Gospel of Matthew

The Gospel of Matthew was written to a Jewish audience and as a Jew, Matthew wanted to show that Jesus was the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. That Jesus was the fulfillment of time-awaited prophecy. As a result, Matthew uses the expression, “that it might be fulfilled”. He quotes more from the Old Testament than any of the other Gospel writers.

Matthew emphasizes the teaching nature of Jesus and the theme of the “kingdom of` heaven or the kingdom of God” as a means of describing Jesus’ rule on the earth and in the human heart. Matthew left no doubt to the deity of Jesus. The symbol for the Gospel of Matthew is the Lion, which represents Jesus as King!

Gospel of Mark

The Gospel of Mark was probably the first Gospel written. Theologians believe that the Matthew and Luke may have used Mark’s Gospel as a source of information. Mark focuses on Jesus as the suffering servant who ministers to the physical and spiritual needs of those He was sent to. 

Mark’s Gospel is the shortest of the Gospels and written to a Gentile (non-Jewish) audience, probably to those who were Roman citizens.

The message of Mark’s Gospel is that Jesus was a man of action and His message was urgent and important. Mark demonstrates to the Roman mind, that Jesus was the son of God. He even uses a Roman soldier’s words at Jesus’ crucifixion, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39). The symbol for the Gospel of Matthew is the Bull, which represents Jesus as humble, a servant and powerful!

Gospel of Luke

Luke was a Gentile and wrote to a Gentile audience. He starts with Jesus’ birth and because Luke also wrote the Book of Acts, the birth of the Church. In Luke there are many parables that are not recorded in the other Gospels. Jesus is portrayed as the compassionate Savior of the world. It is important to know that the words Savior, Messiah, and Christ have the same meaning but in different languages. Savior is English, Messiah is Hebrew, and Christ is Greek. All of these terms are used to describe the nature of Jesus- to rescue the lost. Which is the nature of God!

The Gospel of Luke is universal in appeal in that he is all-inclusive. The Luke’s Gospel is for all people, Jew or Gentile, male or female, rich or poor, slave or free, and noble or outcast!

Luke emphasize the work of the Holy Spirit and the importance of prayer in Jesus’ life and ministry. This is of course to meant to be an example to us all… the work of the Holy Spirit and prayer! The symbol for the Gospel of Luke is the figure of a man, which represents Jesus’ wisdom and character.

Gospel of John

John’s Gospel is the most theological of the Gospels with its focus on who Jesus is rather than what He did. The purpose for John’s Gospel message is, “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you have life in His name” (John 20:31).

John’s Gospel is the divine gospel in that it clearly demonstrates though seven miracles and seven statements that Jesus is God! The symbol for the Gospel of John is the Eagle, which represents Jesus as deity!

The Number Seven

Before we look at the seven miracles found in the Gospel of John lets turn our attention to the number seven.

While the Bible does not explicitly say that the number seven is a holy number, Christiansand Jews consider seven to be a holy number. Genesissays that God completed or perfected creation in six days. Then God rested on the seventh day. The Hebrew word for seventh day is Shabbat or Sabbath. Since God rested on the Sabbath that is God’s day and is known as the seventh day. 

Since man was created on the sixth day, the number six represents man a creation not a creator; less than God! 

As a side note the early Hebrews and Greeks did not have a number system. The Arabic number system we use today was not created until the 6^thor 7^thcentury by the Hindu’s in India.

Because God completed His work and rested on the seventh day, that is the reason for the observance of the Hebrew Sabbathon the last day of the week. For Christians the triple 7 as in 777 represents the threefold perfection of the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). 

Most people know that the number 666 represents the number of the “beast” Remember, 6 is less than 7. I heard someone say that the 666 means, “not God, not God, not God”! It makes perfect sense to me.

• Revelation 13:18 “Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666”.

