Skip to main content

Do we really need the Holy Spirit?

It may be a big surprise to many Christians today to know that in some churches the topic of the Holy Spirit is not a popular one. In fact, too much talk or too much emphasis on the Holy Spirit may get you the right foot of fellowship-right out the door. That is not a joke! How can this be since the Holy Spirit is referenced all through the Bible starting in Genesis 1?

We clearly see that He, the Holy Spirit, hovered over the waters and was instrumental in bringing forth creation. Jesus Himself said that it was expedient that He (Jesus) go away so that the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) could come. He explained that the Holy Spirit would lead and guide us into all truth, yet so many Christians have quenched and rejected Him! Many churches teach that the Holy Spirit’s gifts all ceased when the last apostle died or when the New Testament was canonized. This erroneous teaching is known as cessationism. Some have even denied Him by saying things like “I don’t want anything to do with that Holy Spirit stuff or tongues or prophecy”.

Is it any wonder that so many churches are struggling to survive when we reject the very One who was sent to lead and guide us into all truth – the One who came to reveal Jesus Christ to us and Who empowers us to do the works of Christ? Scripture makes it clear that Holy Spirit is the One who came upon Jesus and empowered Him to do the works of His Father! If Jesus needed Him, don’t we also need His ministry in our lives?

Some say they do want the Holy Spirit, but they don’t want any of that “tongues”. Some even go so far as to attribute the speaking in tongues and the other gifts of the Holy Spirit (found in 1 Corinthians chapters 12 and 14) as the work of satan, declaring that these manifestations of the Holy Spirit are “of the devil!”

It makes me wonder, are they unaware that without the Holy Spirit there would be no understanding of the Bible, no salvation, no forgiveness, no born again-regeneration, no fellowship with God and no Church?

The two most important occurrences on this earth have been:

First - the coming of Jesus Christ as a man when the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary at the Incarnation, His ministry as the last Adam by the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and His resurrection from the dead by the Holy Spirit.

Second - the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost to empower Christ’s followers to continue the work of the Kingdom of God; including the initial outpouring on the Gentiles with Cornelius’ household, and the many, many revivals that have continually occurred ever since.

Without the Holy Spirit and His gifts, (including tongues), the Church would not have made it past the first century. We must never think we do not need Him now! Yes, we need Him and must ask Him to fill us and to continue to fill us with the Holy Spirit. We mustn’t quench, grieve, reject, resist or lie to the Holy Spirit, but we must welcome Him into His Church so that He may have His own way.

A.W. Tozer made an interesting observation on Church history – whenever the Church sought the Lord for His outpouring of the Holy Spirit the Church was empowered to be on the offensive and took ground from the devil. But whenever the Church turned inward by substituting ritual or something else for the fellowship of the Holy Spirit they retreated into academic and institutionalized fortresses, simply trying to survive.


Oh, how we need the Holy Spirit. If we have grieved or rejected Him or resisted Him in any other way, we must ask God’s forgiveness. Then we must humbly and passionately ask Him to baptize us with the Holy Spirit that our life and our church can once again be filled with His Pentecostal Fire!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What's Going On: Understanding the Time We Live In

“Father, Father, We don't need to escalate; You see, war is not the answer, For only love can conquer hate; You know we've got to find a way, To bring some lovin' here today. What’s going on, what’s going on?” Some of you may recognize these lyrics sung by the late Marvin Gaye.   Yeah, what’s going on is right!   Just as Marvin’s generation struggled to make sense of their world, we are struggling today to make sense of ours.   Many are wondering if that is even possible, but let me assure you it is--but only if you have developed a Biblical World View.   I must warn you, if your World View has been shaped by the world’s academia, the major news media, celebrities, or just the voice of the majority, you will not understand “what’s going on”.   In fact, you will probably think I am nuts, but that’s alright with me.   As the Apostle Paul stated, “I am a fool for Christ.”   But as the late John Wimber, (Of The Righteous Brothers and The Vineyard f...
2 comments
Read more

Raising Kids, Manners, and The Golden Rule

So, what do Manners and The Golden Rule have to do with raising kids past and present? There really is a very important connection.  If we want to see children today grow into upstanding adults who do well in life, we really need to be diligent in teaching them manners and also The Golden Rule -- wouldn’t you agree?  Let’s first look at what is known as the Golden Rule. In Jesus’ teaching found in Matthew 7:12, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”  Wouldn’t the world be a better place if everyone was aware of and practiced this in everything?  Well, it is not something that comes automatically to people, especially children!  So you might be wondering, how do we put this into practice?   Glad you asked.  Here’s how we can start.  Begin by teaching your children good manners-- yes, I said GOOD MANNERS. Why good manners?  Because good manners are really the...
1 comment
Read more

What Will We Ever Do In Heaven?!

Have you ever wondered what heaven will be like?  I am sure you have, and frankly most people don’t seem very excited about it.  After all floating around on a cloud by ourselves, strumming a harp in a white gown (of all things) forever doesn’t sound too appealing to most people…particularly to a male!  Unfortunately, that is the concept most people seem to have, but is that what heaven is really like? Recently I was visiting my good friend’s octogenarian father and the topic of heaven came up.  At 88 you have a lot of time to think on “what’s next” and rightly so.  Physical death is a coming reality.  Yet for most all of us this thought bring a great uncertainty, which has a proclivity to produce great fear for the future, rather than great hope and expectation.    For the person who has never asked Christ for His forgiveness, nor lived their life for Him, there should be a great fear.  The Bible warns us of this so that we might turn f...
1 comment
Read more