The Holy Spirit (Part 9) – Functions of the Holy Spirit (Part G); Being Filled with the Spirit

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The Holy Spirit (Part 9) – Functions of the Holy Spirit (Part G); Being Filled with the Spirit

1. Ordaining ministers
   1. The Holy Ghost makes a man an overseer (pastor, bishop, elder, etc) (Act 20:28).
      1. Jesus Christ enables a man and puts him into the ministry (1Ti 1:12).
      2. A man is made a minister according to the gift of the grace of God (Eph 3:7-8).
      3. Being made a minister is a gift from God (2Ti 1:6).
   2. The Holy Ghost makes it known to the pastor and the church when He has called a man to the work of the ministry (Act 13:1-3). The Holy Spirit does this by:
      1. giving the qualifications that a pastor uses to determine whom God has called to the ministry (1Ti 3:1-7; Tit 1:5-9).
      2. having people ask the man to come and minister to them (Act 16:9-10).

2. Empowering ministers to preach the word
   1. The Spirit of the Lord anointed Jesus to preach the gospel (Isa 61:1 c/w Luk 4:18).
   2. Once the Holy Ghost has made a man a pastor, He then empowers him to preach the word (1Pe 1:12).
   3. The apostles were filled with the Holy Ghost as they preached (Act 4:8; Act 4:31).
   4. The Holy Ghost empowers preachers to preach the gospel and hearers to receive it (1Th 1:5-6).
   5. God manifests His word through preaching (Tit 1:3).
   6. The Holy Ghost facilitates this by teaching the word of God to the preacher and to the saints through comparing scripture with scripture (1Co 2:13).
3. Restraining wickedness
   1. God will use the Holy Spirit to restrain the mystery of iniquity and the man of sin until which time He decides to take Him out of the way (2Th 2:7-8).
   2. Let v. – 1. trans. To hinder, prevent, obstruct, stand in the way of (a person, thing, action, etc.)
   3. The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against enemies which come against His people like a flood (Isa 59:19; Zec 4:6).

1. How do we become filled with the Spirit?
   1. Through regeneration
      1. John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother’s womb (Luk 1:15).
      2. The Spirit of God was dwelling in John through regeneration (Rom 8:9).
      3. Had he not been regenerated from the womb, John would have been born spiritually dead and would have been a child of wrath like others (Eph 2:1-3; Psa 51:5; Psa 58:3).
   2. Through baptism and church membership
      1. Baptism adds one to the local church (Act 2:41-42).
         1. When a man repents and is baptized, he receives the gift of the Holy Ghost (Act 2:38).
         2. The gift of the Holy Ghost is twofold.
            1. It is the blessing of having the Holy Spirit which produces fruit in one’s life (Joh 7:37-39; Gal 5:22-23).
            2. It is also the gift which the Holy Ghost gives, which is being added to the spiritual body of the local church (1Co 12:13).
         3. The Holy Ghost fills the church (Act 2:1-4).
            1. We no longer have the miraculous gifts of the Spirit, but we can still be filled with the Holy Ghost when we are members of a true church.
            2. Following are examples of Christians who were filled with the Holy Ghost.
               1. Peter was filled with the Holy Ghost, which enabled him to preach boldly (Act 4:8-13).
               2. After praying for boldness with the brethren after being threatened, the apostles were filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke the word of God with boldness (Act 4:23-31).
               3. The apostle Paul was filled with the Holy Ghost after he was baptized (Act 9:17-18).
                  • Afterward, Paul preached Christ in the synagogues and amazed people (Act 9:19-21).
                  • He increased in strength and confounded the Jews, proving that Jesus was the Christ (Act 9:22).
                  • He preached through the power of the Holy Ghost (1Pe 1:12).
                  • Being filled with the Holy Ghost, Paul confronted wicked men boldly (Act 13:4-12).
   3. Through reading the Bible.
      1. Christians can be filled with the Spirit by letting the word of God dwell in them richly (Eph 5:18-19 c/w Col 3:16).
      2. Walking in the Spirit is demonstrated by delighting and meditating in the law of God (Gal 5:16 c/w Psa 1:1-3 c/w Psa 119:1-3).
      3. When God pours out His Spirit to a man, He makes His words known unto him (Pro 1:23).