent speech" for it was the norm. (10:10, 11:6) The second cultural expectation is "Physical impressiveness". (11:30-33) The third cultural expectation is "Paid professional". (11:7-11) Lastly is "Qualified leader" (12). A key word that is repeated is the word "comfort". Paul uses the word comfort 9 times in (1:3-6) in the context of being comforted in times of trouble and suffering for Christ and in return comforting those with the comfort God gives. As you can see there is a huge significance in being comforted by God during hardships for that allows others to comfort others in times of hardships.

3. What does this epistle show about the character and nature of God?

It is in God's character to comfort his people in times of trouble. (1:4) I see that godly sorrow produces true repentance. (7:11)

Romans

1. What is the church being written to like? What are it's strengths and weaknesses? Is this Church, or Paul's time in this location mentioned in Acts?

The church in Rome is made up of both Jews and Gentiles and they don't seem to be living in harmony with one another. (3:29-30, 9:25&27, 15:5) Though there is conflict in the church they are also mature in their faith because of the things Paul addresses which is a deeper theology compared to all the other epistles. (14:1, 15:1) One of the strengths within the church is they are strong in faith and the result of that is their faith is being talked about all over the world. (1:8) Some of the weaknesses within the church are, pride (12:3), arguing over what day is holy and what foods are acceptable (14), and selfishness (15:1). The only link we see to Paul and the Roman church is found in Acts 18:1-3

2. What is the main idea of this epistle? Are there key words or repeated ideas that the author uses to highlight the point of his message?

The main idea of Romans is summed up in two verse.

1:16-17

"For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes-the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say "It is through faith that a righteous person has life."

15:7

"Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory."

The book of Romans is a very relational book. It displays that it is by God's grace that everyone is saved through faith. Paul encourages the church to accept each other because that is what Christ did for them. He encourages harmony where there is none. One of the key words and repeated ideas in Romans is the word "faith" and that it is by faith in Christ everyone is made right.  (3:22, 4:5;11;16, 5:2, 10:10 ). As you can see faith is a important key that Paul wanted the church in Rome to fully understand that it's the gift of God for everyone who believes.

3. What does this epistle show about the character and nature of God?

Paul mentioned briefly on God's righteous judgement that will be revealed one day and will judge everyone for all the evil they have done. (2:5-6) Also since everyone is accepted by Christ that shows that there is no favouritism with God. (2:11) The grace of God is highlighted countless times.  (3:22, 4:5;11;16, 5:2, 10:10 ). God's forgiveness and love is shown in (8:1)"So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus." 

Ephesians

1. What is the church being written to like? What are it's strengths and weaknesses? Is this Church, or Paul's time in this location mentioned in Acts?

The church in Ephesus seems to be an infant church, one that is just starting out because of the things Paul addresses. First off Paul addresses their identities as citizens of heaven and being united with Christ. (2:6) Paul also addresses " throw off your sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception…Put on the new nature, created to be like God-truly righteous and holy." (2:22,24) Though this church is just starting out, there are a few strengths found. They are faithful followers of Christ. (1:1) They are strong in faith and love. (1:15) Some of the weaknesses in the church are, the act of lying and not being truthful (4:25), there is bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words being spoken, slander. (4:31) Yes, Paul's time is mentioned in Acts. (Acts 18:19-19:41)

2. What is the main idea of this epistle? Are there key words or repeated ideas that the author uses to highlight the point of his message?

The main idea is summed up in 2:19-22

"So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all God's holy people. You are members of God's family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit."

Paul was making clear the identity issue of being joined into God's family and that their citizenship is of heaven. Also now they too are a dwelling place which God lives by his Spirit. A repeated idea that Paul seems to address is that they are saved by grace through faith in Christ and not works. (2:8-9) It seems that Paul understands the struggles of the Ephesians, because he doesn't come across harsh with his words but rather he encourages them how to live. (4:25-30, 5:1, 5:15-21, 6:10-18)

3. What does this epistle show about the character and nature of God?

This epistle speaks a lot about God's grace.

2:6 "It is only by God's grace that you have been saved." 

2:8 "God saved you by his grace when you believed…"

3:8 "Though I am least deserving of all God's people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ."

Colossians

1. What is the church being written to like? What are it's strengths and weaknesses? Is this Church, or Paul's time in this location mentioned in Acts?

The church in Colosse is very similar to the church in Ephesus. They to seem to be an infant church. Paul encourages the believers to take their salvation a step further in following Jesus and letting their roots grow deep into him so their faith can grow stronger.(2:6-7) One of the church strengths is that they are living as faithful brothers and sisters in Christ (1:1) and also their faith in Christ is strong. (2:5) In-regards to weaknesses they are very similar to the weaknesses of the believers in Ephesus. There seems to be anger, rage, malicious behaviour, slander, and dirty language. (3:8)

2. What is the main idea of this epistle? Are there key words or repeated ideas that the author uses to highlight the point of his message?

The main idea is summed up in 2:10

"So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority." 

Paul addresses here in this verse that Jesus is all they need for everything in life, and that he alone is the supremacy. A repeated theme that Paul states is the fact that Christ now lives in them (1:28, 3:11). Now this message of Christ living in them was a secret that had been kept hidden for ages but now has been revealed. (1:26-27) Now that the secret "Christ lives in you" has been revealed Paul goes on to encourage the believers to live lives worthy of God and to reflect the glory of God. (3:12-17) (4:5-6)

3. What does this epistle show about the character and nature of God?

This epistle shows the supremacy of Christ.

1:15 "Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,"

2:9-10  "For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority."

2:19b "For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it."