THE HOLY SPIRIT - V (The Spirit of Might - 1)

WBS.185

FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

THE HOLY SPIRIT - V

Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

2  And the spirit of IAUE shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of IAUE;

The fact that IAUE says He is going to freely reveal things to us that we have not seen, not heard, and not imagined lets us know that the natural mind is going to reject them.  If the natural mind instructs us to reject what the Holy Spirit shows to us; we can KNOW that we can have total confidence that it is of IAUE.  If it appears to be too good to be true; then we have discovered the goodness of IAUE.

[Notice in our opening passage of Scripture, I have provided the REAL name of Isaiah.  How we have come to refer to him as Isaiah is a mystery to me; but his real name is quite significant.  Yeshayahu means “IAUE has saved.”  The name of our Master “Yahushua” means “IAUE saves.”  The prophet Yeshayahu is known as “the Messianic” prophet because of the high content of his writings being prophetic of the coming Messiah.  He essentially shared names with the coming Messiah.

I know it is convenient in our current religious culture to use the names in our English translations of the Scripture; but many times the names in our English translations are simply not the real names of the persons. If your name was Miriam, and I called you Mary, I would not be using your name; and you would most likely correct me.  Why?  Because, Mary isn’t your name.  If your name was Yeshayahu, and I called you “Isaiah,” very likely you would not even turn your head to look at me because you would have no idea I was speaking to you. I believe we honor the men and women in Scripture, including our Master and our Father, by using their real names.  This isn’t an effort to become what some people call “becoming all things Jewish.”  When we know someone’s name and we call them something else, it is insulting to them and shows disrespect and dishonor. Anyone who has followed this blog will know that it is only proper names that I alter.  It has nothing to do with conforming to the Hebrew language or culture.  It has to do with using the names that were given to people.]

The church, today, has nearly 2,000 years of “dumbing down” from the grace and wonder that characterized the first century church. Instead of being 2,000 years advanced from those first novices who took the gospel to every quadrant of their world, healing the sick, casting out demons, raising the dead, setting the captives free, the church, today, is just struggling to believe the early church even did those things, struggling to discover the elementary doctrines of Messiah. 

Hebrews 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of IAUE; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

Right after Yahushua was baptized of John (Yohannes), the Holy Spirit descended upon him.  The Scripture says he being full of the Holy Spirit then immediately went out into the desert for 40 days and 40 nights.  When he returned from the wilderness this is what was recorded of him:

Luke 4:14  And Yahushua returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.

The “fame” that went throughout all the region was that a miracle worker was in Israel healing the sick, casting out demons, doing signs and wonders. Messiah had returned from being tempted of Satan; and he was full of the power of the Spirit.  He immediately began healing the sick and casting out demons. He was an instant celebrity.

After a period of time, Messiah went to his home town of Nazareth where he entered into the synagogue and opened the scroll of Yeshayahu to the place where it read:

Luke 4:18 The Spirit of IAUE is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

19 To preach the acceptable year of IAUE.  (Yeshayahu 61:1-2)

This is why the Holy Spirit came upon Messiah. He anointed Yahushua to liberate mankind from the oppression of the enemy; and to free them from their enslavement to a kingdom that was not of their own choosing.  Luke further recorded this in his record of the early church growth.

Acts 10:38 How IAUE anointed Yahushua of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for IAUE was with him.

Those present in the Nazarene synagogue who were trained in the Scriptures would have understood that this “Spirit of IAUE” was the same one referred to earlier by Yeshayahu when he said:

Yeshayahu 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

2  And the spirit of IAUE shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of IAUE;

Many teachers refer to this as the 7-fold Spirit of IAUE that was seen by John (Yohannes) in Revelation 1:4. Here the Holy Spirit is defined as:

The Spirit of IAUE

The Spirit of Wisdom

The Spirit of Understanding

The Spirit of Counsel

The Spirit of Might

The Spirit of Knowledge

The Spirit of the Fear of IAUE

We have already discussed Him as the Spirit of IAUE in our opening post to this series.  We also have discussed him as the Spirit of Counsel (This is what the KJV refers to in Yohannes 14:26 as “the Comforter.”  He is the advocate who represents our best interests and explains the accords of the New Covenant to us. We have already touched upon Him as The Spirit of the Fear of IAUE when we discussed how He takes the things of Yahushua and shows them unto us in order to glorify IAUE in Yahushua.  We will enlarge upon this aspect in a future post to bring more clarity to how these two ideas are related.)

Today, I want to look at the Holy Spirit as The Spirit of Might.  In the passage above, this word “might” is the Hebrew word “geburah.”  In the KJV Old Testament, this word is translated as:

might (27x),strength (17x), power (9x), mighty acts (4x), mighty (2x), force (1x), mastery (1x).

Throughout the books of I and II Kings, and I and II Chronicles, when a king of Judah or a king of Israel passed away and another person became his successor, there is almost always a brief one or two verse summary of that king’s accomplishments; and it always refers to the king’s “might.”  It is this word “geburah,” and it always refers to one or both things.  Its secondary use is to refer to the king’s major accomplishment (his mighty works); but more significantly, it refers to the kingdoms he overthrew and to the strength of his army.  Consider this carefully.  Might relates to one’s ability to overpower and to overthrow another’s kingdom and to maintain mastery over it once it has been conquered.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Might.  He is the power of IAUE to conquer any enemy’ kingdom, and to overthrow its works.

Col 1:9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

10 That ye might walk worthy of IAUE unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of Elohim;

11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

This is a prayer of Paul for the disciples in Colosse.  He prays that they would be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.  The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Knowledge, the Spirit of Wisdom and the Spirit of Understanding; so we can know what is the supply to answer this request.

Paul continues to pray that they would be strengthened (dunamoo) with all might (dunamis), according to his glorious power (kratos).  Dunamis is the Greek word for the first two of these words. It is principally translated as “power” in the New Testament.  This third word, kratos, refers to the dominion one exercises over an enemy that has been conquered by one’s might/power.  Together, these two words represent the New Testament equivalent to the might (geburah) of the Old Testament.

Note that Paul ends his prayer by giving thanks to the Father who set us free from the power (exousia – authority) of the enemy, and carried us away from that kingdom of darkness and placed us into another kingdom…the kingdom of His dear Son. 

It is the might of IAUE, through His Spirit of might, that removed us out of a kingdom that we did not choose (but unto which we were enslaved at birth) by conquering and overthrowing that kingdom.  By His strong arm and mighty power He set us free.  Remember this concept, well.

Acts 1:8  And ye shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit has come upon you…

Next week we will look at how the Spirit of Might is intended to work in and through our lives.

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Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance of the will of IAUE.

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THE HOLY SPIRIT - IV (He shall glorify Yahushua)

WBS.184

FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

THE HOLY SPIRIT - IV

John 16:14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

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

Understand this.  IAUE has said that He has prepared unimaginable, unseen and unheard of things ONLY for those who love Him.  It is written.  This isn’t IAUE being restrictive.  It is IAUE giving us the key to His heart.  It is written.  It is eternally secure for IAUE has spoken it.  If we love Him, the Spirit of Truth will reveal even the deep things of IAUE unto us.

  

Last week we discussed that the first way Yahushua introduced the Holy Spirit to his disciples was as an arbiter of the Truth, who would reveal and explain the accords of the New Covenant in Messiah’s blood to those who loved IAUE.  The condition that must be met in order to partake of this “first and foremost” ministry of the Holy Spirit is that we love IAUE.  Loving IAUE with all our heart and soul and mind and strength is, after all, the first and greatest commandment.

We also discussed that the reason why disciples today do not love IAUE (though they may think they do) is because they have little understanding of what sin actually is. Without understanding that sin is rebellion against the kingdom and the will of IAUE (“Thy kingdom come; thy will be done…), man cannot comprehend how great his forgiveness is. He that is forgiven little loves little.  Until we recognize that we lived our lives as subversives, ever attempting to overthrow the government of IAUE in favor of anarchy (self-will); until we understand that this is how IAUE perceived us, we cannot fathom the extent of his mercy and forgiveness, being willing not only to pardon our subversive wills, but to welcome us into His own family; we cannot have a proper basis for a genuine love of IAUE.  Only then can the Holy Spirit show us the things of Messiah and unfold the provisions of the New Covenant in Messiah’s blood to us.

Today, I want to look at this matter from a different perspective; one that Yahushua mentioned in the same conversation.

John 16:14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

The Holy Spirit shall glorify Yahushua.  How will He do that?  He will glorify him by receiving (taking) the things that are Messiah’s and making them known to us.  What things does Messiah have?

John 16:15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Everything that IAUE has is his. They are things which eyes have not seen, nor ears have heard, nor have entered into the heart of man even to imagine (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).

What does it mean that the Holy Spirit will glorify Yahushua.  We see in our text, today, HOW he will do it; but what actually is it that He will be doing by taking the things of Yahushua and revealing them to us?

The Scripture has several ways that it represents these words “glory” or “glorify.”  In the context of many verses of Scripture, glory appears to be a brilliant cloud of enshrouding light. This may be the most commonly accepted concept of glory. “Glory” or “to glorify” often is found to be a command to offer praise.  We also see passages where one glorifies IAUE or another person by declaring how great or good they are; to esteem or to declare their accomplishments in such a way as to commend to others that the person is worthy to be thought of very highly and with much approval.

It is this last idea that I believe captures this particular ministry of the Holy Spirit.  Notice this exchange between Moses and IAUE.

Exodus 33:18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.

19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of IAUE before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.

Moses wanted to see the glory of IAUE.  IAUE agreed to answer Moses’ request; and He explained that what Moses would be seeing is the “goodness” of IAUE; while at the same time He would be declaring His grace and mercy. 

John 1:14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

“We beheld his glory.”  The disciples recognized that Yahushua was not as other men.  All other men were altogether conceived in sin, born a stranger to righteousness and conducted their lives with motivated self-interest.  Yahushua was not like other men.  He did not seek his own.  He did not prefer himself over others; and he loved IAUE with all his heart and soul and mind and strength.  It became obvious to the disciples that to look upon Yahushua was to look upon the son of IAUE.  He was full of grace and truth. 

Have you ever taken notice of the countenance of the people you meet?  There is a measurable lightness or darkness to their countenance based on the thoughts and intentions of their heart and the corresponding actions of their life.  If they are liars, inclined towards dishonesty and iniquity, their countenance is dark.  If they are gentle, merciful, lovers of truth, their countenance is bright. One’s countenance reflects the glory of the measure of goodness that has been established within them and which is demonstrated in how they live their lives.  The greater the honorableness of the person, the brighter is their countenance. It is virtually a reflection of IAUE’s approval of the person based upon their love of their fellow man.

If we accept this as a working concept to define this particular ministry of the Holy Spirit, then as He takes the things of Messiah and reveals them to us we receive an ever-increasing revelation of the goodness, the greatness, the worthiness and the approval of IAUE upon Yahushua.  The Holy Spirit reveals the nature and character and the accomplishments of Yahushua to glorify him within us.

Matthew 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Matthew 17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

Mark 1:11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Mark 9:7 And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.

Luke 3:22 And the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

Luke 9:35 And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.

John 12:28  Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.

A story is told of a captain in the army of Napoleon.  He was shunned, disregarded and disrespected by his fellow officers. Word came to Napoleon about this matter and he called a day for all his army to appear in review (formation) before him.  As he walked across the line of the formation, he came upon this captain; and stopped and chatted very amiably with him in front of the entire army.  From that moment forward, all of the officers took note that this captain was a favorite of Napoleon’s; and they began to court his favor and include him in all of their affairs and activities.  The approval of the emperor changed the attitude of his entire army regarding this one captain.

True glory is the approval of IAUE upon His own goodness. The Scriptures tell us that there are none who are good; there are none who are righteous before IAUE except for His son.  To glorify IAUE is to declare His great goodness in all of its manifestations.  The Holy Spirit glorifies Yahushua by showing us the goodness and the approval of IAUE in his son. One of the manifestations of IAUE’s approval of Yahushua is that He gave him everything He has.

Yahushua gave us a glimpse into this ministry of the Holy Spirit.  He stated over and over and over again one of the ways that the Holy Spirit would glorify him through us.

John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

John 16: 23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

Eyes have never seen it.  Ears have never heard it.  It has never entered into the heart of man to imagine that he could do the works Yahushua did, and even greater works; that he could ask anything in the name of Yahushua and expect it to be given.  Such a thing is “over the top.”  It is unimaginable; and yet, the Holy Spirit will take this reality given to Yahushua and show it to us in such a way as to make us understand how it is not actually “over the top” for the son of IAUE; nor is it too great for us to believe it. IAUE approves of his son; and His son is IN US, and we are IN HIM.  By doing these things we participate in the Holy Spirit’s ministry of glorifying Messiah.  By disbelieving this; by discrediting what the Holy Spirit has taken of Yahushua and has shown unto us; by refusing to DO what He says we can do; we are mere hearers of the Word, and not doers; and we deceive ourselves.  It is time we participated with the Holy Spirit to bring glory to the son of IAUE, our Master. Remember, the Holy Spirit is going to take things we have not seen, not heard, and not imagined and reveal them to us.  If we are going to gawk and disbelieve what He shows us, what He reveals to us; we might as well ask Him to leave and stop bothering us.

The fact that IAUE says He is going to freely reveal things to us that we have not seen, not heard, and not imagined lets us know that the natural mind is going to reject them.  If the natural mind instructs us to reject what the Holy Spirit shows to us; we can KNOW that we can have total confidence that it is of IAUE.  If it appears to be too good to be true; then we have discovered the goodness of IAUE.

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Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance of the will of IAUE.

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THE HOLY SPIRIT - III (The Spirit of Truth - II)

WBS.183

FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

THE HOLY SPIRIT - III

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

The Holy Spirit as the Spirit of truth, guides us into truth; specifically, the truth of our inheritance as heirs and joint heirs with Messiah.  Yahushua has inherited ALL THINGS THAT THE FATHER HAS; and we who are IN MESSIAH, have inherited the same.  So, as we go about doing the will of IAUE and spreading the gospel of the Kingdom; the Holy Spirit is constantly confirming to us that which we have in Messiah. We never find ourselves in a place of inadequacy; because whatever the need is, the supply is in Yahushua Messiah; and he is in us and we are in him; and the Holy Spirit comes alongside in every situation and circumstance and says, “I’ve got this.”  We never have to rely upon the flesh again.  We can walk “in the Spirit” and accomplish all the will of IAUE and do all the works of Yahushua.

[Before we proceed in this study, I want to clear up something from the King James Version of the Bible.  More often than not, the Holy Spirit is called the Holy Ghost in the KJV Bible.  The Greek word is “pneuma” which means spirit or breath.  In the 1600’s when the KJV translation was being written the word “ghost” was the word commonly used to refer to a “spirit;” so it was quite natural for it to be translated in that day as the Holy “Ghost.”  To the reader in the 1600’s it meant “spirit.”  Today, the word “ghost” does not have the same meaning that it did 400 years ago.  Today, a ghost is believed to be the spirit of a deceased person that lingers in a place after the person’s death, or an apparition that haunts a house.  It is incorrect, today, to refer to the Holy Spirit as the Holy Ghost unless you happen to be speaking to someone who is 400 years old.]

We have seen that the first two ways that Yahushua described the Holy Spirit to his disciples was as a “comforter” and as the “spirit of truth.”  These two terms are essentially synonymous in their meaning.  The Holy Spirit is the arbiter of the New Covenant on our behalf, and testifies to us of the things that belong to us as heirs and joint heirs of Yahushua Messiah.

John 16:13 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.

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

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

The Holy Spirit is a revealer of the things of Yahushua.  One of his most important functions is to show us all of the things that the Father has for us.

1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which IAUE hath prepared for them that love him.

Before any man comes to the Master Yahushua, it never occurs to them to ponder “What has IAUE prepared for me?”  When we come to Yahushua and are born anew and the spirit of Yahushua enters our bodies and unites us with him, we still do not wonder what IAUE has prepared for us; and for the most part, the entirety of the Christian world still today does not ponder that.  This is probably due to the fact that we do not think of IAUE as being particularly benevolent.

The church has an Old Covenant perception of IAUE, always looking to chastise disobedience and to judge harshly evil wherever it may be found.  So-called prophets, today, perpetuate that mentality by falsely prophesying of IAUE’s preparation to judge nations because they have turned from honoring Him; or they have legalized abortion or granted homosexuals legal standing. We remain on IAUE’s good side only by insuring that our inner scale of our good and bad always tips slightly to the good we have done. This, of course, is a law-based mentality and is alien to the “new man” in Yahushua.  IAUE is not looking to punish disobedience, today. Instead, He is looking to bless and benefit man as much as man will possibly allow Him.  In the Old Testament, we see the Scripture often saying that IAUE “hates the worker of iniquity;” but IAUE has since offered up His Son to pay the penalty-price for man’s sin and iniquity.  The Law has been covered by the blood; and the rule of IAUE today is mercy and grace.  The goodness and benevolence of IAUE is beyond man’s words to describe.  We just don’t think of Him that way; and until we do, we are the hindrance to Him demonstrating it to us.

Every man on the earth, today, is forgiven (2 Corinthians 5:19).  IAUE no longer seeks to judge man for his iniquity for it has already been fully judged in the body of Yahushua. Man has always been the object of IAUE’s love; but now He can act toward mankind with love and mercy because of the sacrifice of Messiah. 

