Day Three - Perfect Peace

These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.

~John 14:25-28

Let’s take a look at the role the Holy Spirit played during the creation of man. We read, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). The Holy Spirit is the One who actually formed Adam and breathed life into his nostrils. Job 33:4 states, “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” The Holy Spirit not only formed and breathed life into Adam’s nostrils, He also formed and breathed life into you and me. Psalm 139:13 says, “You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.” In fact, the Spirit of God formed everything we see, for Proverbs 26:10 says, “The great God who formed everything…” The creation we experience was manifested because the Holy Spirit established the creative desire of the Father. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit working together to create man that we may abide perfectly in and through Them forever!

Let’s take a look at some of the different names used for the Holy Spirit in scripture. He’s called:

Holy Spirit (96 times)
Spirit of the Lord (28 times)
Spirit of God (26 times)
Eternal Spirit (Hebrews 9:14)
Helper (4 times by Jesus in John’s Gospel)
Comforter (used throughout the Amplified Bible)
Holy One (Psalm 78:41)
The Lord (2 Corinthians 3:17)
Spirit of truth (4 times)
Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9; 1 Peter 1:11)
Spirit of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:19)
Spirit of counsel (Isaiah 11:2)
Spirit of knowledge (Isaiah 11:2)
Spirit of might (Isaiah 11:2)
Spirit of understanding (Isaiah 11:2)
Spirit of wisdom (Isaiah 11:2) Spirit of the fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2)
Spirit of your Father (Matthew 10:20)
Spirit of glory (1 Peter 4:14)
Spirit of grace (Zechariah 12:10; Hebrews 10:29)
Spirit of judgment (Isaiah 4:4)
Spirit of burning (Isaiah 4:4)
Spirit of life (Romans 8:2)
Spirit of love (2 Timothy 1:7)
Spirit of power (2 Timothy 1:7)
Spirit of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7)
Spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10)
Spirit of revelation (Ephesians 1:17)
Spirit of holiness (Romans 1:4)
Spirit of the Holy God (4 times in Daniel)
Peace! (John 14:26; Gal. 5:22; Rom. 8:6; Mark 4:37)

The Holy Spirit is truly amazing! Next to our salvation through Christ, He is the best gift we will ever receive. A.W. Tozer shares…

The Holy Spirit is not enthusiasm…He is a Person. Put that down in capital letters—that the Holy Spirit is not only a Being having another mode of existence, but He is Himself a Person, with all the qualities and powers of personality. He is not matter, but He is substance.…The Holy Spirit has will and intelligence and feeling and knowledge and sympathy and ability to love and see and think and hear and speak and desire the same as any person has…All that the Son is the Holy Ghost is, and all that the Father is the Holy Ghost is, and the Holy Ghost is in His Church. What will we find Him to be like? He will be exactly like Jesus. You have read your New Testament, and you know what Jesus is like, and the Holy Spirit is exactly like Jesus, for Jesus was God and the Spirit is God, and the Father is exactly like the Son; and you can know what Jesus is like by knowing what the Father is like, and you can know what the Spirit is like by knowing what Jesus is like. ( A.W. Tozer, A Treasury of A.W. Tozer (Harrisburg, PA: Christian Publications, Inc., 1980) pp. 290- 296.)

When Jesus stood up from the stern of the boat and spoke to the storm all around them, “Peace be still,” He released the peace He carried (Mark 4:37). When Jesus instructed His disciples and said, “when you enter a place let your peace come upon it” He was speaking of the Spirit of God that He gave them when He released the disciples to go and preach the Kingdom of Heaven and heal the sick (Matthew 10:13)! The peace of God is the Holy Spirit. Thus, when Jesus stated, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you” He was referring to the Holy Spirit. The peace that Jesus was giving to mankind was the assurance and truth of the Kingdom of God being present and alive within our lives. All of the attributes, character and nature of God are yours through the Holy Spirit. As you draw near to Him He will draw near to you and His peace will become your peace. Striving, fear, self-reliance and self-promotion will end! All performance disappears, because peace becomes a friend not an achievement. Jesus was the Prince of Peace because He was One with Peace! Step into your perfect peace today; step into a friendship with Peace and allow Him to live through you.

Written by Dave Carlson

Discussion Questions:

What is the name of the Holy Spirit? What does this say about Him?

Day Four - Empowered

Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.