The Seven Signs in the Gospel of John

Signs and wonders, or miracles, are indicators or point to something. Just as a street sign points to a direction or name of the street. In the same way God’s miracles point to the divinity of Jesus and the following:

1. That Jesus is God
2. That Jesus is the healer
3. That Jesus is the provider
4. That Jesus has conquered death
5. That we can trust in Jesus

Jesus is God and He is at work… in us!

John 14:12″Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 

Seven Miracles found in the Gospel of John

Miracle One – John 2, Water Turned to Wine.

Jesus demonstrated his power over time by instantly changing water into wine.

1 On the third day, there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” 4 Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”

5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”

6 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. 7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. 9 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. 10 And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”

11 This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him. 

Miracle Two – John 4, A Nobleman’s Son Healed.

Jesus showed his control of space by healing the nobleman’s son from a distance of several miles away.

46 So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.”

49 The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies!”

50 Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. 51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives!”

52 Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself believed, and his whole household.

54 This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

Miracle Three – John 5, A Man Healed at the Pool of Bethesda.

The Lord’s authority over infirmity was shown by the cure of the man at the pool of Bethesda.

1 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. 5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” 7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” (Dependence on man and not God!)

8 Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” 9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.

Miracle Four – John 6, Feeding the Five Thousand.

Jesus demonstrated His authority over lack by feeding the 5000 with 5 loaves and 2 fishes.

1 After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 Then a great multitude followed Him because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. 3 And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.

4 Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. 5 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” 6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.

7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”

8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”

10 Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” 13 Therefore they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. 14 Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

Conclusion

What is very true of our God is that nothing is impossible with Him and that everything seen, and unseen was created by Him. Link that with the fact that God loves you and you have a God that will move Heaven and earth for you!

John 21:25 “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen”.

To be continued in the next episode.

The grace of the Holy Spirit is especially evident in the New Testament as He comes as a gift of Jesus to be our:

1. Helper, to help us in our trouble
2. Comforter, to comfort us in our distress
3. the Spirit of Truth, to lead us out of bondage into freedom. 

The Holy Spirit also comes with power and authority over the devil. 1 John 4:4 says the following, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world”. As we surrender our lives to God, we have the Holy Spirit’s power to conquer our selfish will and He helps us live the Christian life as we learn to be led (guided, directed, influenced) by the Spirit, Romans 8:11 says, “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you”.

As we learn to walk in the Spirit, we will overcome the desires of the flesh (Gal 5:16-18). This new life in the Spirit requires a new way of thinking and doing things. The Bible instructs us to “…be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:23, 24). This new way of thinking can be summed up in the following expression, “You are not a human being having a spiritual experience in life, you are a spiritual being having a human experience in life! It is so important to see yourself that way.

We also have the following promise: “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; “but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live”. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, “these are sons of God” (Rom 8:13, 14). 

Putting to death the deeds of the body has to do with putting to death those habits and patterns of thinking that are contrary to God’s righteousness and replacing those habits and patterns of thinking with godly habits and godly thoughts. This is where the Holy Spirit’s help is crucial. The Holy Spirit can reveal the truth, remind us of the Scriptures and speak encouragement to us.  

As if all of that were not enough, the Holy Spirit also made available, to all believers, important spiritual gifts. As a matter of fact, the Apostle Paul warns us to not be ignorant or unaware of these gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:1, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant”. In other words, Paul was saying that these gifts are too important for the church to neglect. 

While I would encourage you to read all of 1 Corinthians chapter 12, I will be touching, ever so briefly on the gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12:8-11. 

These spiritual gifts are available to all born-again believers in Jesus Christ because the Holy Spirit lives in you. These are the Holy Spirit’s gifts, not man’s gifts. While all the nine gifts are available to the believer some believers operate more strongly in certain gifts.

The gifts of the Spirit function to encourage, edify and exhort the Christian into a stronger walk of faith. The gifts also provoke those non-believers who are searching for spiritual truth. To show the non-believer that God is real, that God is for today and that they need Him in their lives.

