THE MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Part 1)

 HOME OF ARTICLES 

“He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:14 NKJV)

 

The primary ministry of the Holy Spirit to sinners or unbelievers is to reprove, convince, or convict them of their sin of unbelief or rejection of Christ. The Holy Spirit does this by applying the truths of God’s Word to their minds to convince them they are sinners without any righteousness in God’s sight and deserving of God’s wrath or judgment.

The Lord Jesus Christ aptly spelled out the ministry of the Holy Spirit to the unbelievers. 

John 16:7-11 – NKJV

 7 “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. 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.

 8 “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

 9 “of sin, because they do not believe in Me;

 10 “of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;

 11 “of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

On the contrary, the Holy Spirit is not on a mission to convict or condemn believers for their sins. Sadly, many believers today ignorantly attribute conviction of sins and condemnation for sins in their lives to the Holy Spirit. That is maligning the character and ministry of the Holy Spirit in and to the believers!

The Scripture amply teaches that sin has been judged and condemned once and for all in the flesh of Christ for all who put their faith in Him for salvation. Therefore, there is no condemnation to the believers in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1-3, Isa. 53:4-6).

What is the primary ministry or mission of the Holy Spirit in and to the believers in Christ?

First, the Holy Spirit is on a mission to reveal Christ in and to the believers.

Second, the Holy Spirit is on a mission to glorify Christ in and through the believers.

Third, the Holy Spirit is on a mission to progressively transform the believers’ character into Christlikeness.

In the first part of this piece, we shall focus on what revelation of Christ the Holy Spirit gives to the believers, why the revelation of Christ is essential to the believers, and how the Holy Spirit gives the revelation of Christ to the believers.

Having spelled out the mission of the Holy Spirit to the unbelievers, the Lord Jesus Christ went further to state the mission of the Holy Spirit to the believers.

John 16:12-15 – NKJV

 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

 13 “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

 14 “He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.

 15 “All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

It is the primary ministry of the Holy Spirit to give precise and correct knowledge of the person, power, and preeminence of Christ to the believers. The Holy Spirit seeks to provide us with full knowledge or understanding of the nature, character, person, words, and works of Jesus Christ.

Apostle Paul testifies to this truth.

Galatians 1:15-17 – NKJV

 15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace,

 16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood,

 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

What revelation of Christ does the Holy Spirit seek to reveal to the believers?

First, the Holy Spirit seeks to reveal the love of Christ to the believers.

At the New Birth, the Holy Spirit poured the love of Christ into the believer’s heart (Rom. 5:5). Afterward, the Holy Spirit progressively reveals or declares this great love of Christ to the believer’s mind.

The Holy Spirit desires to bring every believer into the full knowledge, recognition, or discernment of Christ’s unconditional, eternal, and unfluctuating love.

This is why Paul’s prayer for the believers at Ephesus is to know the love of Christ through the revelation of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 3:14-19).

Understanding the nature and magnitude of the love of Christ towards you will undoubtedly challenge, compel, or constrain you to love, live, and die for Christ, just as it challenged and caused the early apostles to love, live, and die for Christ (2 Cor. 5:12-15).

Second, the Holy Spirit seeks to reveal the blessings of the finished work of Christ to the believers.

After the regeneration of the believer’s heart, the Holy Spirit desires to bring the believer into the full knowledge, recognition, or discernment of the truths about his new spiritual identity, image, status, condition, position, authority, inheritances, privileges, or blessings as a result of the finished work of Christ. This is the main subject of Paul’s prayer in his epistle to the Ephesus (Eph. 1:15-20).

Growing in the revelation knowledge of the person and finished work of Jesus Christ through the help of the Holy Spirit will make your faith effective to appropriate and enjoy your blessings in Christ and strengthen you to enforce and demonstrate your authority and victory in and through Christ (Phil. 1:3-6, 2 Pet. 1:1-4).

Third, the Holy Spirit seeks to reveal Christ as the ultimate fulfillment of all the Old Testament types, shadows, symbols, ceremonies, or rites.

The Holy Spirit seeks to unveil or disclose Christ and His redemptive work, veiled or hidden in the Old Testament types, shadows, symbols, ceremonies, or rites. He also seeks to reveal or declare Christ as the end of the law for righteousness (Rom. 10:1-5).

Hebrews 10:1-5 – NKJV

 1 For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect.

 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins.

 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year.

 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.

 5 Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me.

Knowing Christ as the end of the law for righteousness and as the ultimate fulfillment of all the Old Testament types, shadows, and ceremonies will set you free from the yoke or bondage of the law and the burden of vain and rigorous religious ceremonies or rites so that you can serve God in the newness of the Spirit (Rom. 7:4-6).

Some believers today are still religiously chasing after shadows, symbols, or types of Christ when Christ (the substance) has manifested simply because they lack the revelation knowledge of the person and finished work of Christ.

Beloved, stop chasing after or holding fast to any shadow, symbol, or type of Christ; instead, seek to know and hold fast to Christ, the substance.

Find out more revelation of Christ, which the Holy Spirit seeks to give to believers in Part 2 of this piece.

 

Prayer:

My Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to give me the revelation knowledge of Christ. My Dear Holy Spirit, teach and help me daily to grow in the revelation knowledge of the person and work of Christ, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

OUR mandates is to preserve the faith of the Apostolic Generation.

Eniyekpemi Fidelis Oyinpreyebi.

Empower by El- Bethel Christian Network.

AWH, Blogs.

Share this: