Man Will Be Filled With the Spirit

Jeremiah prophesied of a time when “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts (Jer. 31:33).” Hebrews 10:15-16 says, “The Holy Spirit testified to us about this. First he says, ‘This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds’.” John testifies of the Jesus who walked on the earth in the power of the Holy Spirit. In John 14:12 Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” John 14:25 says, “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” The Synoptics are evidence of what God has promised. The Holy Spirit reminds us of his works daily. The ministry of the Holy Spirit in the book of John is fulfilling the prophecy of Jeremiah. The total fulfillment came on the day of Pentecost. John is teaching of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of Jesus so that we may know the kind of power that is accessible to us.

The Holy Spirit will indwell us and give us power to preach the Gospel to the very ends of the earth.13 Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you . . .” to be his witnesses. Was Jesus only talking to the apostles when he said these words? Of course not! If he was, why have we bothered to include them in the inspired Word of God? If all of his Word is not applicable to today why read any of it? There are those who say there are Scriptures that we do not apply today. For example, we do not put adulterers to death in twenty-first century America. Therefore, all of the Word of God is not in effect today. However, the same ones who use this argument try to use the argument that the Old Testament is no longer valid since the dispensation of grace in Jesus Christ. In addition, one might argue that the Bible is specific when it says that unrepentant adulterers shall be put to death on the Day of Judgment. Therefore, what has been said in the Old Testament is still valid in the New Testament. There are many other arguments that try to explain away the power God has promised to those who believe. Nevertheless, we are told that we will possess power that the world does not possess if we follow Christ.

The Holy Spirit Points us to Jesus

 

            The most important job of the Holy Spirit is to point us to Jesus. Robert Kysar says, “The Spirit enables one to recognize Jesus as the God-sent revealer, to execute an awakening, and to deepen and strengthen faith.”¹¹ It is through his witness that we can have a saving knowledge of Christ. T.S. Caulley says:

The Holy Spirit will dwell in the believers (John 7:38; cf. 14:17) and will guide the disciples into all truth, the Holy Spirit (16:13), teaching them “all things” and bringing them “to remembrance of all that [Jesus] said” to them (14:26). The Holy Spirit will testify about Jesus, as the disciples must also testify (John 15:26-27).

The KJV of the Bible calls the Holy Spirit the Comforter. The word in the Greek is paraklētos. It has a wide range of meanings; comforter being one of them. While there is no direct English translation for paraklētos, comforter does not seem as though it encompasses the word in the way that it should. Andreas J. Köstenberger says paraklētos is “particularly difficult”¹² to translate. The NIV translates paraklētos as “counselor”. However, this translation is also inadequate even though it does have the meaning of legal counselor as well as one who would counsel for a psychological problem or a predicament as well. Counselor also brings to mind someone who might guide another. Paraklētos also means intercessor or someone who intercedes. Therefore, we have a comforter who counsels us and intercedes for us. In short, he points us to Jesus. He helps us to rely on the one that was sent from the Father and his name is Jesus. As we continue through this book it will soon become evident just how difficult it is to find any word that is all encompassing when it comes to Holy Spirit.

The Power of the Holy Spirit

            Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly (John 10:10b NKJV).” The power to lead the abundant and victorious Christian life comes from the Holy Spirit. According to John’s Gospel there can be no doubt that Jesus was walking in the power of the Holy Spirit and was operating in all of the gifts.

1 Corinthians 12:1 - 10 Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant…To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,  to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.

When Jesus left this earth, he imparted gifts to each of us according to his will. This impartation was done by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit so that we can have the power to witness for Christ (Acts 1:8). Without said power we would be witnessing in our own flesh and would not possess the tools it takes to witness to a lost and dying world and experience the abundant life.

            Millard J. Erickson explains that Jesus and the Holy Spirit were on this earth ministering together and were in the Father’s will the entire time. Millard writes, “In Jesus’ life we find a pervasive and powerful presence and activity of the Spirit. Even the very beginning of his incarnate existence was a work of the Holy Spirit.”⁵

            John’s Gospel tells us more about the Holy Spirit than any other Gospel.⁶ John also spotlights the power of the Holy Spirit to perform the miraculous. Walter Elwell tells us, “John’s treatment of the miracles is distinctive. He never calls them ‘mighty works’ as do the Synoptists, but ‘signs’ or ‘works’.”⁷

John places his emphasis on “high Christology.”⁸ Christology (from Christ and Greek logia) is a field of study within Christian theology. Define.com defines Christology as, “A treatise on Christ; that department of theology which treats of the personality, attributes, or life of Christ.”⁹ D. Moody Smith says, “The Holy Spirit plays a more prominent part in John than in any other of the Gospels.”¹⁰ Jesus gives the Spirit without limit, which also means he has the Spirit without limit. John 3:34 says, “For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.” The power of the Holy Spirit is evident in the Gospel of John. We have already seen some of the evidence to prove that, but there is much more.

God Cares for You

Sometimes, when things are not going your way it may be hard to believe, but God cares for you. We had a revival at the church. A man named Clyde Annandale was the dramatist. He portrayed King David. In his portrayal he explained how David might have felt as he faced Goliath. It was a myriad of emotions as he made us laugh and cry with his wonderful depictions. Clyde had never been to our town. There was a man in the audience; a man that I have known for sometime. A man who has had his struggles as many of us has had. This man had decided to begin to renew his walk with Christ. During a part of the portrayal of King David, Clyde encourages others to follow Christ and have faith.

Unknown to him, out of all of the people in the crowd, he chose this friend who has been struggling. In a way that only Clyde can do, he encouraged this man above and beyond what might have been expected. I began to praise God and the power of his Holy Spirit. Clyde reached across another individual to reach out to the man. He physically took him by the hand and pulled him closer to him. He exhorted him to have faith in God. No matter what he was facing, God would take care of it if he had faith that he would do so. When I asked Clyde later why he chose the man over the one who was standing right in front of him he exclaimed, “I don’t know. I just saw something in his face and felt the Lord wanted me to address him instead of the one I had chosen.”

I suppose there are those who read this and call it a coincidence. Nevertheless, I have witnessed many of those same types of “coincidences” in my walk with the Lord. It seems as though the Holy Spirit always knows how to “coincidentally” choose someone to encourage in the time when he or she needs it most. The power of the Holy Spirit resides in the caring love of God. As he follows each of his children, he guides them in the times that they cry out to him most.

That is precisely what he has done for me in my life. At the time I needed him most, he was planning for me to come to him in a great and mighty way; a way that my mind had not conceived of. A way that has led me in a life of obedience and abundance I have never experienced before. Because of his undying love, you will experience his magnificent power in your own life if you will be available to him to teach you what he has for you to learn.