There are nine gifts of the Spirit described in 1 Corinthians 12 and they are:

1. Word of Wisdom – A spoken message of wisdom inspired by the Holy Spirit to an individual, dealing with the deep things of God. Usually, a word of wisdom speaks of taking or making decisions now for a future benefit. It has most to do with an individual applying the word of God to their lives.
2. Word of Knowledge –A spoken message referring to understanding things that could not be naturally known. A word of knowledge is never about something you already know about a person or situation. It always has to do with something you could not possibly know about a person. It is not the gift of suspicion or repeating things you have heard from others. 
3. Faith –Extraordinary faith as opposed to “saving” and “normal” Christian faith in the Bible, the faith to move mountains.
   1. Saving faith has to do with the faith to believe that Jesus died for you, that you are forgiven and loved by God and that you are going to heaven. 
   2. The normal Believer’s faith has to do with the faith that has grown as a result of reading and knowing the word of God, the Bible.
   3. The Gift of Faith has to do with a dramatic supernatural event that normally you would not have the faith to believe for. It is a prompting of the Holy Spirit and therefore an assurance that it will come to pass.
4. Gifts of Healings –The supernatural ability to administer healing to others. The plural form of the word healings indicates a variety of illness common to mankind. There are no limits to what the Holy Spirit can do in the area of healing. The individual hears the Holy Spirit say, “I am going to heal that person- go and pray for him or her!
5. The Working of Miracles – Supernatural ability to over-ride or reverse natural laws of nature. Jesus showed us examples of miracles, read the Gospel of John and examine the seven miracles He performed. Remember what Jesus said in John 14:12, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 
6. Discerning of Spirits –The supernatural ability to discern the source of a spiritual manifestation. The three sources are the spirit of God, the spirit of Satan and the spirit of man. This is not a discernment with our five physical senses. It is a discernment that the Holy Spirit gives us.  
7. Prophecy –The supernatural ability of speaking what Jesus is saying at the moment to encourage, edify, exhort by revealing what God will do. The prophet does not speak what he thinks, he speaks what the Holy Spirit is saying. Nothing less nothing more. 
8. The Gift of Tongues– The supernatural ability to speaking an unlearned language which glorifies God. When done in public, as in church, it should be followed by the gift of the Interpretation of Tongues. This is not talking about a personal prayer language. That is something else.
9. The Interpretation of Tongues –This gift always follows the public speaking of the gift of tongues so that it would be understood by those in attendance. As a side note the Gift of Tongues and Gift of Interpretation when taken together is prophecy.

These gifts of the Spirit are nested between 1 Corinthians 12:7 & 11

7 “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all”. The “all” is referring to the Body of Christ or the spiritual Church.

11 “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills”. The Holy Spirit sovereignly gives His gifts as He pleases.

Allowing God to use us with his gifts requires us to walk by faith. When we hear or sense in the spirit that God wants us to say something, do something or be aware of something we must act. That is how we go from faith to faith and grow as spiritual Christians.

• Romans 4:4 “Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt”.
• Romans 11:6 “And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work”.
• 2 Timothy 1:9 “who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began”.

These and many other scripture verses make the case that the words Grace and Gift are interchangeable. Now how does this apply to the Five-fold ministry? 

Five-Fold Ministry; servants or to be served?

As I mentioned in the last episode the Five-fold ministry gifts describe functions, not titles. The function describes what they do and how they are used to bless the Church. The church, in this case, describes the people of God, not a building, organization or denomination. The overall function of the Five-fold ministry is to create the smooth, effective operation of the Body-of-Christ. That the Body-of-Christ would work in harmony advancing the Kingdom of God. So, the Five-fold ministers are servants to the Body of Christ or the Church, they serve the Church by leading the church body to serve Jesus. That may sound confusing to say that they serve by leading, but that is exactly what a Five-fold minister is, he or she is a servant-leader. The church does not serve the minister it is the other way around. The church or Body of Christ serves Jesus as the minister serves the church.

