Last updated on 1/1/99

Viewpoint Brief Bible Study #83
		JESUS calls US to be members of His church
The Christian religion is the worship and service of Jesus Christ. It’s not Mary we worship, but her Son. We worship neither saints, angels, a law code, nor even God’s Spirit. It’s JESUS who is to be honored. The Bible is our guide.

Should We Preach A Gospel
of the Holy Spirit?
The good news is of what JESUS did and does! (As explained
also in Viewpoint Study #0 -- We Would See Jesus.
 Remarks below are adapted from a devotional study by
Given O. Blakely on 11/25/97,  which he called --
The Ministering Spirit

From: GivenB@aol.com     Date sent: Tue, 25 Nov 1997
Subject: THOUGHT--The Ministry of the Holy Spirit
WEDNESDAY     November 26th, 1997    
From The Word of Truth Publication

     "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all. . . And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you shall abide in Him" 1 John 2:20,27

THE MINISTERING SPIRIT, #1 -- The Holy Spirit is a ministering Spirit. He administrates the things of God to us, producing divine qualities within us. His is a marvelous work. He performs His ministry in the background, never drawing attention to Himself. Jesus promised the Spirit would not speak about Himself, but would focus on clarifying the things of Christ (John 16:13). The Gospel, for instance, does not center in the Holy Spirit, but in God and Christ. We read of the "Gospel of God" and "the Gospel of Christ," but never of the "Gospel of the Spirit." Some people do preach a Gospel of the Spirit, but it is not the true Gospel. This is no way minimizes the indispensable work of the Holy Spirit. As we look at the various effects attributed to the Holy Spirit, the nature of His ministry will become clear. He does not come to make an impression, but to accomplish transformation. He is not given to produce good feelings, but divine qualities. The Holy Spirit leads us to crucify the flesh, not vaunt and extol it. Any advancement we make in the Lord will be owing to His marvelous ministry.

The ministry of God's love -- "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us" (Rom 5:3-5).
The love of God is truly "great." It requires the involvement of Deity to enable us to comprehend its magnitude. No one can afford to be satisfied with a surface view of divine love. God "pours out" (NASB) His love into our hearts through the instrumentality of His Holy Spirit. The permeating awareness of that unparalleled love becomes a powerful constraint within. The Spirit carries out the answer to Paul's prayer that we might comprehend and know the love of Christ which passes all knowledge (Eph 3:18-19). The children of God are thereby empowered to withstand the aggression of the devil in tribulation. They persevere in the good fight of faith, even though opposed by the "prince of the power of the air" (Eph 2:1). A powerful hope rises in the heart that cannot be neutralized by life in its hardest and most difficult form. How we thank God that His Holy Spirit has so impressed us with His "great love, wherewith He hath loved us."

PRAYER POINT: Father, I desire the provision you have announced,
that Your love may be dispersed throughout the entirety of my heart.

  Brief Bible Study #83 from Ray Downen. To go back to Viewpoint's first page, click < here.   Or go on to Viewpoint Study #84.          For Ray's concluding remarks, click HERE.