Pneumatology is the doctrine that focuses on the personhood of the Holy Spirit. Through out the New Testament the Holy Spirit is granted specific characteristics and duties. Following the resurrection, Jesus said “another” is coming in my place. In John Jesus says, “Then I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever.” During the ministry of Christ, Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as the encourager, comforter and enabler. This paper will discuss the multidimensional portrayals of the work of the Holy Spirit as it applies to global missions. In the Old Testament the Spirit of God is described in terms of God’s efficacious authority and in the New Testament Jesus refers to the spirit of God as another advocate who was sent from the Father. While the Holy Spirit does not pose a physical body it contains the characteristics of a person. “In accordance with Scripture the “personality” of the Holy Spirit is confessed and defined in the Creeds and in all the Church’s doctrinal judgments concerning the divine Trinity.” The Hoy Spirit embodies the essence of both the Father and the Son.
The doctrine of the Holy Spirit begins with examining biblical witness to the work of the Holy Spirit in the history of Israel, as well as the ministry of Jesus, and in the life of the church. During the creation account it was the breath of God that grave life to all creation. The Holy Spirit has been a primate actor sin the beginning of time. While the Spirit was present prior to the ministry of Christ, the New Testament speaks in greater detail of the Spirit because it empowered Jesus. From his conception to the day of Pentecost the Sprit was present and active in the life of Christ and the believers. We see in ...
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...BS, the true Great Commission requires believers to dive deep in to community with people, not simple build them a house. Following the Great Commission does not require a passport, but is does require a believer to be filled and lead by the Spirit.
Biblical witness centers on the Spirits activity of “binding believers to Christ, incorporation them into the church as the body of Christ and equipping the church for mission.” Despite the best effort of the Church to be the hands and feet of Christ it is reassuring to know that the Spirit is still present and working in the hearts of people outside of the church’s work. Without the work of the Spirit in the hearts of believers and throughout the word, humanity would not know the love of God. The Holy Spirit gives liberates and brings new life it unites, encourages and brings hope to a world pledged by darkness.
"The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles." Letter. Salt Lake City: Intellectual Reserve, 2000. Lds.org. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1 Jan. 2000. Web. 15 Feb. 2012.
The Spirit helps us implore (Romans 8:26-27). He gives us new life (John 3:3-6). He is our consoler, and he helps us comprehend God's statement (John 14:26). He lifts up Christ (John 15:26). He convicts us of wrongdoing (John 16:7-11). He helps us to live holy lives (Romans 15:16). He gives us love, happiness, peace, tolerance, thoughtfulness, goodness, faithfulness, tenderness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). He helps us share our confidence (Acts 1:8). What's more, he lives inside us (Romans
The ministries of Jesus and the Holy Spirit are closely related, each one serving an individual purpose while complimenting the other. Although the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all one in the trinity, they each have different roles that they play. The Holy Spirit plays an active part in our lives, as does Jesus. The role of the Spirit changed with Jesus. When Jesus died and rose from the cross, He opened up a new doorway for us, a new opportunity for us to experience the Holy Spirit. The Spirit became active and real to us in a way that He never could before. Today, our lives are focused on Jesus, focused on His love and sacrifice. His present ministry is seen through His believers. We are His lights in this present dark world.
This Revival occurred as an expression of social and theological discontent among the nation’s lower and middle-class groups. Advocates for holiness disapproved of the impiety in forefront denominations and were alienated by the growing wealth and grandiosity of their churches. With dissatisfaction in these principal churches, they formed new religious communities devoted to the theological doctrine of perfectionism. These previous Methodists, Presbyterians, and Baptists believed they were experiencing a renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit which bore a resemblance to the early church experience as described in the book of Acts in the Bible. The Holiness Revival produced zeal for "Baptism of the Holy Spirit" (a heavenly enablement for believers) and for other gifts of the Holy Spirit such as healing and prophecy (Dieter, 1996). Holiness leaders such as John Alexander Dowie, Charles Cullis, and Albert B. Simpson set up healing missions across the U.S. They, like other holiness advocates, believed a new, miraculous era of the spirit was taking place which would end in the second coming of Christ (Dieter,
One of the most prevalent ways that God is active in the world today is in the work of the Holy Spirit. While the Spirit functions at a massive scale restraining sin (2 Thess. 2:6-8), the Christian also experiences direct interaction at a personal level through the process of being born again, indwelt, baptized into the body of Christ, and sealed with the Spirit. This private interaction typical...