IAUE has prepared things that eyes have never seen, ears have never heard and the minds of men have never imagined…but they are prepared for those who love Him. Yahushua said that “He who is forgiven little, loves little.” (Luke 7:47).  Man, yes, has been forgiven; but for most, forgiveness does not produce love for IUAE.  There is a reason for that. Unfortunately, the message that passes for the “gospel” today tells men that if they accept Yahushua they will be forgiven of their sins.  (They are already forgiven, so this message is predicated upon a lie.)  The problem here is that “sin” is never defined.  It is left as the “elephant in the room.”  That thing that everyone seems to know is there but no one will talk about it.  Consequently that elephant, sin, is left to be defined by each person; and that definition is ALWAYS understood to be the bad things they have done in their life, the things for which they have a lingering sense of guilt.  That is NOT what sin is.  Sin is rebellion against the will of IAUE and His right to rule our lives.  Man loves little because he is unaware of how GREAT his sin is toward IAUE; how GREAT has been his disobedience to IAUE; how insubordinate he has been to the authority of IAUE.  Today, when man is told he is forgiven of his sins, he does not even think about IAUE.  IAUE is not even a factor in his mind as the “victim” of his sin.  As a result, man loves little because he does not know how great his forgiveness is.

It is unto the obedient one, who loves IAUE, that the Holy Spirit takes the things of IAUE and shows them unto him.

1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which IAUE hath prepared for them that love him.

10 But IAUE hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of IAUE.

11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of IAUE knoweth no man, but the Spirit of IAUE.

12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of IAUE; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of IAUE.

The apostle Paul explains to us how the Spirit of Truth does what He does.  No man can know what is inside another man’s mind and heart.  If a person says something, the listener does not know the motive or the intent of the person’s heart behind his words. No man can know what another man is thinking in terms of what he plans on doing; and how charitable he might want to be towards others.  Only the spirit of the man knows the inner things of the man.  Paul tells us the same is true of IAUE.  However, if IAUE could put His spirit inside of us, then we would have access to what is inside of IAUE.  That is exactly the reason why IAUE has given us His Holy Spirit; that we “might know the things that are freely given to us of IAUE.”  The Holy Spirit “searches all things, yes, even the deep things of IAUE,” and then He “shows them unto us.”  How excellent and marvelous is that?!

Most of the promises of IAUE to us have a condition.  They require us to take a single step toward Him; then He floods us with the supply of that which He has promised us.  The Spirit of Truth has things of IAUE that have been inherited by Yahushua, which Yahushua wants us to know and to receive. They are freely given to those who love IAUE.  Messiah says that we demonstrate our love for him by keeping His commandments. Obedience to His will is the manifestation of our love for IAUE and Yahushua.

The run of the mill Christian has little or no access to the benevolence of IAUE because in their mind, they have not been forgiven of all that much.  They are just looking forward to going to Heaven when they die.  The one who understands that both his rebellious heart and the rebellious acts proceeding forth from his evil heart, acts that have fought and wrestled against the Kingdom of IAUE, have been forgiven, understands also the love of IAUE, for he knows that he has been forgiven much.  To that person the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, is prepared to reveal the deep things of IAUE unto him…things the mind could not even imagine…things we have never seen or heard before today. 

Understand this.  IAUE has said that He has prepared unimaginable, unseen and unheard of things ONLY for those who love Him.  It is written.  This isn’t IAUE being restrictive.  It is IAUE giving us the key to His heart.  It is written.  It is eternally secure for IAUE has spoken it.  If we love Him, the Spirit of Truth will reveal even the deep things of IAUE unto us.

Holy Spirit reveal unto us how great is the measure of the forgiveness we have received.  Show us how great was the sacrifice of our Master on our behalf, so that in being forgiven much we may love much; and in loving much we may cease from restraining the hand of IAUE’s kindness, mercy, and benevolence toward us.  Take the things of IAUE which we cannot even imagine, things which He has prepared for us who love Him, and show them unto us.  Spirit of Truth, help us to partake of your ministry unto us and to develop an intimacy with you that enables us to hear your voice and receive all that our Master Yahushua wants to reveal to us in order that we may demonstrate more accurately the love of IAUE and the Kingdom of IAUE to the world.

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Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance of the will of IAUE.

