BIBLE STUDY AUDIO
TEACHIINGS FOR YOUR EDIFICATION AND BRINGING YOU TO THE FULLNESS OF THE STATURE OF CHRIST
Our Bible Study audio messages can be accessed from here. These are teachings recorded in the course of our weekly serialised Bible Study meetings for your spiritual edification and development.
Besides the audio, the conclusion/summary of the message is also displayed. This notwithstanding, the full Bible Study outline can also be accessed from the link indicated at the end of the conclusion/summary.
We pray that the Holy Spirit will speak to you as you listen.
Now That the Holy Spirit is in You (4): The Teacher Lives In You
The Holy Spirit is indeed the Teacher who lives within us. We have no need to travel to a school in order to be educated, rather, our Teacher lives in us. This means that there really should not be any ignorant Christian (for the Holy Spirit teaches us all things and guides us into all truth)! And in the course of our studies, we can rest assured that when we face the examiner, the devil, our Teacher, the Holy Spirit, will be there to remind us of all He has taught us.
As the One Who teaches us all things, our Teacher, the Holy Spirit, instructs us in God’s way, interprets Scriptures and events to us, and illustrates what God is seeking to communicate to us so that we are able to receive understanding. As our Guide into all truth, He progressively leads us in the paths of righteousness, gently but firmly prods us to walk in the paths of truth, and, He enables and encourages us to practically live out the word of God in our daily lives. As One Who reminds us of all things, He helps us to recall, at the time when they are needed, the things that we would not otherwise have remembered; and, He recounts and rehearses things to us, so that they are constantly before us, and do not forget such significant things. And like good students, we must be teachable (gladly assimilating what we have been taught); we must apply what we have been taught in every area of our lives, otherwise, the teachings will do us no good; and we must be prepared to face the examiner at any time, and thus prove that we have been truly taught of God!
As we face life’s challenges and the temptations of the devil, we must remember that we have been taught by the best Teacher there ever will be, and that He is within us, and will give us the wherewithal to pass the examination of the tempter.
Go to full Bible Study Outline
Now That the Holy Spirit is in You (5.1): He Will Speak to You
In the Holy Spirit, the believer in Christ has a complete resource for his development and growth in spiritual things, because everything that the believer needs to live a full and godly life, the Lord Jesus Christ provides through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit leads and directs us in our walk (mannerism), and in His work (ministry). The Holy Spirit’s leading and direction may be in the form of information, or instruction or both, and, it may come as an encouragement, a warning, a discussion, etc.; in which He is telling us about what He wants us to do, where He wants us to go, how He wants us to do certain things, etc. The Holy Spirit speaks to the believer in different ways, either, directly (which can be by an audible voice, an inner voice in the spirit of the believer, an impression in the spirit, a dream, a vision, a trance, etc.), or indirectly (essentially, through other believers, and sometimes through unbelievers, or through circumstances). The Holy Spirit’s speech to us can come as the spiritual gifts of word of wisdom, word of knowledge, and discerning of spirits.
When the Holy Spirit speaks to the believer, the focus is always about glorifying the Father and Christ, and the things of the kingdom of God, including the things to come, that is, future events. Even when it appears that His speech is personal, the undertone of such personal conversation will be tied to the Father, the Son, and the kingdom of God. The Holy Spirit has been given to indwell each believer in Christ, so that the believer will not be ignorant about the things of God and of His kingdom. Therefore, as a believer, you don’t need to go and seek men to tell you about the Father, the Son, the future, the things happening around you, etc.—the Holy Spirit will tell you about those things as at when it becomes necessary. You don’t need to heap for yourself, teachers and prophets (2 Timothy 4:3-4); the Holy Spirit will either lead you to the appropriate teacher(s) or send people to you as the need arises; and when this happens, you will know of a certainty that He has indeed sent them to you—you will not be guessing, for the Holy Spirit will bear witness within you that He has sent them to you, as well as use a preponderance of His message by the mouth of two or three witnesses to confirm to you if necessary (1 John 4:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21)!