Since Jesus gave the gifts of the Five-fold here is a question to think about; do we appreciate the gift or the gift giver? Of course, we should appreciate the gift giver more than the gift. The conclusion of all of this is that the Five-fold ministry gifts are given to the Church to serve the Church. If you are called to the Five-fold ministry the burning question you must ask yourself is, “am I here to serve or be served?”. All of us whether clergy or lay-people are here to serve our Lord Jesus. 

The Pattern for Serving

As the Apostle Paul was speaking to the church, he stated the following, “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:9-11). 

We are “God’s fellow workers” in the ministry. What a glorious thought that is! We are not just working for God but working with Him.  When we use the word ministry we often think of the “five-fold ministry”, Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers (Ephesians 4:11). Now, remember what Jesus said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed (ordained) you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you” (John 15:16). 

What does it mean to bear fruit that remains? To understand this phrase, it means that we must look at this issue from God’s perspective. As ministers, we often think in terms of attendance and finances as a measure of success or producing fruit that remains. While attendance and finances are necessary to successful ministry these things are not at the center of God’s heart. John 3:16 clearly states God’s heart, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”. God has made His desire known and that desire is for the redemption, through Jesus Christ, of every person from every tribe and nation on the earth. The ministry is how He will accomplish this great commission through you. 

The Pattern for Ministry

The scriptures in Ephesians 4:11-16. gives us the pattern we need to follow to build the church or ministry. 

1. Verse 11– Jesus gave 5 gifts to the church and they are the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, and Teacher.
   1. Keep in mind that these names describe functions rather than titles. It is common to find people that don’t have the title but are very effective in performing God’s function. The opposite is true also, some have the title but are not performing God’s function.
2. Verse 12– Two important functions that all the five-fold ministry gifts have in common is to “equip the saints to do the work of the ministry and to edify the body of Christ“.
   1. God has not called the Five-fold to do the ministry by themselves. Even Jesus trained 12 disciples, who in turn trained others to reach the entire world. If your vision for ministry is all about you- you have a very small vision.
   2. Ministry is about edifying, encouraging and equipping the believers to do the work of the ministry. Ministry is not about you doing everything. By training others to do what you do, you are in effect multiplying the impact of your ministry and the Kingdom of God.
   3. We make the greatest impact on our community when we train others to do what we do. We should be training and creating opportunities for our members to preach teach, evangelize, intercede, heal the sick, cast our demons, and to continue the reach of the ministry by training them to be trainers of others.
3. Verse 13– The goal of the ministry is threefold: “till we all come to the unity of the faith  and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”
   1. To work towards producing maturity and agreement of God’s truths (Colossians 2:2-3).
   2. To help others to come to the Knowledge of Jesus.  This means we are helping others to establish a personal relationship with Jesus through the Holy Spirit (John 17:3).
   3. To the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. means to be like Jesus in character and integrity, illustrated by the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). As well as authority and power demonstrated by the Gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12: 4-11).
4. Verse 14– Describes what to avoid in the ministry. “That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting”.
   1. Because of evil in the world, we must discern between righteousness and unrighteousness. In Colossians 2:8 the Apostle Paul states, “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ”. (1 Corinthians 3:1-4, Hebrews 5:12-14).
5. Verse 15-What to seek to establish in the ministry. Love and to become like Christ “but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ”.
   1. As God is love (1John 4:8) so should we be, because of Jesus in us. We are to be conformed to be like Jesus, “29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29). (Romans 12:9-21, 1Peter 1:22)
6. Verse 16-Why we need one another in the ministry? The body of Christ (the Church) is made up of many parts, dependent upon one another for growth and edification. “From whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love”. (1Corinthians 12:12-27, Colossians 2:19)

Conclusion

As we co-labor with the Lord and focus on His agenda we will be successful in fulfilling the call of the ministry. As we invest our lives into the people God sends to us, the Lord will do His part and invest in us (Matthew 6:33-34). 

