{"id":3459,"date":"2015-08-29T00:25:37","date_gmt":"2015-08-29T07:25:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/?p=3459"},"modified":"2015-08-29T00:25:37","modified_gmt":"2015-08-29T07:25:37","slug":"829-ministry-of-the-holy-spirit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/2015\/08\/29\/829-ministry-of-the-holy-spirit\/","title":{"rendered":"8\/29: Ministry of the Holy Spirit (\u8bd7104:1-18 \u6797\u540e2:12-3:6 \u4ee3\u4e0b33:21-35:19)"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>\u8bfb\u7ecf\uff1a\u8bd7104:1-18 \u6797\u540e2:12-3:6 \u4ee3\u4e0b33:21-35:19<\/h2>\n<h2>Ministry of the Holy Spirit<\/h2>\n<div class=\"bioy-body\">\n<p>I remember the first time I prayed \u2018Come, Holy Spirit\u2019 on an Alpha Weekend. I knew that the Holy Spirit had \u2018come\u2019 every time those who had led the Alpha Weekends before me had asked him to come. Even so, I did not think he would come in answer to <em>my prayers<\/em> \u2013 as I prayed \u2018Come, Holy Spirit\u2019 I shut my eyes, because I did not want to see him \u2018<em>not <\/em>coming\u2019!<\/p>\n<p>When I opened my eyes, there was an amazing sight. The Holy Spirit<em> had come<\/em> in a powerful way \u2013 people were being filled. He was changing people\u2019s lives. This was the ministry of the Holy Spirit. That is why at some point in virtually every one of our services we pray \u2018Come, Holy Spirit\u2019. We always try to leave time for \u2018ministry\u2019 \u2013 for the Holy Spirit to <em>minister <\/em>to us.<\/p>\n<p>We often associate the word \u2018<em>minister<\/em>\u2019 with <em>leadership<\/em>, whether by government <em>ministers <\/em>or by church <em>ministers<\/em>. In fact, the word really means \u2018<em>to serve<\/em>\u2019. Politicians are called to <em>serve <\/em>their countries. Pastors are called to <em>serve <\/em>the church. Doctors, who ad<em>minister <\/em>treatment to their patients, are called to <em>serve <\/em>the sick and the dying.<\/p>\n<p>The Holy Spirit <em>ministers <\/em>to us. He brings authority greater than any politician, comfort deeper than any pastor, and healing more wonderful than any doctor. God <em>ministers <\/em>to us in the deepest part of our lives by the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n<p>The apostle Paul speaks of \u2018<em>the ministry of the Spiri<\/em>t\u2019 (2 Corinthians 3:8). Wonderfully, this type of ministry is available to us all. John Wimber defines this kind of ministry as \u2018meeting the needs of others with the resources of God\u2019. Paul writes about being \u2018<em>ministers<\/em> of a new covenant \u2013 not of the letter but of the <em>Spirit<\/em>\u2019 (v.6). What is this \u2018<em>ministry of the Spirit<\/em>\u2019 that you have been given?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bioy-body\">\n<h2>1. Ministry of \u2018wind\u2019 and \u2018flames of fire\u2019<\/h2>\n<p><a class=\"inline-reading\" href=\"http:\/\/classic.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Psalm%20104:1-18&amp;version=NIV&amp;interface=print\" target=\"_blank\">Psalm 104:1-18<\/a>This is a wonderful psalm praising God for his entire creation. Everything that God has created is good. I love the fact that in addition to \u2018<em>oil <\/em>to make their faces shine, and <em>bread <\/em>that sustains their hearts\u2019, he has made \u2018<em>wine <\/em>that gladdens human hearts\u2019 (v.15).<\/p>\n<p>Of course, like every good gift from God, wine can be abused. The Bible often warns against drunkenness. However, wine, like oil and bread, is given by God for our enjoyment and to gladden the heart of human beings.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier on the psalmist says, \u2018He makes <em>winds <\/em>his messengers, <em>flames of fire<\/em> his servants\u2019 (v.4). The word for \u2018messengers\u2019 can be translated \u2018angels\u2019 (see Hebrews 1:7). The word for \u2018servants\u2019 can be translated \u2018<em>ministers<\/em>\u2019 (see RSV, ESV, KJV).<\/p>\n<p>This passage is a fascinating Old Testament backdrop to the account of the day of Pentecost. When the Holy Spirit came, they heard \u2018a sound like the blowing of a violent <em>wind<\/em>\u2019 and they saw \u2018tongues<em> [flames] <\/em>of <em>fire<\/em>\u2019 that separated and came to rest on each of them (Acts 2:2\u20134).