Go to full Bible Study Outline
Now That the Holy Spirit is in You (5.2): He Will Speak Through You
Another of the things the Holy Spirit does when He comes to indwell you, is to speak, testify, give honest report, or bear witness of the Lord Jesus Christ—His pre-incarnate Person; His Incarnation; His earthly life and ministry; His death, resurrection, and ascension; and the essence of all that Christ embodies for you, as a believer in Christ. This is what the bible refers to as the testimony of Jesus, which is the same thing as prophecy! Indeed, the vital principle of prophecy is to testify about Jesus, and these testimonies are documented in the bible—both in the Old and the New Testaments, especially in the Epistles, where the figures or types of Christ in Old Testament rites are revealed in the reality of the Person of Christ (Hebrews 8:1ff; 9:1ff; 10:1ff).
After the Holy Spirit has sanctified you, taught you all things, and led you into all truth, He will speak through you to those who do not know the truth about Jesus and the kingdom of God, thus, making you a channel for communicating His truth to the world, and a bearer of the witness of Christ (which is both how we live for God in this dark world and what we declare about Jesus to the world). In times of persecution, you need not be troubled, neither worried, nor afraid; all you need is, to be surrendered to the Holy Spirit and He will speak the testimony of Jesus through you. Hence, in our prayers, we should not only seek to know God and His kingdom, but we should also ask that utterance or boldness be granted us so that we can declare, both verbally and by the way we live, the truth about Jesus, and the mystery of the gospel and the kingdom of God!
All that the Holy Spirit does through you with regard to Him communicating the things of the kingdom of God through you to others is manifested through the spiritual gifts of tongues, interpretation of tongues, and prophecy. And as we manifest these spiritual vocal gifts, the conviction that leads sinners to the foot of the cross for redemption will begin to take effect with the result of true revival in the land.
Go to full Bible Study Outline
The Essence of the Holy Spirit In Our Lives (1)
Even though you have been born again of the Spirit of God, you still have the choice of how you want to live. The choices available to you are, either to live in the flesh or to live in the Spirit. To live in the flesh is to permit the old sinful nature to continue to exercise its influence in the way and manner you conduct yourself; whereas, to live in the Spirit, is to yield yourself to the influence of the Holy Spirit, and so be led by Him.
If a person chooses to live or walk in the flesh, he would be mindful of earthly, fleshly, or carnal things. His entire focus will be on how to gratify himself, how he can be accepted by people, and he will be unable to obey God’s word, no matter how hard he may try. But if a person chooses to live or walk in the Spirit, he would be mindful of heavenly, godly, or spiritual things. A person whose disposition is towards the Spirit of God will seek only how to gratify the Spirit; how he can please God, and as such, be willing and able to obey God without reservation.
More importantly, however, when a person chooses to live for God, that is, to walk in the Spirit, he will be able to fulfil the demands of the Law of God, because the Holy Spirit will enable him to live for God, and, to live as God wants him to, which is what the Law demands. So, he is not only justified by faith in Christ Jesus, but also by works through his faith in Christ Jesus (James 2:14-26). In his union with Christ, the believer receives the life of God (1 John 5:12), and will live in a manner that is pleasing to God, as Christ did while He was here on earth in the flesh.
Also, as the believer allows the Holy Spirit to rule over his life, godly fruitfulness will be the result, which will manifest as answered prayers, love for other believers, and he will be entrusted with the mysteries of the gospel and of the kingdom of God. Indeed, godly fruitfulness is the essence of the operation of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life, because God wants to answer the believer’s prayers, and show him off as His very own (1 Peter 2:9-10)! There is indeed, a kind of fruit which accompanies the person who chooses to live for himself—such fruit is full of corruption and decadence, and, leads to death; whereas, a person who lives for God as influenced by the Holy Spirit bears fruit which is godly and which leads to eternal life. Therefore, there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, and who choose not to live as the flesh or sinful nature in them dictates, but who rather choose to live as the Holy Spirit dictates. For such people, everlasting life is guaranteed and certain!
Fruitfulness is God’s way of approving of His own children, and also of showing an unbelieving world what He is able to do in the life of anyone who truly commits to Him, and yields to His Spirit. Next week, we shall examine the kind of fruit God produces in us and through us, when we yield to His Spirit; but for now, let us ask that God will keep us in Christ, and that Christ will also remain in us, so that we can truly be fruitful after a godly sort.