Receiving and acknowledging the Holy Spirit is one of the vital parts of Christianity and in our walk with Christ. However, in the first century the Holy Spirit was not yet sent and Christianity was not formed. Despite this, there was still recognition of the spirit and the gifts and power that it has. There were many forms of the spirit that were mentioned in the Old Testament, some of which include wisdom, intelligence, and skill. Negative spirits were also a part of the first century world, which included harm, jealousy and lying. A notably example of this is when God removed his spirit and sent a harmful spirit to torment Saul.( 1Samual 16:14). From the Old Testament and other documents of authority, such as; the pseudopigrapha, Dead Sea scrolls, Josephus, and Philo, the spirit of God and the human spirt both appeared and influenced the way the Jewish people thought and acted. Within the Dead Sea scrolls, the Qumran society believed that the human spirit was the “ holy spirit”, so one’s spirit was meant to be treasured and kept undefiled” (4Q416 2II, 6-7).Slightly differing from the Qumran community, Josephus’ and Pholo’s (who had Greco-Roman influences) emphasized how
Many years ago, a friend and pastor whom I dearly loved and respected told me that there are three areas of responsibility in sharing the gospel. They are ours, the Holy Spirits, and the one that hears the gospel. Our responsibility is to go where we are called. That is it, to go and allow our self to be used. The Holy Spirit’s
The Charismatic debate on whether the gifts of the Spirit have ceased or continue to be used in modern times divides the Christian church. There have been some extremes on both sides of the fence. One view believes that, if a person speaks tongues, the person is under some demonic control and the other says that, if a person does not speaks tongues as evidence of receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, he or she is not saved. Both views use Scripture to defend their positions. The Scripture was not written to divide, but to bring us closer to God.
Richardson, William E., and Dave Kidd. “Articles.” Pentecostal Evangel. General Council of the Assemblies of God. Web. 13 Nov. 2011.
God and the Bible’s teachings are used as a framework to find meaning in life and purpose of human presence. Purpose resides in every human’s potential to strive for peace, seek equality, nurture relationships and the environment to achieve harmony with the earth (Valk, 2012). “Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior and my hope is in you all day long” (Ps 25:5). The Holy Spirit, known as God’s active force and His power in action (Lk 1:35), is used as a guide by Christians to ascertain and determine what is right. “We choose to act based on good thinking, scripture and prayer, and the Holy Spirit helps us discern the right alternatives” (Shelly & Miller, 2006, p. 89). In seeing others as the image of God, choosing what is right from wrong is influenced by beliefs cultural background and respect for one another. In this religious culture, the tendency to do wrong is seen as sinfulness. However, it is the admission of sin that leads Christians to Jesus Christ to find and experience God’s forgiveness (Shelly & Miller, 2006). The recognition of sin and eventual redemption strengthens the relationship with God which directs a life of service to humanity (Shelly & Miller,
Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen is associate professor of systematic theology at Fuller Theological Seminary and holds a teaching post at the University of Helsinki and Iso Kirja College in Finland. He is the author of Christology: A Global introduction, Pneumatology: The Holy Spirit in Ecumenical, International, and Introduction to Ecclesiology: Ecumenical, Historical, and Global Perspectives (Back Cover). Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen presents the latest, comprehensive introduction to the various opinions about Christology from around the world. His book presents three main perspectives on Christology (biblical, historical, and contemporary).
Additionally, the encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus led to a distinction and development of an understanding of the role of water and spirit in baptism. It separated the effects of each element and how it effects the baptised. The church developed a systematic theology, based on scripture and tradition, on the differences between the sacrament of Baptism and Confirmation. As presented in the paper, the water of baptism washes and purifies all sin; but in baptism the spirit gives an ‘indelible character, a unique nature of belonging to Jesus Christ, something which God will never undo’ (Davies 176). Through this exact assertion of the role of the spirit, baptism becomes an irrevocable act, permanent in nature. The indelible character enables
The word Pneumatology comes from the greek word pneuma which means spirit, breath, wind, etc. So Pneumatology is the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. In the church the Holy Spirit is sometimes put on the back burner and does not get the credit that it deserves. We forget that the Holy Spirit works in unity with the Father and Son, and is equally God. The Holy Spirit is a person of God. He is not a mode of operation or an attribute, but fully God. That is why the Holy Spirit can not be anything but a person because only a person with a center of self consciousness can do those things.
The Holy Spirit gives us power to make things possible. Jesus said in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” The power enabled the apostles to heal the sick (3:1-10, 5:15-16, 9:32-35) and raise people from the dead (9:36-43). The power also enabled them to speak the truth boldly (4:1-14, 7:1-53,
...ed by the hands of people for meetings and the Divine service, is dashed into little pieces by the testimony of the Bible.