AN EXCERPT FROM MY BOOK: UNDERSTANDING THE GIFTS AND MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 2

CHAPTER 1

Why do a study on the Holy Spirit?

The answer to any question that begins with a why seeks to bring understanding and thus clarification in respect of what is sought to be known. In this book, an understanding of why we need to study the ministry and gift of the Holy Spirit will help us to take advantage of this great gift of God to man. The reason for the weakness in faith in many regarding this greatest treasure made available to man is because they lack an understanding of who He really is and what He is here to do.

It is therefore not surprising that many failed to see that He is a person with all the sensibilities who should be related with as such even though He is Spirit. This is why I have taken the time to share some of my personal experiences with Him earlier on. As we go on in this study, I will as much as possible share my personal experience as well as the experiences of others with Him to drive home the truth of the word of God I am seeking to convey through this book.

Let us now look at some reasons why we need to do a study from God’s word of the Holy Spirit

1.     The first reason I have here is to introduce the Holy Spirit to us as He really is. He is a person and we ought to know that so that we can relate with Him as such. You can never get the full benefit of the person of the Holy Spirit until you are clear that He is a person and seeks to be seen as such. In John chapter 16, the Lord referred to Him as a person in the male gender when He said in verses 7,  8 and 12 – 15 respectively:

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: …

I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you”  (emphasis mine).

If we do not understand this truth that he is a person, we would fall into the trap of those who have been deceived by the devil who wants to rob them of the experience of His ministry so as to place a limit on them. many symbols such as wind, fire etc. are used to refer to Him in the word of God, but that does not make Him lose His personality and position as God. He is indeed a person and I know this in experience and nothing and no one can take that away from me!

2.     It is one thing to know that the Holy Spirit is a person but quite another to know that He is on earth today and why and also to know how we can benefit from His being here. In John 14:16 quoted earlier, where Jesus Christ said that the Holy Spirit shall be with us forever, it is quite evident that that duration of His stay in us is forever.

3.     A study of the Holy Spirit will help us discover how we can relate with God one on one and show us how we can flow in God’s power for the furtherance of His cause on earth. Remember, He has been here before the beginning and is the fountain of wisdom. He is the person of the God head who has a mission of guiding the Church today to enable us fulfill our destinies as we saw in John 16:13. As you walk this Christian road, you will quickly realize that there can be no glorious destiny without a constant connection with our source – God. This is what made Jesus Christ say in John 15:1-5 that we should abide in Him and let His word abide in us so that we can bear much fruit because without Him, we can do nothing. Physically, Jesus Christ is not on earth today. However, through the Church He is still very much on earth because the Church is referred to as the body of Christ. However, the Church cannot function without the ministry of the Holy Spirit. This is what has necessitated this study. Those who know Him function better and produce more fruits than those who do not know Him. The importance of the knowledge of anything especially this all important person cannot be overstated. God views ignorance with so much displeasure that He says in the book of Hosea 4:6 that ignorance is tantamount to a rejection of knowledge and then declares a consequence of destruction on the ignorant. He also said He would reject them from the priesthood and forget their children.

In light of the above, we cannot take this matter lightly. We must strive to learn and know all we can about the Holy Spirit because our lives and destinies depend hugely on this knowledge.

4.     Following from the previous paragraph, knowledge of the person of the Holy Spirit will help us learn from the master how to operate our individual ministries and fulfill it.

The revelation of the plan of God for your life to you by God is called vision and the pursuit of that vision is called ministry or destiny. Thus every person on earth has a ministry and God expects each of us to fulfill our individual ministries. Our ministries are as different as our finger prints. This explains why each of us is unique – one of a kind. When we come to this understanding, coupled with the fact that there is an equal allocation of time and a soul to each individual which are all we need to accomplish, it will therefore become clear why none of us has an excuse for failure. By failure here I mean the inability to deliver on your God given purpose.

A knowledge of the Holy Spirit will help us eliminate ignorance as we submit ourselves to Him to be taught by Him and this will help us run; not blindly, but with the light of heaven on the course of the glorious destiny heaven has earmarked for each of us.