Go to full Bible Study Outline
The Essence of the Holy Spirit In Our Lives (2)
Fruitfulness can be defined as abounding in fruit, being productive, or, as the showing forth of good results. Fruitfulness in the strict sense of the word applies to an abundance of good fruit, positive productivity, and, abounding in righteous acts. Hence, if a tree produces an abundance of corrupt fruits, it is not said to be fruitful; but is corrupt! A pond that is full of piranhas cannot be said to be a fruitful pond—it is a dangerous and deadly pond! Similarly, a tree which ought to bear good fruit, but only has a show of leaves, is not a fruitful tree, because it bears no fruits on it! Indeed, a tree which ought to bear fruit, but which only has leaves on it, is deceitful, because, leaves on a fruit-bearing tree is indicative of fruit beginning to appear. It was this deceptive appearance of the fig tree which made the Lord Jesus to curse the fig tree. But more significantly, is the fact that this story is relevant to those people who say that they are Christians, but do not manifest the nature of Christ! Such people are in danger of being cursed and cut off by the Lord.
To be fruitful, therefore, a believer in Christ must manifest the fruit of the Spirit, which is, love, peace, joy, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness (meekness), and self-control, all rolled into one. It is not the fruit of the Spirit if one element is missing. The fruit of the Spirit is the result which manifests in the life of a person who habitually walks and lives in the Spirit, and who has yielded himself completely to the control and guidance of the Holy Spirit [The Amplified Bible]. For a person to get to the place where he is yielding to the control of the Holy Spirit, he must have crucified the old sinful nature, along with its passions and desires. Such crucifixion is possible only when we are fully devoted, dedicated, and enveloped in Christ. Hence, when a person is truly in Christ, he cannot be dominated by sin or the sinful nature, having died to and is separated from sin; he cannot be influenced by sin or the selfish nature, having yielded himself to the influence and control of the Holy Spirit; and, he cannot be enslaved by sin, having given himself over to being a slave to righteousness and indeed to God!
The crucified life is only the beginning of fruitfulness which the Holy Spirit works in the believer in Christ. Nonetheless, it is an essential part of the death, burial, and resurrection of the believer unto a newness of life in Christ Jesus (Galatians 6:14-15; 2:19-21). To be crucified is to be dead to everything you were once alive to in your sinful state; and it will manifest in your being alive unto God, and to God alone!
Go to full Bible Study Outline
The Essence of the Holy Spirit In Our Lives (3)
Our God is a God of plan and purpose. He knows the end from the beginning; so, when He made man, it was clear, He knew what he wanted to achieve—man’s fruitfulness/multiplication and his exercise of dominion over all of God’s creation, including the devil and his demons! Unfortunately, Adam and Eve became corrupted as a result of the Fall in the Garden of Eden. In order for God to achieve His purpose, which is through man, God had to redeem and sanctify man through the blood of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, respectively; thus enabling God to obtain the right ‘seed’. Every redeemed and sanctified man is the right ‘seed’, which is capable of possessing the nature of Christ, and has the potential of possessing the fruit of the Spirit, and reproducing its own kind, through which the devil and his cohorts can be subdued!
Now that God has redeemed man, He plants him in His courts/house—the place (location and position) where the redeemed man will be able to realize his full potential, be fruitful, multiply, and be able to exercise dominion over His creation, including the devil and his cohorts. The Holy Spirit is involved in planting and nurturing the redeemed man, so that he can be fruitful and multiply after his kind (John 3:6), and be able to exercise dominion over God’s creation. Unfortunately, when God comes to His house, the Church, for fruit, He finds them unfruitful—neither bearing fruit, nor multiplying good fruit—and God’s purpose is sadly delayed. He then seeks to cut the unfruitful Christian away, cast him into the fire—hell, and have him replaced. However, the Holy Spirit, Who is our Advocate, makes intercessions on our behalf before God, and asks for more time for the unfruitful Christians to be given special attention by Him, after which God is free to do whatever He wants—cut them off from His kingdom!
