THE HOLY GHOST AND LEADERSHIP
John 14:16-17
16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
I. THE PROBLEM
1. Many are neglecting Holy Spirit
Galatians 3:3
3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?
2. It’s impossible to successfully live the Christian life in our own strength
3. Jesus depended on the Father for everything
• John 8:28 “…I do nothing of myself…”
• John 5:19 “...The Son can do nothing of himself but what he sees the Father do…”
II. THE EARLY CHURCH AND THE HOLY SPIRIT
Acts 1:2
The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2 until the day in which He was taken up after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen
Acts 1:4-5
4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Acts 1:8
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1:16
16 “Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus
Acts 2:4
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2:38
38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 4:8
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.
Acts 4:31
31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
Acts 5:3
3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?
Acts 5:32
32 And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
Acts 6:3
3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business
Acts 6:5
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit.
Acts 7:55
55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
Acts 8:14-5
14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.
Acts 8:17
17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Acts 8:29
29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”
Acts 8:39
38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. 39 Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.
Acts 9:31
31 Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.
Acts 10:19
19 While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you. 20 Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.”
Acts 10:44
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.
Acts 11:12; Acts 11:16
Acts 11:24
Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. 23 When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. 24 For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.
Acts 13:2
2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them”
Acts 13:9 – 11
9 Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? 11 And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.”
Acts 15:8
Acts 15:28
28 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: 29 that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.
Acts 16:6-9
6 Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. 7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. 8 So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
Acts 19:2
And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples 2 he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
Acts 20:23; Acts 20:28; Acts 21:4; Acts 21:11
III. 8 WAYS TO FOCUS MORE ON HOLY SPIRIT
1. Refocus on our Identity
1 Cor 3:16
16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
1 Cor 6:19-20
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
2. Focus of the Spirit’s Ability
Eph 3:20
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.
1 John 4:4
“…greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
3. Focus on Spiritual Capacity
Eph 5:18
18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.
4. Make a demand on the Spirit’s Emotions
Gal 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control.
5. Stir up Spiritual Ability
1 Cor 12:7-11
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
2 Tim 1:6
6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands?
6. Tap into the Spirit’s information
1 Cor 2:16
16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
7. Take Advantage of the Spirit’s Prayer language
a. It Helps our Weaknesses
Romans 8:26-27
26 Likewise, the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
b. It Builds our Faith
Jude 1:20
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.
1 Cor 14:4
4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself.
c. It Provides spirit to Spirit communication with God.
1 Cor 14:2
2 For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit, he speaks mysteries.
Video of scientific research proving speaking in tongues is a spirit practice
d. It’s Spiritual Refreshment
John 7:37-39
37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified.
e. It’s Healthy
1 Cor 14:4
4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself….
Dr. Carl Peterson, M.D. conducted a study at ORU in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Being a brain specialist, he was doing research on the relationship between the brain and praying or speaking in tongues. He found that as we pray in the Spirit or worship in the Spirit (our heavenly language), the brain releases 2 chemical secretions that are directed into our immune systems giving a 35 to 40 percent boost to the immune system. This promotes healing within our bodies. Amazingly, this secretion is triggered from a part of the brain that has no other apparent activity in humans and is only activated by our Spirit-led prayer and worship!
8. Practice cooperation with Holy Spirit
a. Don’t grieve Him
Eph 4:30
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
b. Don’t quench Him
1 Thess 5:19
19 Do not quench the Spirit.
9. Cultivate the Practice of His Presence
a. Think of Him Often
b. Talk with Him often
c. Ask Him a bunch of questions
d. Spend time listening
e. Don't get upset if your mind wanders
10. Honor Him in our Churches
How to be seeker oriented and Holy Spirit Focused 1 Cor 14
a. Explain things Constantly
b. Ensure decency and Order
c. Have separate services but highly emphasize them
d. Honor Him in some form every service
e. Welcome Him publicly Every Service
f. Talk About Him often
11. Learn to Minister out of a place of rest
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