The gifts of grace of God are for His body of believers. As important physical churches and organizations are, they are not what Jesus died for… He died for you and me! The original word for church in the New Testament is the Greek word, Ecclesia, or “called out ones”. Those who have been called out of the World into the Kingdom of God, the Spiritual Church on earth!

Jesus empowered the church with spiritual leaders to lead the way in Ephesians 4:11,

“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers”, these five gifts are often referred to as the “Five-fold” Ministry gifts. 

These five-fold gifts are functions, not titles.

Remember God calls the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher, then it takes people to recognize and ordain the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, and Teacher. Ordination is simply man’s way of recognizing the call on someone’s life.

There are many who have the title but do not function in the way God intended them to function. They are more interested in the title than doing what the title suggests.

On the other hand, many don’t have the title but function as Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers. They work tirelessly for the Kingdom of God. They may not be recognized by other leaders, but they are recognized by God. 

Let’s briefly look at each one of these gifts to the Church.

1. Apostles– are ambassadors of the Gospel; officially a commissioner of Christ with miraculous powers: a messenger, one that is sent. Apostles go to new places to establish the body of Christ, and to ensure that churches are operating under correct doctrines or teachings. Missionaries are examples of those who are sent to establish works in foreign lands.
2. Prophets– are forth-teller not fortune-tellers; they are inspired speaker of and for God. A Prophet speaks forth what Christ is saying to the church for today. A New Testament prophet encourages, edifies and exhorts the Body of Christ.
3. Evangelists – are preachers of the gospel. The gift of the Evangelist is to produce new converts with the simple Gospel of Jesus; the message of love, forgiveness, and acceptance.
4. Pastors – are shepherds or those who are responsible for the spiritual care and health of the Body of Christ. 
5. Teachers – are instructors who teach the truths of Jesus Christ from the Bible. They take the deep things of God and make them easy to understand.

All of these people are called by God to equip or prepare the saints (you and I) for the work of ministry or serving. All of this is revealed in Ephesians 4:11-16.

Let me take a moment to talk about a sensitive issue regarding leaders in the church. 

It is easy to put leaders “on a pedestal” and then to be so disappointed when they don’t live up to your expectations. Always keep in mind that ministers are human just like every other believer. They are still working through their own weaknesses and shortcomings as all believers do, even though they may be “anointed or gifted” by God. 

“God does not call those who are equipped to do ministry but equips those whom He calls”. This means that God is working, through the Holy Spirit. in bringing to maturity every leader too. 

Think of the greatest of the Apostles, Peter, and see the failures and disappointments that he experienced before becoming the leader that God ordained him to be. 

Now the unbeliever looks at these lapses in Christian leadership and cries out “you see they are all hypocrites!” However, those who are mature Christians understand that all of us including Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers are works in progress! While it is true that the “fivefold ministry” leaders are held to a higher standard by God (James 3:1) it is important, as believers, not to judge too quickly.  

Having said that, we should obviously avoid those who preach false doctrines or practice immorality, because there are those who are, as the bible describes them, wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15). 

Our natural inability to live without sin

The entire Old Testament of the Bible clearly point to mankind’s inability to live according to the Mosaic Law, under the Law no one could be “good enough”! Therefore, as far as the Old Testament is concerned it teaches that it is impossible to live without sin. 

The Two results of sin

First it results in “eternal death” or Hell, second it separates one from the blessings of God and a wholesome relationship with Him. When I say that sin separates from God, I do not mean that God leaves us. God has promised that He Will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) and God cannot break His promises. When we sin, we are the ones who move away from God and try to hide from Him. Remember Adam and Eve after they sinned and recognized their sin, they tried to hide from God the Father.

This brings up the question, “what is sin”? Is it lying, stealing, coveting or murdering or is it something else? The breaking of the 10 Commandments is a symptom of not believing in God! When we talk of sin, we tend to focus on the symptoms instead of the cause. The cause is that we don’t believe what God has said or in the one whom God sent to redeem us, Jesus. Not believing or trusting in Jesus is the only reason one is condemned to Hell.