Go to full Bible Study Outline
The Essence of the Holy Spirit In Our Lives (4)
If the believer in Christ is going to be fruitful, a critical aspect needs to be dealt with from the outset. Having been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, the redeemed must be planted by God in the most appropriate ‘soil’, that is, an appropriate local church assembly, where he will receive nourishment and grow. Insisting on attending a particular church because it is close to your home or because it is where your friends attend will not cut it. Although a person may begin by attending church on such premise, it is clear that God will soon move him and plant him where he is going to benefit the most for the purpose of fruitfulness. This is what the bible refers to as baptism into One body, by the Holy Spirit. It is only when God, through the Holy Spirit, plants a person that he is truly established, taking root downward in the ‘soil nutrient’ of God’s love, and bearing the fruit of the Spirit upward, which is characterized as a result, by the God-kind-of-love for all men.
Once the matter of planting has been successfully dealt with, the next issue is with the growth of the planted Christian. The growth of the Christian which results in fruitfulness is based on him imbibing sound Christian teachings. Initially, these teachings will take the form of the fundamental principles of Christ, namely; repentance from dead works, faith toward God, teachings about baptisms, of laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. These foundational teachings are the milk of the word of God which helps to prepare the Christian for strong meat, characterized by deeper teachings of the word of God. It is such indepth teaching, when imbibed and put to practice, that makes a Christian to begin to bear fruit. The early apostles realized the essence of growth through sound doctrine, and refused to let ‘serving tables’ distract them from their primary assignment, which is to teach the undiluted word of God. Indeed, when the Lord Jesus gave gifts to men, it was for this very purpose—to bring the body of Christ to the place of perfection; the place of fruitfulness. All these teachings are the teachings of the Holy Spirit through the servants of God; hence, it produces the result of fruitfulness.
We see that the Holy Spirit is not a passive spectator, but a very active participant, Who is involved in every stage of the fruit-bearing process. The questions for you tonight are: (a) “Have you allowed the Holy Spirit to plant you where He wants?” (b) “Are you teachable?” and, (c) “Are you responding positively to the Holy Spirit’s teachings, either directly, or through His appointed ministers?”
Go to full Bible Study Outline
The Essence of the Holy Spirit In Our Lives (5)
As the Holy Spirit teaches us, He also prepares us to be tested for strength of character, through trials, tribulations, persecution, problems, challenges, and adversity, which we can group as, “Suffering for Christ” or “Suffering for the gospel”. These sufferings are not meant to trip us up, devastate us, or make us fall into the temptation of the devil; rather, they are there to enable us acquire endurance or perseverance, build us up in faith toward God, and develop Christian character, based on a living hope––the fruit of the Spirit.
Your suffering for Christ is very good for you because it proves the endurance of your faith through obedience to God, makes you release the kind of fruit which God delights in, and prepares you for eternity with Christ, where you shall reign in glory with Him. One very significant aspect of suffering for Christ is that it is the will of God for your life! Everyone who is a true believer in Christ is expected to release the Christ-kind of fruit in him, in times of suffering, which manifests and blossoms the most, under the pressure of such sufferings, than at any other time. If you don't suffer for Christ, the fruit of the Spirit cannot be released by you, and you will not reign with Christ in eternity. Our suffering for Christ is unpleasant to the flesh, because it kills flesh, but edifies our spirits, and causes the release of the fruit of the Spirit, which is the true nature of Christ.
During our Lord’s life and ministry, He was able to release the fruit of the Spirit, as a result of His obedience to His Father, when He was tested (His sufferings); and God, His Father, was delighted in Him, and He became the Author of eternal salvation, and was given a name above every other name (Philippians 2:5-11). Nothing less is required of us by our heavenly Father!
The fruit of your obedience to God and His word regardless of extraneous conditions or situations, guarantees your eternity with God, for this is your holiness unto God (Hebrews 12:14)! And for this very purpose the Holy Spirit is available to every one of us (believers in Christ); and He works effectually in you to will and to do of His good pleasure, as you persist and prevail in prayers, and as you persevere in patience, thus enabling you to be dependably and enduringly fruitful, to the delight of God, our heavenly Father.