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THE HOLY SPIRIT - II (The Comforter/The Spirit of Truth)

WBS.182

FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

THE HOLY SPIRIT - II

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in IAUE with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Yahushua had to complete the job for which he came.  He had to suffer stripes to take away man’s sickness and disease. He had to die to take away man’s sins.  He had to rise from the dead to conquer sin and death.  He had to be exalted to the right hand of IAUE in order to administer his last will and testament, the New Covenant; and he had to send the promise of His Father, the Holy Spirit, to be a companion residing within his disciples.

In the Gospel of John, chapters 13-16, we see Yahushua teaching his disciples one last time before his arrest, trial and death.  Because Yahushua knew his time was very short, this was possibly his most important instruction of all.  They had just shared their last Passover supper; and this was His last opportunity to prepare them to be without his physical presence. 

He began by washing the feet of his disciples (including Judas), giving them an example that would cement in their minds forever that humility is still the most important quality of a disciple.  It was one of the very first things he taught them three years earlier; and one of the last things he demonstrated for them.  Through humility, his disciples would understand their Masters next command to love each other.  Their love for each other would mark them in the world as his disciples.

He told them that he was going to go and prepare a place where they could be with him forever. Then, the Master told them to believe in him; to believe in who he is, where he is and what he is.  A seemingly peculiar command given that they had been with him for three years and watched him do the impossible every single day; and yet, the Scripture tells us that they didn’t really believe until the end of this evening’s interaction with him.

Next, Yahushua told them that if they believed in him, they would do the same works he did; and even greater works.  Now, this part was not really new to them; because for quite some time, Yahushua had given them the authority and power over sickness, disease and demons; and all of them had been healing the sick and setting the oppressed free on a regular basis.  They had been doing this, however, while the Master was physically present with them.  They trusted in his word to them because he was with them; but he is preparing them now to be without him.  It would not have occurred to them that they could continue to do his works when he was not physically around to certify that authority and power was still available to them. This is why the Master added a phrase to that declaration.

John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

Messiah told them that they would be able to continue to do his mighty works and miracles, signs and wonders BECAUSE he was going to his Father.  His returning unto his Father would satisfy a condition that would enable something else to happen.  He then told them four times over the next several minutes how it is that they would be able to continue to do his works even though he would no longer be with them in person.

John 14: 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

John 16:7 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.

The first thing, therefore, that we can know with absolute assurance (that is, IF we believe in Yahushua) is that receiving the Holy Spirit guarantees that we will be able to continue to do the works that Yahushua did. Doing the works was an intrinsic part of preaching the gospel. It demonstrated the authority and power of the King and manifested the nature of his kingdom.

Acts 10:38 How Elohim anointed Yahushua of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for IAUE was with him.

Doing the works of Yahushua was an inextricable part of preaching the gospel.  Without the demonstration of the spirit and power of the Kingdom, the message was just words.

1 Corinthians 2:2 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of Elohim.

2 For I determined not to know anything among you, save Yahushua Messiah, and him crucified.

3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.

4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of IAUE.

Romans 15:18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Messiah hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed,

19 Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of IAUE; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Messiah.

What the church of Messiah, today, needs to understand is that despite every other ministry and purpose of the Holy Spirit in the earth today (and there are many), Messiah sent Him to us so we could continue to do his works…doing good and healing all who are oppressed of the devil. The Holy Spirit is given to enable the disciples, the believers in Yahushua Messiah, to advance the Kingdom of IAUE in the earth by dispossessing the devil of his works.  Yahushua conquered the kingdom of darkness and led captivity captive (Ephesians 4:8; Colossians 2:15).  We are to spread the news of that victory into every area of the world and terminate the things the enemy is still doing in rebellion against that victory. It is the enforcement of Messiah’s victory unto which we are called.

The term Messiah used three times for the Holy Spirit was “comforter.”  That is an unfortunate translation.  The word in the Greek, “parakletos” refers to one who comes beside to represent you and to speak on your behalf, as a counselor at law who represents you in court; an advocate who always has your best interests at heart and can press them forward on your behalf.  I suppose that IS comforting; but being a comforter is not His job. Now, if this is all we glean from John 14-16, is that He is called the parakletos, then we will think selfishly about His occupation with us.  The Holy Spirit does not come to represent the interests of our flesh or our unrenewed mind.  He is not given to make our dreams come true.  Just as Messiah refers to him thrice as the praakletos; he also thrice refers to him as:

John 14:17 the Spirit of truth

John 15:26 the Spirit of truth

John 16:13 the Spirit of truth

This identity is further defined by Yahushua:

John 16:13 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.