The Solution

The Father sent Jesus to deal with the “death” or going to Hell issue, once and for all, by dying on the Cross. He was the perfect sacrifice for our sins and His resurrection was the assurance of our own resurrection or life everlasting. The sin that condemned us was the sin of unbelief in Jesus; that Jesus was God and is God in the flesh. That He was the evidence of God’s love for us. The most well-known scripture in the Bible is John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”. 

As I said there is only one sin that condemns a person to Hell, and that is the sin of not believing in the one whom the Father sent. Look at the verse that follows John 3:16- John 3:17, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”. A person who does not believe in Jesus is condemned already.

The evidence that we have truly been saved is that we begin to reject and repent of those habits and ways of thinking that do not glorify God. 2 Corinthians 5:17 states that, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”. These symptoms of our old-self are referred to, in the Bible, as the deeds of the flesh.  Galatians 5:19-21 describes the deeds of the flesh. “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God”. 

These deeds of the flesh are all part of our sin-nature, which through Jesus Christ has been broken. As a result of what Jesus did, we are now part of the glorious church of the Redeemed.

We need help

Since the deeds of the flesh have been such a part of our lives, we need help to recognize what is good in God’s eyes and the power to overcome the habits of a lifetime. That is why Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to us so that we would be able to live victoriously in a sinless relationship with Him and under His blessings. The Fruit of the Spirit shows us what the nature of the Holy Spirit is and how we should function in our new relationship with God! Galatians 5:22-23 says, “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law”.

The Work of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead or Trinity, He is not an “it” or some impersonal force. The Holy Spirit is God! When Jesus ascended to Heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to live in us. The moment we accepted Jesus into our lives our spirit was born-again, and the Holy Spirit came to live in us. The function of the Holy Spirit is to lead or guide us and teach us all truths about God.The Holy Spirit does this by making the Bible alive and meaningful to us. 

1. He “illuminates” the Word of God, 
2. He brings to “remembrance” the teachings of Jesus and 
3. “convicts” us when we go astray. 

The Holy Spirit is the agent by which we become “transformed” into the image of Jesus. In other words, we become more like Him. 

Transformation

When we first come to Christ our spirit is renewed, but are minds or souls initially are unchanged. Romans 12:2 says, “do not be conformed to the world but be transformedby the renewing of your mind”. In a very real sense, we have been brainwashed by our society and culture and many of the things we have learned are contrary to God’s view of right and wrong. We need to change, but that change must come from the inside out. That is what transformation is, it is the Holy Spirit changing us from the inside out. 

Conformingmeans that we learn how to walk, talk and look like a Christian, but have not been changed on the inside. 

The Book of Judges in the Old Testament is an account of how the Israelites betrayed God’s faithfulness to them time and time again. God provided a series of Judges or leaders to get them back to the worship of the one true God. An important phrase that is used in Judges to describe the rebellious people was, “they did what was right in their own eyes”. In other words, ignoring what was right in God’s eyes and doing what they wanted. Doesn’t that sound like life today? 

There are many who call themselves Christian and look like Christians in public but have a dark side in private. That means that they have not been transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit on the inside. We should never judge someone else’s salvation because all Christians are what I call, “works in progress”! Salvation is instantaneous but developing God’s character takes a life time and we will not be complete or perfected until we see Jesus face to face in that Day.

1 Corinthians 3:1 “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ”.

Getting back to Romans 12:2, “do not be conformed to the world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. Conforming is a human work; transformation is a Holy Spirit’s work. Conforming means if you talk like a Christian, dress like a Christian, act like a Christian you must be a Christian. Well, as you know that isn’t necessarily true! 

Surrender to the Work of the Holy Spirit

A Christian is one who has accepted Jesus and has surrenderedthemselves to the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Their minds are being changed as they accept by faith the truths that have been revealed by God. They are replacing the old ways with new ways. You see the change must begin with a mind that is being renewed or changed by the Holy Spirit. This transformation process will produce the outward characteristics of a true Christian. In a true sense we are taking off the old ways and putting on the new. 

