Living in the Power of the Holy Spirit
The Promise of God the Father
Chapter one of Charles Stanley's book begins with a definition of exactly what is the Holy Spirit. Stanley states that it is the "Promise of our heavenly Father to each one of us." (Stanley, 11) The Holy Spirit, as God's promise, is for each and every human being, not just hose who are priests, and holders of other religious positions. Luke 24 is used as an example of this concept that the Holy Spirit is for all people. (Mays, 1988) Stanley next examines the question of what is the power of the Holy Spirit? He asserts that it is the "divine authority and energy that God releases into the life of every one of his children in order that we may live a Godly and fruitful life." (Stanley, 13) It is like a spiritual cloak.
The author is careful to then point out that the Holy Spirit is not something that can be manipulated by human beings. It is not like the "force" in the movie Star Wars. The Holy Spirit is there for those who accept Christ and does God's work through humans. Remember: IT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT DOES THE WORK. And the work that the Holy Spirit does is to energize the body, enlighten the mind, inflame our hearts, and generate the desire to preach Christian ideology.
Finally the Holy Spirit is THE PROMISE OF THE FATHER. God will always and forever be our source of divine power and the Holy Spirit is God dwelling in us. In summation, the Holy Spirit is God's Promise to humanity, one will receive the Holy Spirit when people accept Christ and then the Holy Spirit will cover and protect you like a cloak.
Chapter 2: Who is the Holy Spirit
Chapter 2 begins with the question of who exactly is the Holy Spirit. According to Stanley, "He is a person of the Trinity. He is God the Holy Spirit." ( Stanley, 21) The author then gives an example of Jesus in Gethsemane telling his disciples that the Holy Spirit will come to them and give them strength. Jesus calls the Holy Spirit "he" signifying that the Holy Spirit is part of both God and himself. Stanley then makes the distinction that the Holy Spirit, while sometimes referred to as the Holy Ghost, is not a ghost in the way that people think of ghosts as apparitions. "He is not a force, he is somebody. The Holy Spirit is the living personhood of God" (Stanley, 23)
Next the author discusses how one receives the Holy Spirit. Stanley asserts that God freely gives the Holy Spirit to those who accept Christ. Because the Holy Spirit sometimes manifests in signs, many think of the Holy Spirit as an "it," instead of "him." This also causes people to limit the Holy Spirit to the sign that he manifested himself in, but he is not limited to any sign "he is the omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, all-loving God." (Stanley, 25) To those who possess the Holy Spirit, it is more appropriate to ask the question "when did you receive him?" rather than "when did you receive it?" The Holy Spirit baptizes us in Christ, he also covers us with the redemptive blood and living presence of Christ.
When a person accepts Christ, they also accept God, in all his forms. This includes the Holy Spirit. "In receiving god the son, you are receiving the fullness of God into your life, that person who dwells in you and fills you with god's goodness is God the Holy Spirit.
Chapter 3: Why does God Send the Holy Spirit to Us
In Chapter 3, Charles Stanley discusses why God sends the Holy Spirit to those who believe in Christ. He states that there are 2 main reasons for God to do this. First, "the Holy Spirit enables and empowers us to 'be' witnesses of Christ Jesus to a lost and dying world." And secondly "the Holy Spirit enables and empowers is to 'do' the ministry of Christ Jesus in our service to other believers." (Stanley, 28) Stanley describes the many Christians he encounters who believe that only certain people are called by God to perform certain tasks. This is not true, all believers of Christ are called according to God's purpose.
The Holy Spirit dwells within all Christians and gives them the ability to live a godly life and express the good news of Jesus Christ....
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