Go to full Bible Study Outline
The Essence of the Holy Spirit In Our Lives (5.2): Temptation or Testing (1)
Although temptation and testing are different in that the former is of the devil, while the latter is of God; yet the result of either, can reveal the failure of the believer in Christ to adhere to God’s word, or his resolve to hold fast on to God no matter what.
Concerning temptation and testing, it is important that we note the following:
1. God cannot tempt the believer in Christ to do evil; but He can, and does test us to see whether or not we will obey Him. God’s test is really to prove if we are truly dependent on Him and totally devoted to Him in all that we do. Hence, God can, and does orchestrate tough and rough times, and then watch to see whether or not we would follow Him and do His word. If we hold on to His word, and endure, He comes into that situation and stays with us in, and through the difficulty so that we are able to endure it. If not, then we make ourselves open to the devil, who will then come and bring condemnation upon us.
2. The devil is the tempter, and it is he who tempts believers to do evil. His goal in tempting believers is to make them sin against God, so that they can be condemned and confined to hell with him (the devil) and his demons.
3. As much as God will never tempt believers in Christ to do evil, He nonetheless takes advantage of the devil’s role of tempter, and allows him to tempt us so that He can prove to the devil that His children (believers in Christ) will not yield to the devil’s temptation, and as a result, reveal God’s glory in them, to the shame of the devil, but to the delight of God. So, we can imagine how shameful it is, when we fall into the temptation of the devil!
4. God has, however, put resources at the disposal of the believer in Christ, so that he is able to overcome the devil and defeat his every wile. These resources include depending on truth (the word of God), no matter what; ensuring that your right-standing in God is not compromised; being prepared to preach the gospel in and out of season; holding on to your faith in God, which has great recompense; ensuring that your salvation is not rubbished; holding fast to, and declaring the word of God to counter every word spoken by the devil; and using the weapon of prayer with which to repel every satanic attack.
5. Know that God is nearer to you than you can imagine, in temptation and testing, suffering with you, sharing your pain, and comforting and strengthening you.
Go to full Bible Study Outline
The Essence of the Holy Spirit In Our Lives (5.3): Temptation or Testing (2)
Temptation is an attempt to get the believer in Christ to act or live contrary to the word of God. Temptation is successful, when the desire of the believer in Christ is at variance with the desire or will of God, resulting in the believer being drawn away by the lure of the devil. Sin is born as a result of the intercourse between our selfish desires and the devil’s appeal to, or lure of the flesh, ultimately resulting in eternal death! Similarly, many believers in Christ fail the test of God, and fall into the hands of the devil because they are mindful of the things of the flesh and its concerns.
One thing that can make for the success or failure of the believer in Christ in times of testing or temptation is the flesh! If the flesh is alive and active in a believer in Christ, he will fail the test of God and fall into the temptation of the devil; but if the flesh has been crucified and put to death, the loyalty and dedication of the believer in Christ to God is proven, and he is able to overcome temptation. Hence, if we are to succeed in our endeavour to be fruitful, we must deal decisively with the flesh. And the way to do this is to submit ourselves to the circumcision of our hearts by the Lord, which will then enable us to obey God and His word regardless of the circumstance or condition under which we live. The ‘circumcision of the flesh’ is really the ‘cutting off’ of that part of man that desires to sin and do evil. It is the getting rid of things that can defile a believer in Christ and the things that do not glorify God in his life. It is a work of grace by the Holy Spirit, and is really what is known as sanctification.
The sanctified believer in Christ is not concerned with whether or not a situation is one of testing or temptation; all he is concerned with, is doing the will of God! Let us, therefore, resolve to mortify the flesh which is in us, so that God can be glorified in our lives, through our obedience to God.
Go to full Bible Study Outline
The Essence of the Holy Spirit In Our Lives (6.1): The Work of Grace
The bestowal of all that pertains to life and godliness, and of the promises which are exceeding great and precious, are a work of grace which the Holy Spirit does in the life of every believer in Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the power of God, does everything that is needful for the believer to have all that He (Christ) has prepared for Him, through the Holy Spirit, and the word of God (2 Thessalonians 2:13-15). The Holy Spirit is Himself, the power of God in operation in the life of every believer in Christ, as well as the greatest and most precious of the promises of God to the New Testament believer! The word of God is also the power of God that brings about the salvation of souls, as well as the means of conveying the promises of God to the believer.