• Ephesians 4:20 “But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness”.
• Colossians 3:8 “But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all”.

All of this means that becoming who Christ wants us to be is a process. We are all “works in progress”. First, as the Holy Spirit reveals to you and you begin to recognize what does not line up with what God says and then repenting or turning away from the old ways and putting on the new ways of thinking, living and behaving. We start out as diamonds in the rough, and then through the polishing of the Holy Spirit of God we are transformed into precious gems reflecting the glory of God.

I can’t stress enough the importance of the Bible especially the New Testament, which was written for the Christian. The Holy Spirit can only draw out of you what you put in. The more you put in to your spirit from the Bible the more truths the Holy Spirit can bring to your remembrance, illuminate and convict- as you face decisions throughout the day. 

You may be a work in progress, but the finished work is assured that is why Paul the Apostle could say in Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ”. Who is the He in this verse? It is the Holy Spirit! Surrender to the Holy Spirit of God and let Him do the work only He can do in your life.

The Gift of the Father.

The gift or grace of Father God is that He provided a way to restore the broken relationship which began in the Garden of Eden, between mankind and Himself. The Father did this by providing a “Seed” [check out my last episode], a Savior, a Messiah in Hebrew, a Christ in Greek, in any language- Jesus.

The Gift of the Son.

The gift or grace of Jesus Christ is revealed in the Gift of the Holy Spirit to the believer. The Holy Spirit who empowers us to live the Christian life in grace and power.

When Jesus walked the earth, His followers had the benefit of His physical presence. They felt His love, experienced His fellowship, and witnessed His signs and wonders that only God could produce. Jesus came to the earth to live as a human being for approximately 33½ years. Jesus made it very clear that when He departed, He would leave us “another like Himself” a “comforter” or a “Helper”, but this time instead of a physical person the Helper would come in the spirit, the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus in the flesh could only be in one place at one time, but in the spirit, He could live in every believer. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit and that He lives in us.

In Acts 1:4 Jesus appeared to His disciples and commanded them to stay in Jerusalem where they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit. They were to wait in Jerusalem for the Promise of the Father, of which Jesus had already told them before He was crucified. Listen to what Jesus said in, John 16:7 “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you”. In Acts 1:8 Jesus assures his disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. Then in Acts 2, the Christian Church was started in Holy Spirit power!

Power to do what you might ask? Power to live the Christian life and to be a bold witness in words and actions of the Gospel or Good News of Jesus Christ.

You see, Jesus had to leave or ascend to heaven, in order to send the Holy Spirit to us. In the gospel of John 14:16 Jesus says the following, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 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 will not leave you orphans; I will come to you”.

The word “Helper” means intercessor, advocate, or one who is alongside you through thick and thin. Jesus calls Him another Helper, in other words, one like Himself. God will never leave you or abandon you. How wonderful it is to know that although Jesus in the flesh is not here, His Spirit lives in us. The Holy Spirit provides the love, the fellowship, the signs and wonders that only God could produce, but now through us!

An important function of the Helper is to guide you into doing what Jesus would do. Jesus says in  John 14:25, “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

The Work of the Holy Spirit.

Let’s take a look at some of the areas of life that the Holy Spirit is involved in.

1. The Holy Spirit confirms to us that we are the children of God, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God”, that was Romans 8:16. 

The most important thing that the Holy Spirit provides is the ability to hear from God and if we are His children then God’s desire to assure us of His love for us. The Holy Spirit does that by revealing to us in our heart or “knower” that we are His. 

We don’t need artifacts, tokens, emblems or symbols to make the Holy Spirit real to ourselves. We know Him because of the relationship that forms over time. We are no longer strangers to God nor is He a stranger to us. We don’t need to belong to an organization or do ritualistic steps to draw close to God, because He lives in us. When this reality becomes our everyday experience, that is when we begin to live a victorious life. Our lives become the evidence that He lives in us!