~ Luke 24:49

As children of God, we have become co-heirs with Christ. In Romans we read, “And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory” (Romans 8:17). This position is again made clear in Ephesians 2:6: “[God] raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” In and through Christ, we have been repositioned. No longer are we children of this world, but rather we are royalty (heirs) in the kingdom of Heaven. As heirs in this kingdom, we have been charged with the advancement of our Lord’s mission. His conquest and His kingdom have become our own because we have been adopted into His lineage. But like the earthly king in our illustration, if we are to be effective in our position in Christ, we must discover and wield the power that comes with it. You have been empowered to fulfill your role in the advancement of His kingdom. Peter declared: You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9)

It is important to remember, that authority/position always precedes power. The power you were created to live through originates out of the authority that you possess. Jesus commanded 500 people not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (Acts 1:4-5) Jesus did not suggest that the apostles should wait for the Promise, nor did He recommend that they heed His instruction. Rather, He “commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem” until the Promise had come. Jesus was compelled to place such high importance on this instruction because the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Recognize that 500 people witnessed Jesus resurrected (1 Cor. 15:6). All 500 were present when they received the command to go to Jerusalem and wait for the Promise, but only 120 where present when He came. Something happened that 380 people were missing. Authority and position release power. Those who positioned themselves in the upper room received the power!

Take a look at John 20:21-22: “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me [Jesus], I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Jesus breathed on the disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” The Greek word for “receive” means “immediately or right now.” This was not a foreshadowing of what was going to happen. The disciples actually received the Holy Spirit before Jesus ascended into heaven. But they were not clothed with power until they had been filled with the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. The disciples were “born again” when Jesus breathed on them, and became empowered when the Spirit fell upon them in the upper room.

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:1-4). In the Old Testament fire often symbolizes the presence of God. What the author of Acts described as “tongues, as of fire” is the manifestation of God’s presence. These followers of Jesus, both men and women, were engulfed or baptized in God’s presence.

This revealed presence on the day of Pentecost is also seen in the reference to a “rushing mighty wind.” Remember, the Holy Spirit is not a “mighty wind.” He is a Person. However, the manifestation of His arrival in the upper room took the form of a mighty wind. The Greek word for “filled” in Acts 2:4 literally means “satiated - to supply to excess.” Those in the upper room were filled to excess with the Holy Spirit. All of them experienced a greater degree of God’s manifest presence in their lives. In addition to the manifestations of fire and wind, another sign of the infilling of the Spirit was the fact that the believers began to speak in other tongues; the language of Heaven! As they were filled to excess with the Holy Spirit they began to take on characteristics and the nature of God – the atmosphere of heaven. They spoke the heavenly language and began to reveal the heart of the Father! All of this demonstrated that God had invaded earth and had empowered His greatest creation, man, to once again live in His image expressing His Kingdom.

In Matthew 16:19 Jesus communicated that He would give the sons and daughters of God the “keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.” These keys represent the authority and position to “defeat the gates of hell,” and the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit was given to empower these sons and daughters of God with the power to make it happen! The nine gifts of the Holy Spirit are available to all the sons and daughters of God to manifest His Kingdom and to glorify His name. Your most blessed state of living comes when you are doing what God has designed you to do. In that place, the gifts He has put in you will empower you to accomplish your purpose for living. Discovering your purpose is a key to living your dreams. The nine power gifts of the Holy Spirit are demonstrations of the fact that God is working with and through you.

The power gifts are listed in 1 Corinthians 12. “The manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.” 1 Corinthians 12:4–11, emphasis that God is the giver. He gives. He takes the initiative to give gifts to every single person who calls on Him. What does He give? The manifestation of the Spirit. What does that mean? It means that God wants to be on display in you and through you. And He will demonstrate it by giving you spiritual gifts to exhibit, to enjoy, to use for His glory and for your good and blessing. The Lord longs for the whole of mankind to begin to taste and see His goodness, so He gives gifts that demonstrate His wonderful nature.

Written by Dave Carlson

Discussion Questions:

What is the purpose of the power gifts of the Holy Spirit?

What is the fruit of the Spirit?

What’s the difference?

Day Five - Multiple Fillings

And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

~Acts 4:31

The Word of God says that Jesus Himself will baptize us with the Holy Spirit and with fire. It is the will of the Father that we are filled with His fullness, His very Life and Spirit, that we may be one with Him. Baptizo of the Holy Spirit is a submerging, a cleansing, an overwhelming immersion into God’s glory and presence.

We are to desire and pursue this immersion with a passion that hungers for more of the Father’s presence in our lives. Jesus declared, “It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7). It was necessary that Jesus ascend to the right hand of the Father to assure the sons and daughters of God that they would be able to live in the same authority and power Jesus exercised on earth. He was clear when He said, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:8). The baptism of the Holy Spirit grants us a divine power that, through our faith will allow miracles, signs, wonders and healings to flow. The manifestation of this power enables us to be witnesses to the true and living God.

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit provides us with nine “power” gifts, each of which we are instructed to release by virtue of our relationship with the Holy Spirit. We are not to be ignorant about the purpose and function of these gifts. Each gift is immediate and available upon the baptism of the Holy Spirit in order to profit the one being ministered to. Unfortunately, we have been taught to believe that the phrase “for to one” or “another” in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 refers to us receiving only one gift from the Holy Spirit. The belief is that each person in the body of Christ receives one gift and when working together with the other Christians we function as one body. This is poor teaching! The phrase “for to one” and “another” is a demonstrative pronoun that links each verse to the last noun in verse seven of First Corinthians chapter twelve. 1 Corinthians 12:7 states, “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.” The last noun in this verse is “profit” which actually means the benefit and edification of all. Therefore, the manifestation of the Holy Spirit is given to each person for the profit or benefit of the one we are ministering to. By God’s divine love and mercy, the manifestation of the Spirit is “given” to each believer that the Father’s glory may be revealed.

