The Holy Spirit (Part 3)

pneuma (408 Times in the NT)

“pneuma” = The Root and General Word for “Spirit” (Sometimes “Wind” and “Breath” - 379 Times

“pneumatikos” = “Spiritual” - 26 Times

“pneumatikōs” = “Spiritually” - 2 Times

“theopneustos” = “Inspired By God” - 1 Time

Acts 5:3 (NASB95)

But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?

It’s Possible to Lie to the Holy Spirit

Essentially this is the Same Thing as Lying to God (vs.4)…

And Putting the Holy Spirit to the Test (vs.9)

Ananias and Sapphira Were Claiming to Be Acting in Accordance with the Spirit…

But They Were Lying

Acts 5:32 (NASB95)

“And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

The Apostles Were Defending Jesus and the Gospel Before the Sanhedrin…

And They Claimed that the Holy Spirit was a Witness, Along With Themselves…

To the Truth They Were Speaking About Jesus

That’s Exactly What Jesus Said the Holy Spirit Would Do

He Would Witness/Give His Testimony Alongside the Apostles of the Truth of Jesus

And He Did that Often By Giving Them the Words They Were to Say…

And By Performing Miraculous Signs Through Them

One Important Thing to Notice Here is:

They Said the Holy Spirit is Given to All Who Obey God

This is Further Proof of the Giving and Indwelling of the Spirit Himself

Acts 6:3–5 (NASB95)

“Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch.

Whether These Men Were the First Deacons or Not…

We See a Very Important Principle Here:

Servants of the Church Must Be Spirit-Filled People

You Don’t Just Appoint People to Certain Positions Because You Need Certain Positions Filled

You Appoint Qualified People or You Shouldn’t Appoint Anyone at All

The Church is Supposed to Be Filled with Spirit-Filled Leaders, Servants, and Christians

What Does Being Spirit-Filled Mean?

It Means Different Things Depending on the Context

It Could Mean They Have an Especially Great Amount of the Holy Spirit’s Miraculous Power Working Within Them

But if We Were to Say a Person is Filled with the Holy Spirit in Our Modern Context…

We Would Mean that Person Follows the Leading of the Holy Spirit

They Live According to the Holy Spirit and Therefore Carry the Attributes of Jesus

Paul Gives Us an Easy List to Go By in Galatians 5:22-23

Galatians 5:22–23 (NASB95)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

You Know a Person is Full of the Holy Spirit When They Exhibit These Traits in Their Everyday Life

They Love Others

They are Joyful

They Live in Peace and They Make Peace with Others

They are Patient and Long-Suffering

They are Kind

They are Good and Do What is Right

They Trust God and are Worthy of the Trust of Others

They are Humble, Meek, and Gentle

They are Self-Controlled in All Things

The Person Who Exhibits ALL of These Traits is Who We Would Consider “Full of the Holy Spirit”

These Things Don’t Come Through Forced Effort…

But By Growing Closer in Love and Faith Toward Jesus

The More We Get to Know Jesus…

And the More We Love and Trust Him…

The More Like Him the Holy Spirit Will Help Us to Become

Acts 6:9–10 (NASB95)

But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and argued with Stephen. But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.

What Does this Mean that Stephen Spoke with Wisdom and the Spirit?

The Way I See it There are 2 Interpretations:

1.) Spirit is Talking About Stephen’s Spirit (His Attitude and Demeanor)

Stephen Spoke with Wisdom, But Also With Integrity, Kindness, and Respect

2.) Spirit is Talking About the Holy Spirit

Jesus Promised the Holy Spirit Would Help Christians in Their Discussions with Non-Believers

Acts 7:51–53 (NASB95)

“You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.”

It’s Possible to Resist the Holy Spirit

God’s Spirit is Sent to Do His Will Amongst His People

But What Happens When His People Don’t Want His Spirit?

The Israelites Didn’t Want the Spirit-Filled Prophets

They Didn’t Want to Obey the Spirit-Given Law

And These 1st Century Jews Didn’t Want the Spirit-Filled Jesus

It’s Possible for Us Today to Resist the Holy Spirit as Well

To Resist His Word

To Resist His Transforming Work that is Supposed to Take Place Within Every Believer