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

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

The Holy Spirit as the Spirit of truth, guides us into truth; specifically, the truth of our inheritance as heirs and joint heirs with Messiah.  Yahushua has inherited ALL THINGS THAT THE FATHER HAS; and we who are IN MESSIAH, have inherited the same.  So, as we go about doing the will of IAUE and spreading the gospel of the Kingdom; the Holy Spirit is constantly confirming to us that which we have in Messiah. We never find ourselves in a place of inadequacy; because whatever the need is, the supply is in Yahushua Messiah; and he is in us and we are in him; and the Holy Spirit comes alongside in every situation and circumstance and says, “I’ve got this.”  We never have to rely upon the flesh again.  We can walk “in the Spirit” and accomplish all the will of IAUE and do all the works of Yahushua.

If we are attacked with an illness or disease, the Spirit of Truth tells us, “Yahushua has borne our sicknesses and carried all our diseases (Isaiah 53:4).”  He speaks to us, “Bless IAUE oh my soul; and all that is within me bless His holy name.  Bless IAUE, oh my soul and forget not all His benefits; who forgives all our iniquities and heals all our diseases (Psalm 103:1-3)”

If we are disobedient and ridden with guilt or shame, the Spirit of Truth reminds us “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Messiah Yahushua, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:1).” He tells us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).”

If we are confronted with the sick or oppressed, the Spirit of Truth speaks to us “In my name the believer shall cast out demons…and they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover (Mark 16:17-18).”

There is not a circumstance where the Spirit of Truth cannot draw from our inheritance in Messiah Yahushua and show us that the provision for our every need is at our disposal.  The problem is most believers really aren’t “believers.”  They are subscribers to a religious culture that is based upon certain “doctrines.”  If we believe with the kind of conviction where we are willing to put our life in the balance, then when the Spirit of Truth brings to our remembrance the things of Yahushua that are also ours (which are “all things that the Father has”), we are armed with exactly what we need every single time.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in IAUE with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

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Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance of the will of IAUE.

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THE HOLY SPIRIT - I

WBS.181

FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

THE HOLY SPIRIT - I

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning Elohim created the heaven and the earth.

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of Elohim moved upon the face of the waters.

Once we allow our souls to embrace the reality that the spirit of Yahushua is literally inside of us; and we being to walk in the assurance that we are the sons of IAUE, then the great Firstborn, the Messiah, will begin to manifest himself in our lives in ways we can only imagine, today.

For 26 weeks we discussed the need for and the process to renew our mind.  We followed that with 17 weeks of discussion about the transformation of the soul. At the culmination of 43 weeks of study, we arrived at the simplicity of the gospel; that it is Yahushua Messiah in us, the exceedingly great and glorious treasure of IAUE living in us.  He expects of us the reasonable exchange of our lives for his life.  He died for all that all we who live should no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave himself for us.  That one simple decision will result in a life that will transform the soul and release the spirit of Messiah within us.

We know that when Yahushua was born, his spirit was perfect, righteous, pure and abiding in the light and life of his Father, IAUE; and yet, he did no miracle or mighty work, he preached no sermon, taught no lessons, healed no diseases, raised no dead, cleansed no lepers, cast out no demons until he received the Spirit of Elohim at his baptism.  Being in right standing with IAUE does not mean we have power.  It means that we are in a place where the grace of IAUE enables us to do His will.  Even Yahushua could not do what His Father called him to do without the enablement that comes through the Holy Spirit. IAUE equips us with what we need in order to do His will; and what IAUE wants us to do cannot be done in the strength and ability of our natural man.  (If our lives are not being marked by the supernatural, then either we have not received the Holy Spirit, or we are making little or no use of the Holy Spirit.)

WHO IS THIS HOLY SPIRIT?

The first place we see reference of Him is in the second verse of the Scriptures.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning Elohim created the heaven and the earth.

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of Elohim moved upon the face of the waters.

Notice in verse 1, it is Elohim that created the heaven and the earth; but in verse 2, it is Elohim’s “spirit” that is moving upon the face of the waters upon the earth.  The first time in Scripture the Spirit is referenced, He is called “the spirit of Elohim.” 

Let’s look at the primary ways the spirit of Elohim is identified in Scripture.

