Week Eleven, Day One

The Holy Spirit

It is a difficult thing to understand that when you accept Christ into your life, the Holy Spirit moves within you and takes permanent residence in your life; marking you forever as a child of God and anointing (equipping) you for Christian service. The Holy Spirit is an equal person of the Trinity of God. The Holy Spirit is not “it” or less than God or even the “latest form of God.” God has always been one and has always been three; Father, Son, Spirit.

Study 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 or Ephesians 1:13-14.

Once the Holy Spirit comes to indwell (live in) your heart, He never leaves. His presence brings change and new life.

Study 1 Corinthians 6:19 and 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Include the following in your personal prayer time:

• Thank God for the gift of the Holy Spirit and for making His presence in your life a permanent thing.
• Ask God to help you understand what it means that His Holy Spirit lives inside of you.

 

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
Study Titus 3:5-6.

 

 

Week Eleven, Day Two

The Indwelling vs. the Filling of the Holy Spirit

The “indwelling” (coming to live within) of the Holy Spirit happens only once in a person’s life, at the moment you accept Christ. He stays with you through your good decisions and the bad. However, the Holy Spirit’s presence in your heart does not prevent you from sinning. Though the Holy Spirit will guide, teach, and warn you against sin, you still have the ability to sin after you accept Christ. When you make poor choices, it grieves the Holy Spirit within you, interrupts your communication with God and distracts you from following God.

Study John 14:15-17 and Ephesians 4:29-32.

God commands all believers to be filled with (controlled by) the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit never leaves you, but you can make decisions to ignore God, not have prayer time with him, not study His word or do something that you know is wrong. When you choose to not walk God’s way or not take in His word, you are choosing not to be directed by God. If you had a drinking glass full of stones, you could fill the glass with water; but you really do not have a full glass of water, most of the glass is full of rocks. If you took the rocks out of the glass you would see that there is much more room for water. That is a simple picture of being filled with the Spirit. Asking God to help you remove anything in your life that distracts you from Him and then filling your life with His power, love, wisdom and presence.

Because being filled with the Spirit is a direct result of your choice whether or not to submit to God’s will for you as a believer, that “filling” can come and go. In the book of Acts, we read about the disciples being filled with (or controlled by) the Holy Spirit long after they initially received the permanent gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:31). You must continually dedicate your life to following God if you want to stay filled with (controlled by) the Holy Spirit and experience God’s power in your life.

Study Ephesians 5:18 and Galatians 5:25.

Include the following in your personal prayer time:

• Ask God for the desire to please Him in your thoughts, actions, and attitudes.
• Commit to be filled with the Spirit so that you can experience life in Christ the way that God intended for you to experience it.

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
Study Romans 12:1-2.

 

 

Week Eleven, Day Three

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

One way that the Holy Spirit enables a believer for service is by giving that believer one or more spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts are not places of service or titles (like a Sunday school teacher, preacher, missionary), but are God-given abilities that are given to each follower of Jesus to help the church function best. God gives the people of each local church a mixture of gifts so that the ministry can be done as the people of the church serve together.

Study 1 Peter 4:10-11.

Let’s look at some of the spiritual gifts listed in scripture.

Study Ephesians 4:11-12.

Note that spiritual gifts are given for the purpose of spiritual service, not for the glory of the one possessing the gift. Though they are given at salvation, spiritual gifts should be developed in order to be used more effectively.

Include the following in your personal prayer time:

• Thank God for your spiritual gifts. If you don’t know what they are, ask Him to reveal them to you through your service to the church.
• Commit to use your spiritual gifts for God’s glory and not your own.

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
Study 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.

 

 

Week Eleven, Day Four

“The Holy Spirit is the framework within which the church exists and moves…. Whatever we seek to accomplish within God’s will for the church happens, or should happen, through the power of the Holy Spirit. If we step outside of the Spirit’s influence, we then are acting outside of what God has intended and created the church to be.” –Todd, Youth Pastor

The Ministry of the Holy Spirit

Study the following passages of scripture and see if you can determine what some of the other ministries of the Holy Spirit are.

Study John 16:12-15, Romans 8:13-16 and Romans 8:26-27.

Include the following in your personal prayer time:

• Thank God for the chance to experience God through the Holy Spirit living inside of you.
• Commit to lean on the Holy Spirit for guidance.

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
Study John 7:37-39.

 

 

Week Eleven, Day Five

Angels

Angels are powerful spirit beings created by God for God before the creation of the world. They are not reincarnated human beings. Though it may be comforting to think that loved ones who have passed on may continue to guide and protect us as angels, it simply is not true. We do not become angels when we die; people and angels are distinctly different creations of God.

Study Hebrews 1:1-14.

Throughout scripture, we see angels doing God’s bidding, making announcements, and standing by to be summoned by God. Study the following passages and see if you can determine the value of angels in a believer’s life.

Study Acts 27:21-24 and Luke 16:19-22.

Include the following in your personal prayer time:

• Thank God for creating you the way that He did, with the ability to become His child, an opportunity that the angels, though powerful, do not have. 1 Peter 1:10-12
• Thank God for the ministry of angels in your life.

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
Study Luke 2:4-15.

 

 

The Weekend

Suggested Reading: Judges 13:1-25, 16:1-20.

This is the story of Samson, a judge of the Old Testament. As you study, think about what you have learned about the Holy Spirit’s power in the life of a follower of God. What role does the Holy Spirit play in Samson’s life? What happens when a follower of God chooses friendship with the world over his/her relationship with God?

Remember to work on your scripture memory!