But for all that has been bestowed on the believer in Christ, he will not be able to experience that full and godly life, unless he has an intimate and experiential knowledge of God. This knowledge of God, which must be borne out of a relationship occasioned by the saving grace of Christ, and constant fellowship with God, is the very essence of the Holy Spirit in the life of every believer—bringing the believer to the true worship of God; hatred of, and departure from evil; and, obedience to God and His word. Furthermore, God’s exceeding great and precious promises is an assurance to the believer that he indeed has the nature of God in him, and will doubtless escape the corruption of the world and its consequences through sinful desires, because God’s promises are His word, and find expression and experience in Christ Jesus—the eternal “Yes”!
All these (holiness, glory and virtue, Christ-likeness, escape from corruption of the world, etc.) are the work of grace, and, the first step in the plan of God for you! The next stage of God’s plan is the subject of next week’s study, and must be present if step one is to be meaningful. May we ask, at this time, that you give thanks to God for His work of grace which you do not deserve, but which He did anyway; and also, that His work of grace will be manifest in your life.
Go to full Bible Study Outline
The Essence of the Holy Spirit in Our Lives (6.2): The Supplies of Faith (1)
In order that we benefit from the things which have been freely bestowed upon us as believers in Christ through the Holy Spirit as contained in the word of God, we must make every effort to ensure that we experience, in reality these bestowals—all things that pertain to life and godliness, and the exceedingly great and precious promises through which we shall escape the corruption of the world system through lust, and thus be partakers of the divine nature. This effort is our own part to play if we are to fully experience the power and promises of God in our lives.
Certain things have been made available to the believer in Christ, so that his faith (belief, full persuasion, and trust in God) is not dead faith, but a living faith. There is the work of grace, which is entirely God’s work; and, there are the works of faith, which we must engage in, otherwise, our faith is dead! We must therefore, act out the conviction of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, by exhibiting moral excellence and character in our conduct, speech, dressing, interaction with others, etc., on a daily basis. In addition to exhibiting high moral standards, we must also exercise ourselves in seeking the knowledge of all that God has freely made available to us; not for vain glory, but for understanding the will of God for our lives. Our knowledge must not be allowed to get the better of us, where we become judgmental, and think that we are better than others; rather, our knowledge must be tempered or subjected to the control of the Holy Spirit, in word and in deed. And our temperance must not be intermittent spurts of control by the Holy Spirit, followed by a long holiday underscored by control of the flesh. No, we must patiently endure, the work of control which the Holy Spirit is doing in us, patiently waiting on God, persevering through trials and tribulations, and, enduring God’s testing and temptation from the evil one when it does come.
There are more supplies which we shall review next week, but at this time, let us go to God in thanksgiving, for giving us His Spirit to help us appropriate His work of grace as He guides us in doing works of faith. Let us also ask God to enable us yield totally and completely to His Spirit, so that we can benefit fully from His work and see the fruit of it in our lives.
Go to full Bible Study Outline
The Essence of the Holy Spirit in Our Lives (6.3): The Supplies of Faith (2)
As we conclude our study on the “Supplies of Faith”, we see that we must add to perseverance, godliness. Godliness is living a life that is consistent with the nature of God—a life of religious piety, a life of holiness, a life of godly reverence or fear. Noah manifested this, when he moved with godly fear to build the ark, and saved his family. A life of godliness is a life of obedience to God, not one of grumbling, murmuring, or complaining. It is a life of thankfulness at all times.
