The Holy Spirit - God’s Empowering Presence |
Background
The study of the Holy Spirit is an exciting - yet challenging
prospect! In studying the Holy Spirit we are in effect
dissecting God—which is fraught with danger! This study
assumes that God is one - he is not three and yet he has
revealed himself as Father, Son & Holy Spirit. The Trinity is a
theological term with strong Biblical foundations. We may
have difficulty comprehending the idea of ‘one God in three
persons’ but our limited faculty does not deny its truth.
Throughout history—Christians have tended to either over
emphasise the person and work of the Holy Spirit or deny His
reality altogether. No less is the case today.
We Anglicans have traditionally taken a very cautious line on
matters relating to the Holy Spirit and been rather reactionary
to the extremes of the Charismatic and Pentecostal movements.
This has not been without good cause in many cases.
However, the challenge with always being defensive and
reactionary to matters relating to the Holy Spirit is that we can
end up limiting or boxing the very thing we have defended in
ways that are unhelpful, even unbiblical. The Holy Spirit
despite our best efforts cannot be contained, controlled or
manipulated to serve our purposes. On the contrary, we are
here to serve His!
It is my hope that these studies will give us a fresh Biblical
framework for our understanding of the Holy Spirit and lead
us to trust in Him and depend on Him more as we grow in our
relationship with Christ.
We have the privilege of living in the New Age—the Age of
the Spirit. May God so equip us with his Spirit that we fulfil our
role in His mission to make Christ known in all the world. Michael Crichton |
Sermon |
Bible Passage |
1. History, The Holy Spirit & Me |
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2. The Holy Spirit & The Holy Word |
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3. The Gift of the Spirit to the Church |
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4. The Holy Spirit & Spiritual Growth |
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5. Filled, Full & Overflowing! |
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6. The Fruit of the Holy Spirit |
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7. Sinning Against the Holy Spirit |
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Reading & Commentaries
The Holy Spirit
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Billy Graham |
I Believe in the Holy Spirit
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Michael Green |
Keep in Step with the Spirit
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J.I Packer |
Celebrating the Saving Work of God
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J.I Packer |
God’s Empowering Presence
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Gordon D. Fee |
In Understanding Be Men |
T.C.Hammond |
For further study information on this series, follow the link to Bible Studies.
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