Holy Spirit

[Jesus said,] "You're the first to hear and see [the fulfillment of the prophecies about the Messiah]. You're the witnesses. What comes next is very important: I am sending what my Father promised to you, so stay here in the city until [the Holy Spirit] arrives, until you're equipped with power from on high."

—Luke 24:48-49 MESSAGE

Key Thought
"You're the witnesses!" Jesus wanted his closest followers to know that they had experienced some things that were...

 

[Jesus said,] "Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin." He said this because [the teachers of the law] were saying, "He has an impure spirit."

—Mark 3:28-30 NIV

Key Thought
The first part of this Scripture strikes fear in some folks because they sometimes are afraid they may be guilty of this sin. However, in this context...

 

[Stephen said to the Sanhedrin,] "You stubborn people! You are heathens at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That's what your ancestors did, and so do you! Name one prophet your ancestors didn't persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One — the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. You deliberately disobeyed God's law, even though you received it from the hands of angels."

—Acts 7:51-53 NLT

Key Thought...

 

Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.

—1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 NIV

Key Thought
We can quench — or turn off — the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in our churches. We can do this by accepting things that seem spiritual but are actually evil. We also can do this by despising what is true and good. John warned Jesus' followers to test the spirits to make sure they were not following...

 

What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.

—1 Corinthians 2:12 NIV

Key Thought
We sometimes get frustrated when people outside of Christ do not seem to be able to understand the teaching of Scripture. However, we must not forget that there are two realities to the truth of Scripture that non-believers do not experience. First, the Holy Spirit, who inspired Scripture and uses Scripture...

 

My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God's power.

—1 Corinthians 2:4-5 NIV

Key Thought
When the good news of Jesus is preached, the Holy Spirit is at work making the message powerful. The "demonstration of the Spirit's power" may refer to miracles that accompanied the preaching of the message of Jesus (Hebrews 2:1-4). However, in the context...

 

But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses...

 

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

—Ephesians 6:17 NIV

Key Thought
The Scriptures are inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and the Spirit helps us understand the will of God (1 Corinthians 2:6-16). God's message of truth is much more than just the words of mere mortals; it is God's will given by his Spirit (1 Thessalonians 4:8). Scripture has its origins in the Spirit of God, even though it was proclaimed by human...

 

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

—Ephesians 6:18 NLT

Key Thought
"Pray in the Spirit ...!" Paul is asking believers to pray consciously recognizing that the Spirit given them when they came to Christ (Ephesians 1:13) gives them direct access to God. That access allows them to pray what is on their hearts (Ephesians 2:18; cf. Romans 8:26-27) and to ask for knowledge, power, and...

 

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

—Ephesians 5:18-21 NIV

Key Thought
When people are drunk, we say they are "under the influence." When a person is a follower of Jesus...