2. The Holy Spirit is our down payment or guarantee of our future resurrection. Let’s look at 4 verses that use the word guarantee:

• 2 Cor. 1:21-22, “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, 22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee”; 
• 2 Corinthians 5:5, “Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee”. 

The word guarantee has an interesting origin. The word guarantee in the original language is the word arrhabōn; a Hebrew word which means, “a pledge, i.e. part of the purchase – money or property given in advance as security for the rest: — a down payment”. When you purchased cloth in Jesus’ day, the cloth merchants would give you a piece of the cloth you purchased as an assurance or guarantee that the bolt of cloth was yours when you returned. Can you see the connection… the Holy Spirit is the guarantee that Jesus is coming back for you.

3. The Holy Spirit reveals Christ to us and in us.  In John 16:12-15, Jesus makes it clear that when the Holy Spirit comes to us, the Holy Spirit will reveal what Jesus wants us to know. He will guide us into the truth because He is the Spirit of truth. Because of the unity of the Trinity, the truth that He speaks is of the Father and the son, Jesus.

4. The Holy Spirit teaches us how to pray. Romans. 8:26-27 shows us that even when we are so distressed or confused, the Holy Spirit is able to help us pray as we ought to. The Holy Spirit makes intercession for us, often with words we don’t understand (Tongues). The scriptures call these words of prayer as groanings. Since these prayers are Holy Spirit inspired, they will always be according to the will of God! The Holy Spirit or God knows what you need! This kind of prayer in the Spirit will build up your faith and build up your confidence as it says in Jude 1:20. 

5. The Holy Spirit sets us free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2 teaches us that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, that is we are not condemned to Hell! Remove that from your thinking… you are not hoping to go to Heaven, but Heaven is yours! 
The evidence of our salvation is that we are learning to be led by the Holy Spirit of God. I am no longer trying to work my way into heaven or trying to gain God’s favor, after all I am now a child of God! 

6. The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth. John 16:13 states, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come”. 
The truth is of critical importance because we know that “the truth sets us free and if the truth is in Christ, we are free indeed. The opposite of truth is error, and how many of us have lived in error and suffered the consequences of making decisions based upon bad information. Now, because of the Holy Spirit in us, we are brought out of darkness into His marvelous light. We are able to see the light of Christ and move towards it.

7. The Holy Spirit fills us! One of my favorite scriptures is Ephesians 5:18 “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit”! Here is another quote, “First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you”. The point is alcohol can take control of you; far, far better is to allow the Holy Spirit to take control of you! So, in essence to be “filled with the Spirit” means to live a Holy Spirit-led life. Remember the Holy Spirit is God, there’s that Trinity again, so having a conversation with the Holy Spirit is talking to God. Learn to spend time with your “friend and comforter” throughout the day!

8. The Holy Spirit produces in us the fruit or character of God! It is the evidence of His work and presence in our lives. Galatians 5:22-23 describes the character and nature of the Holy Spirit and because He lives in us describes the character He is building in us; “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control…”. 

9. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the Holy Spirit empowers us. In Acts 1:8 Jesus states, “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.” 
This was a promise Jesus made to those who gathered in Jerusalem anticipating the birth of the Christian Church. The church was birthed in the power of the Holy Spirit – the power to witness or testify of what God was doing in your life. Boldness to speak the message of the Gospel or Good News. Power of the Holy Spirit in manifesting the spiritual gifts described in 1 Corinthians 12. Which we will look at in our next episode.

As you can see Jesus’ gift of the Helper or the Holy Spirit is actively revealing to us that we are loved, forgiven and accepted by Father God! The Holy Spirit also empowering us for service to our King!

In conclusion, the grace or the gift of the Father was the gift of Jesus in our lives. The gift of Jesus is the Holy Spirit who enables us to live the life Jesus has called us to. In our next episode we will look at the Grace or gift of the Holy Spirit… which is the power to change and be used by God.