<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Wind\u2019 and \u2018flames of fire\u2019 are <em>God\u2019s ministers<\/em>. They symbolise the power, passion and purity of God. When we pray \u2018Come, Holy Spirit\u2019, we are expecting God to send the wind and fire of the Holy Spirit. Even if you do not see or hear actual flames or wind, expect the ministry of the Holy Spirit to be powerful and life changing.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Lord, thank you for the transformation in people\u2019s lives as they experience the power, passion and purity of God. Come, Holy Spirit and fill me today.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bioy-body\">\n<h2>2. Ministry that gives life<\/h2>\n<p><a class=\"inline-reading\" href=\"http:\/\/classic.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=2%20Corinthians%202:12-3:6&amp;version=NIV&amp;interface=print\" target=\"_blank\">2 Corinthians 2:12-3:6<\/a>How can you bring life to others? In this passage, Paul describes himself as a <em>minister <\/em>of a \u2018new covenant \u2013 not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit <em>gives life<\/em>\u2019 (3:6).<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Through you, people smell the sweet scent of Christ<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">\u2018Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance\u2019 (2:14b, MSG). Paul describes his ministry as being like that of a \u2018perpetual victory parade\u2019 (v.14a, MSG). When a king or general had won a notable victory, the whole city would turn out to welcome them home. They would bring with them the prisoners they had taken. It might well be accompanied by the \u2018sweet smell of incense\u2019.<\/p>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">For some (the prisoners) it was \u2018the smell of death\u2019 (v.16a). For others (the victors) it was the \u2018fragrance of life\u2019 (v.16b). Similarly, \u2018We give off a <em>sweet scent<\/em> rising to God, which is recognised by those on the way of salvation\u2026 But those on the way to destruction treat us more like the stench from a rotting corpse\u2019 (vv.14\u201315, MSG).<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Through you, people read about Jesus<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">The only Bible some people will read is your life. Paul writes that he does not need references. The Corinthians themselves \u2018are all the endorsement we need. Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it \u2013 not with ink, but with God&#8217;s living Spirit; not chiselled into stone, but carved into human lives \u2013 and we publish it\u2019 (3:1b\u20133, MSG).<\/p>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">Not everyone can or will read books \u2013 but everyone you encounter can, and will, read your life.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Through you, people hear about a relationship with Jesus<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">You should never say, \u2018I am useless\u2019, \u2018I can do nothing\u2019. You are able, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, to bring the good news of Jesus to others. This should give you great confidence \u2013 not self-confidence but <em>God<\/em>-confidence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">\u2018Such <em>confidence <\/em>as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but<em> our competence comes from God<\/em>\u2019 (vv.4\u20135).<\/p>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">The Holy Spirit gives you not just a new start in life, but also a new life to start with. The old covenant was the one made by God through Moses, but it did not have the power to make the people everything that God longed for them to be.<\/p>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">Because the people could not keep the law that was written on tablets of stone, ultimately it brought death \u2013 \u2018the letter kills\u2019 (v.6). On the other hand, the ministry of the Holy Spirit \u2013written in your heart \u2013 is a ministry that \u2018gives life\u2019 (v.6).<\/p>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">The Holy Spirit brings a change in human nature. Never say, \u2018I can\u2019t change\u2019. With the Holy Spirit you <em>can <\/em>change.<\/p>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">It is the difference between a religion of rules and regulations (which ultimately none of us are able to keep) and a relationship with God through Jesus, which brings life, and life in all its fullness (John 10:10).