                                                            Old Testament            New Testament

The spirit of Elohim:                               14 times                      12 times

The spirit of IAUE:                                  26 times                        5 times

The Holy Ghost/Holy Spirit:                      3 times                       93 times

By simple analysis, if He is the spirit of Elohim AND the spirit of IAUE; then Elohim IS IAUE.  Of course, that Elohim is IAUE was no mystery to be discovered; but it is important for us to understand this. IAUE is supreme. IAUE is Elohim. The Holy Spirit is the spirit OF IAUE.  The Holy Spirit is not distinct and separate from IAUE any more than your spirit is separate and distinct from you.  Your spirit is a function and element of you. The Holy Spirit is a function and element of IAUE.   When you speak of the Holy Spirit, you are speaking of an attribute of the singular Creator of heaven and earth (Genesis 1:1).

There are many other ways to which the Holy Spirit is referred in Scripture, identifying some qualifying characteristic like, the spirit of wisdom, the spirit of the Father, the spirit of counsel, the spirit of might, the spirit of power, the spirit of judgment, the spirit of truth, the spirit of holiness.  He is also referred to in terms of the ministry He provides to the believer, such as: the comforter, the helper, the teacher.

The Holy Spirit, by whatever name or title, is mentioned less than half as many times in the 39 books of the Old Testament than He is in the 27 books of the New Testament.  Why is this?  The Scripture does not answer that question directly; but it is evident that men in the time prior to Messiah’s resurrection did not have the capacity for a relationship with IAUE in the way that we do, today.  The Holy Spirit would come upon people to accomplish a purpose and then departed.  [We know from Messiah’s own teaching that you cannot put new wine (the Holy Spirit) into an old wineskin (unregenerate man).]  In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit coming upon someone was somewhat rare; and when it occurred, the person upon whom He came was distinguished as such from all others.  The Holy Spirit’s participation with mankind generally was unknown prior to the resurrection of Messiah.  Messiah stated plainly that the world neither could receive the Spirit, nor see the Spirit, nor know the Spirit.  It is little wonder He is not often mentioned in the Old Testament.

John 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

In one of his final discourses with his disciples, Yahushua alerted his faithful to a coming experience for which they really could not be prepared. How do you explain what it will be like when the spirit of IAUE comes and takes up residence inside of your body?  When we read this verse in church or in our own personal study of the Scriptures, we tend to fail to comprehend to any degree the great significance of what the Master declared.  The Christian church has such a petty concept of the Spirit of IAUE.  This is what leads to such powerless living in the Body of Messiah, today.

Yahushua could have said it like this.  “While I have been with you, the spirit of my Father, the spirit of the great Elohim, has been with you because He has been in me; but this One who moved upon the surface of the waters in Genesis 1:2, this One who has been the power behind every single miracle you have ever see me do; this One who has given me words of such profound wisdom these past three years, the spirit of IAUE Elohim is going to be inside of YOU!”  

Is that really the way you think of the Holy Spirit?  Are you conscious of the spirit of the Creator being inside of you?  Would the way you live your life change, the choices you make change, the words you speak change, if you were constantly aware of the fact that the spirit of IAUE Elohim was inside of you?

Did you notice above that only three times is He called the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament; and yet that is the most common name given to Him in the New Testament? The word “holy” (qodesh in Hebrew, hagios in Greek) means to be pure, chaste, revered set apart. Because the Holy Spirit was not yet given to man to live inside of them, men were not set apart by the Spirit; thus He was not known as the separator of men.  In the New Testament, when the believer received the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, “the promise of the Father,” they were set apart unto IAUE by His presence within them.  Man becomes distinguished as being consecrated to IAUE. 

John 16:7 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.

Can you imagine hearing this as one of the disciples who had walked with Yahushua for three years?  You have spent every single day for three years by his side watching him heal the sick, cleanse the leper, raise the dead, cast out demons.  You have even done the same things yourself operating within the hub of his authority.  You have seen him confound the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the leaders of the synagogue, the rules of the Sanhedrin, and the politically minded priests and scribes (which would have been particularly enjoyable to watch).  Now, he tells you that it is better that he leaves you rather than staying any longer with you.  How could being without him be better than being with him?

“If I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you.”

“Ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”

Yahushua had to complete the job for which he came.  He had to suffer stripes to take away man’s sickness and disease. He had to die to take away man’s sins.  He had to rise from the dead to conquer sin and death.  He had to be exalted to the right hand of IAUE in order to administer his last will and testament, the New Covenant; and he had to send the promise of His Father, the Holy Spirit, to be a companion residing within his disciples.

Over the next few weeks, we will be looking into the purpose and the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the earth, today.

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Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance of the will of IAUE.

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