Upon godliness, must be built brotherly kindness. Brotherly kindness is the affection which a believer in Christ must have and show towards his fellow Christian, regardless of their gender, age, race or colour; and it involves making sacrifices for other believers, and benevolence toward other believers. Every true believer must go beyond acts of kindness towards other believers in Christ, and attain the ultimate and pinnacle of Christian maturity; that is, the demonstration of the love of God towards all men. Also known as charity, the love of God (agape love), must be the basis for all that we do in leading and bringing men to God, through evangelism, missions, church planting, discipling, and so on, otherwise, all is vanity, and meaningless, and thus, we are unfruitful. God showed this love when He sent His Only Begotten Son to die for the sins of the world. Agape love is the source of compassion, and of doing the work of God as it really should be done, and is poured into the believer through the Holy Spirit, resulting in his fruitfulness—the manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit, without which the gifts of the Holy Spirit will result in pride, conceit, and other spiritual aberrations; indeed the works of the flesh! We must note that the devil works lying signs and wonders, and he does it for vainglory; not out of the love of God; hence, it is the “unfruitful work of darkness”.
Go to full Bible Study Outline
The Essence of the Holy Spirit in Our Lives (6.4): The Necessity of Works (1)
There are many people today, who believe that once you are saved by grace, you need do nothing, but go on ahead and continue to live as you wish, because the grace of God is sufficient. Unfortunately, these people do not realize that the Lord has warned us not to take the grace of God in vain or for granted, which is what such an attitude is. Indeed, the grace of God is taken for granted, when we don’t apply its resources to making sure that we are growing in the things of God. And when we take the grace of God for granted by doing nothing to build on the faith which we were so freely given for salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9), we show that we are short-sighted, if not blind, and have forgotten that we were purged from sin through the blood of Jesus Christ.
It is the refusal of many believers in Christ to build on the faith they profess to have that has made them to become unfruitful in the things of God. These unfruitful believers are earthly and sensual; they claim that repentance is unnecessary after salvation; they are visionless and wanton in their lifestyle; their lives and lifestyle contradict the faith they profess in Christ; and, some have even become demon possessed after being born again! Indeed, today, there are many so-called Christians who are living only for this world, without a thought about heaven, and the Second Coming of Christ. Unfortunately, with an attitude like this, many believers in Christ will lose, and have really lost the salvation that was so wonderfully won for them. The sad thing is that a number of these people still think that they are doing okay, whereas, everything points to the fact that they are heading for destruction in hell, unfortunately. And this is one of the reasons why those of us who have received the free gift of salvation should work hard to add the supplies of virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity, to our faith. For this reason also, the Holy Spirit, our “Paraclete”, has been given to us—to encourage and enable us do all that is required of us, as heaven-bound children of God.
Go to full Bible Study Outline
The Essence of the Holy Spirit in Our Lives (6.5): The Necessity of Works (2)
The more we add the supplies of faith to our faith in Christ, by the Holy Spirit, the more intimately we come to know the Lord Jesus Christ—a knowledge which derives from our interaction with Him through His word, and through the testimonies of those who have interacted with Christ, and attested to, in our own experience of Him! For instance, as you live a life of moral excellence, and you interact with the word of God, you will realize that indeed, God is holy, and that He expects the same of you—nothing less! Also, as you grow in your knowledge of the things of God or spiritual things, you will come to understand that God is not to be trifled with—that He wounds and heals; and He kills and makes alive! Also, by yielding to the control of the Holy Spirit, you will come to realize that God will do what He will do no matter what happens and no matter how long it may take; and this will enable you develop and express perseverance, even when the promises of God seem to be taking time to manifest!
And although no one can fully know all of God, and of the Lord Jesus Christ, in this present age, knowing the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, should be the priority of every believer in Christ, or else, he will be unfruitful. So, when the Lord comes to meet with us individually and collectively, as God did the fig tree in His vineyard, one question resounds: “Does he know Me?/Do they know Me?” So, when the Holy Spirit said, “… Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.” (Luke 13:8-9), He was referring to bringing the believer to the intimate and experiential knowledge of Christ (see also Ephesians 4:11-16). And, the proof of your intimate knowledge of God and Christ is manifested in the fruit of the Spirit, your true worship of God, and eternal life, among others. Also, it is when you intimately know the Lord, that you can truly be His messengers to a dying world, and, release His power and glory in the process! Therefore, like Paul, the apostle, you ought to make the intimate knowledge of the Lord, your one mission in life; for when you know Him, everything else will fall into place for you (Matthew 6:33)!
Go to full Bible Study Outline