Summary: - who is the Holy Spirit? What does He do? How does He work? - His identity - Hebrew word "ruwach" means wind/breath - Greek work "pnuema" means breath/breeze - we can literally think of the Holy Spirit as the "Breath of God" - the Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity - omnipotent - all powerful (Luke 1:35) - omnipresent - everywhere at once (Ps. 139:7) - omniscient - all knowing (1 Cor. 2:10) - eternal (Heb. 9:14) - equal (Matt. 28:19, 2 Cor. 13:14) - the Holy Spirit was part of all things, from the very beginning of Scripture to the very end - He moved upon the face of the waters and was the active agent in creation. Jesus was the Word, the Holy Spirit moved. (Gen. 1:1-2, 27) - in the Old Testament, Job recognized He had given him life (Job 33:4) - King David of Israel knew the presence of the Holy Spirit (Ps. 139:7-10) - the prophet Joel prophesized that the Holy Spirit will be given in future days (Joel 2:28-29) - the Holy Spirit gave us the Word of God (2 Peter 1:20-21) - the Holy Spirit has always worked with Jesus: birth (Matt. 1:20), life and ministry (Luke 4:1,18,Heb. 9:14), the resurrection (Rom. 1:4) - the Holy Spirit regenerates our spirit when we accept Jesus into our life and is present throughout the ages (John 3:6, Rev. 22:17) - Personhood of the Holy Spirit - the Holy Spirit has emotions - grieves (Isa. 63:10), loves (Rom. 15:30), has a mind (Rom. 8:27), speaks (2 Sam. 23:2, Acts 13:2, Rev. 2:7), knows (1 Cor. 2:11) - the Holy Spirit relates to us as a person - He teaches us things about God and ourselves (John 14:26), He guides us in truth (John 16:13), He prays for us (Rom. 8:26-27), He gives us life (John 6:63) - the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to primarily serve two purposes in the life of every believer. It will produce a quality of life that is referred to in Scripture as holiness (Gen. 5:22-25). It will also provide the power for us to participate in the works of the Kingdom of God, including fulfilling the Great Commission (Mark 16:15-18). - He convicts us of our need for God, prompting repentance (John 16:8-11), He affirms our position as children of God (Rom. 8:15), He changes us (Gal. 5:22-23), He speaks truth (John 16:12-14), He comforts us with peace (Acts 9:31, 2 Cor. 5:5-7), He gives us spiritual gifts and empowers us to be on mission (Acts 1:8) - important principles to remember: 1. the Holy Spirit is God, but He is a person, not an "it" 2. the Holy Spirit's mission is to reveal Jesus and build His charcter into our lives 3. the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts and empowers us to do what God has called us to do