<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Lord, thank you that the Holy Spirit brings life to people. Thank you so much for this ministry where time and again we see the Spirit giving life to people who were spiritually dead.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bioy-body\">\n<h2>3. Ministers of a new covenant<\/h2>\n<p><a class=\"inline-reading\" href=\"http:\/\/classic.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=2%20Chronicles%2033:21-35:19&amp;version=NIV&amp;interface=print\" target=\"_blank\">2 Chronicles 33:21-35:19<\/a>Tim Keller defines a covenant as \u2018the solemn, permanent, whole self-giving of two parties to each other. It is a stunning blend of both law and love\u2026 a relationship much more intimate and loving than a mere legal contract could create, yet one more enduring and binding than personal affection alone could make.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Paul writes, God has \u2018made us competent as ministers of a <em>new <\/em>covenant\u2019 (2 Corinthians 3:6). He contrasts this with the <em>old <\/em>covenant. Here we see something about this old covenant.<\/p>\n<p>After Amon, who was an evil king who \u2018did not humble himself before the Lord\u2019 (2 Chronicles 33:23), Josiah became king at the age of eight (34:1). His faith came alive when he was sixteen years of age and \u2018he began to seek the God of his father David\u2019 (v.3). He cleansed Judah and Jerusalem of all the bad stuff and scrubbed the place clean (vv.3\u20137, MSG). He \u2018repaired and restored the temple\u2019 (v.10).<\/p>\n<p>While they were doing so they \u2018found the Book of the Law of the Lord that had been given through Moses\u2019 (v.14). By looking at the old covenant they saw that \u2018they had not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book\u2019 (v.21).<\/p>\n<p>God spoke to them through the prophetess Huldah (v.22). (Again, here in the Old Testament we see a woman in a prominent position in ministry.)<\/p>\n<p>In the hearing of the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, the priests and the Levites, Josiah read \u2018all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord\u2019 (v.30). He \u2018solemnly committed himself to <em>the covenant<\/em>: to follow God believingly and obediently; to follow his instructions, heart and soul, on what to believe and do; to confirm with his life the entire covenant\u2019 (v.31, MSG).<\/p>\n<p>The old covenant was a good covenant. But, it was written on tablets of stone.<\/p>\n<p>The problem was that even when, as in the time of Josiah, the people did try to keep the law, it never lasted very long. The outward reformation lasted only as long as Josiah was there to enforce it. Ultimately, they failed to keep it (see Jeremiah 11\u201313).<\/p>\n<p>The law shows us our need for a saviour. We can only keep God\u2019s covenant when we receive forgiveness from Jesus and, by the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the law is written in our hearts.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Lord, thank you that we are \u2018ministers of a new covenant\u2019. Thank you that your law is not just on tablets of stone, but is now written in our hearts by the Spirit who enables us to walk in him and to minister in his power.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"bioy-body\">Pippa Adds<\/h2>\n<div class=\"bioy-body\">\n<p><strong>2 Chronicles 34:3<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2018In the eighth year of his reign, <em>while he was still young<\/em>, [Josiah] began to seek the God of his father David.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Josiah was sixteen. You are never too young to have a relationship with God or to have an anointing for leadership.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>\u8bfb\u7ecf\uff1a\u8bd7104:1-18 \u6797\u540e2:12-3:6 \u4ee3\u4e0b33:21-35: <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/2015\/08\/29\/829-ministry-of-the-holy-spirit\/\" title=\"8\/29: Ministry of the Holy Spirit (\u8bd7104:1-18 \u6797\u540e2:12-3:6 \u4ee3\u4e0b33:21-35:19)\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":148,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bibleinoneyear"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3459"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3459\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3460,"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3459\/revisions\/3460"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}