Take for example, Philip, who went down to Samaria to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “And the multitude with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles, which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. And there was great joy in that city” (Acts 8:5-8). By operating the gifts of the Holy Spirit, Philip produced in Samaria a manifestation of the Spirit through miracles, deliverance and healings. And there was great joy in the city! Christians are called to manifest the Spirit of God by being in the will of God at all times. We must position ourselves to release the gifts of the Holy Spirit by faith in order to reconcile the heart of man back to the heart of the Father.

The “power” gifts of the Holy Spirit are categorized to help understand them better:

Inspirational, Worship or Utterance Gifts
1. The gift of tongues
2. The gift of interpretation of tongues
3. The gift of prophecy.

Revelation, Instructional or Knowledge Gifts
1. The gift of the word of knowledge
2. The gift of the word of wisdom
3. The gift of discerning of spirits

Power or Impartation Gifts
1. The gift of faith
2. The gift of healing
3. The gift of the working of miracles

The secret to releasing the full manifestation of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to work these gifts in combination with one another. When the gift of prophesy is used with the gift of a word of knowledge and of faith, healing is released and manifestation of the Holy Spirit is produced. Jesus is the perfect example of working from the Holy Spirit and allowing the Holy Spirit to manifest His goodness on this earth. Matthew 17:24-27 gives an example of Jesus operating in the gifts of the Holy Spirit,

When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?” He said, “Yes.”

And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?” Peter said to Him, “From strangers.” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.”

Notice that Word of God says, “Jesus anticipated what Peter was going to say.” The gift of prophesy, the word of wisdom, gift of faith and working of miracles all produced a coin in the fish’s mouth. Jesus did not produce this miracle because He was the Son of God, rather He worked this miracle with His friend the Holy Spirit who manifested His goodness through Jesus’ faith. This is what the Holy Spirit desires to do with all of us! This is the purpose and plan for us to be One with God is to be One with the Holy Spirit that we may bring “profit” or “benefit” to the one’s we are ministering to. The Father desires to reveal His glory on this earth and He has chosen to work through us to do so.

Acts 4:31 states, “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.” As we begin to live and walk by the Spirit of God we will understand that there are many fillings of the Holy Spirit. There is so much more that Abba desires to reveal and release through us. We cannot contain it all. There are many fillings of the Holy Spirit and as we yearn and draw closer to Him these fillings overtake us and we are empowered to reveal more of Him! Understand, you were first filled with the Holy Spirit when you were “born again” and the Spirit of God came into you to dwell (John 3:5-6; John 20:21-22; 1 Cor. 12:3); you can then be “baptized in the Holy Spirit” to be empowered to fulfill His call and destiny on your life (Matthew 3:11; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:5-8; 1 Cor. 12); and you can have many more fillings of the Holy Spirit as He continues to equip and empower you with His goodness and power (Acts 4:31).

Abba’s intentions for us go far beyond salvation. It is not “good enough” for us to stop at “being saved.” The reality of our salvation is so wonderful that it is beyond our comprehension; but a place in heaven is only the beginning of all Abba desires to give us. Abba also sent His Son so that we can enjoy an amazing life on this earth. Paul said, “Godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come” (1 Timothy 4:8). Notice the word godliness. Only one who knows Abba can possess godliness because godliness is to be like Him. James states, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8). Abba desires to spend time with you so that you can become like Him. We become godly through intimate knowledge of God, and the only way we can develop this deep relationship with God is through His beautiful and amazing Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 2).

As a Church, we must look to Jesus as our model. The lost were drawn to Jesus. He walked the streets and fellowshipped with tax collectors and prostitutes, the very people the religious leaders looked down upon. There was something different about Him. Jesus was the ultimate example of what it means to be in the world but not of it. His heart broke for those the religious zealots shunned. He did not attend their parties to be a part of what they pursued; He was there to show them a new way. Likewise, we are called to reach out to the morally depraved and broken.

If the Church will not be Christ’s hands and feet, then who will? We—and we alone—are His Body.

Through the transformational power of the Holy Spirit, we are now in Christ. We serve as His ambassadors (an extension and representation of who He is) on the earth. If we do not carry Abba’s truth and light to this world, no one will.

Be encouraged and be filled with the Holy Spirit! The person of the Holy Spirit desires to co-labor with you to present His Kingdom on this earth! What an exciting time! Be filled with the Holy Spirit today and truly be His light in this world. Isaiah saw this day and he declared, “Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.” This “glory” is the manifested presence of God – your friend the Holy Spirit! Arise and shine for the Holy Spirit is with you and will fill you to overflowing that you may be the light the world is look for.

Written by Dave Carlson