Good Morning Holy Spirit
Chapter 6: Spirit, Soul, and Body
1. Complete this sentence: "I want to walk with the Holy Spirit, but I can't because I..."
There are many different ways I can think of to end this sentence...but thankfully I know that I can walk with the Holy Spirit, He is with me each and everyday. :o)
2. How does your church view the Holy Spirit? As an active or passive influence in our lives? Either way, what is the scriptural proof for that belief?
My Church views the Holy Spirit as an essential and powerful part of everyday life. Our services are often filled with people praying in the Spirit, we regularly hear words of knowledge, and messages in tongues with their interpretations. Our Pastor encourages the congregation to be in the Word, studying and growing in their spiritual walk, and that is only possible by listening to the Spirit as He teaches you what the Word of God is saying, what it means, and how it applies to your life.
There are many scriptures that talk about the Holy Spirit being an active part of the lives of the believers in the new testament. Here are just some of them...
For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
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.
And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.
So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us,
For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things:
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
3. Of what form or substance is God?
According to what I have read in God's Word, God has many of the same physical attributes as us. In the Word He is described with hands, a face, eyes, a mouth, a back, feet, etc. Also, We are created in God's image, so I imagine that He look similar to what we as humans look like, with the exception of the fact that He is perfect, holy, glorious and more beautiful than words can describe.
4. Explain what the author means when he says the Holy Spirit has a mind of His own.
When Benny Hinn says that the Holy Spirit has a mind of His own, He is talking about the fact that the Holy Spirit searches out the mind of God and then reveals/teaches what He finds to us. The Holy Spirit though He is one with the Father and the Son, has His own mind and will. Just as I am one person made up of a body, soul and spirit...My body may be telling me I need food, while my spirit, which is supposed to be lead by the Holy Spirit, may be telling me to fast, and it is up to my soul to decide which one I am going to listen to. The difference is that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, all work together, completely united, they are one, where the Spirit is... the Father and Son are, where the Son is... the Father and Spirit are, and where the Father is... the Spirit and Son are. Together the three personalities or parts make up the one and only God!
5. What is the temple of God as described by Paul in the New Testament?
We are the temple of the Holy Spirit! Heaven is God's throne and Earth is His footstool, but God through the Holy Spirit resides inside of each and every believer.
6. Should the Holy Spirit be worshiped? Why, or why not?
This is one of those questions that really makes you think. Even though I was raised in church, taught that the Holy Spirit is equal to God the Father and the Son, and that He is a part of the Godhead, I do not remember ever being taught to pray to or worship the Holy Spirit. It was always taught that the Holy Spirit living in us would help us as we prayed or worshiped, that He was there with us, but not the one we were worshiping. So as I study this out, and think about all I've been taught, all I believe regarding the Holy Spirit, I have to say that, yes, we should pray to and worship Him. As I sit here contemplating this I realize that we always have prayed to Him and worshiped Him. We pray asking Him to come fill us and to lead and guide us, we sing songs about Him, but for some reason, we don't discuss it as much as we do worshiping God the Father and God the Son. I guess we just need to start talking about it and realize that it is just as important as praying to the Father or to Jesus.
7. What does it mean to vex the Spirit? How would we do that? How might we avoid doing it?
I looked up the definition to the verb VEX -- "Distress, bother" Synonyms include "Aggravate, agitate, disturb, embarrass, exasperate, get under one's skin, pester, harass, upset, and torment." These words give us a pretty clear picture of what vexing the holy Spirit does to Him. When we vex Him, we cause Him grief, and pain. He is gentle and quiet, He will not force us to follow His leading, so when we hear what He is telling us, and we choose to do the opposite, we vex Him. We can avoid hurting Him in this way by working to always listen to His voice, to being open to His leading and being thoughtful of what is pleasing to Him and what is not, He is your friend, so treat Him with respect, work to always honor and protect Him...The things we do and say are not the only things that can vex Him, the things we allow to go on around us, the things we put up with that just should not be...those things can effect your relationship with the Holy Spirit too.
