The Holy Spirit
What do we believe about the Holy Spirit?
Our Belief
The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son and indwells all true believers. His role is to bring glory to Jesus Christ, thus making Jesus Christ central in all things. The Spirit works to illuminate believers’ minds to grasp the truth of the Bible, producing in them his fruit, granting them his gifts, and empowering them for service. He grants his gifts for the purpose of service, not self-indulgence. Their use is determined – not by personal desire for fulfilment, or satisfaction – but by the principle of building the church. Not every gift of the Spirit is given to the church at every moment of its life, only those necessary for building Christ’s body.
The Indwelling
Historically, the western church is guilty of limited recognition of the work of the Holy Spirit. The truth is that all of human history has been and continues to be a spiritual battle for our souls and the soul of the nations. Satan and his workers are increasingly visible and active, seeking to destroy the faith of many. For that reason Jesus promised and provided the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to indwell each and every believer. The Holy Spirit not only reveals to us the truth, but He also seals each believer until the day of Redemption. Without the work of the Holy Spirit, we would not be able to stand against the attacks of the devil. Therefore we pray in the Spirit as an act of spiritual warfare and expressing our dependence on God.
Because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we recognise the priesthood of every believer. Each of us has direct access to God through the one high-priest, Jesus Christ. God has empowered each of us to minister to each other. Therefore we are dependent on each other and seek to honour one another as higher than ourselves.
Fruit of the Spirit
The marks of a believer are the fruit of the Spirit. As we grow in godliness, the fruit of the Spirit will become more evident. This fruit is not narcissistic or grandstanding, but humble and service oriented.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law
Galations 5:22-23
We are not children of the law, but are children of grace. Therefore, we grow in the Spirit not by rules and regulations, but through the conviction that He brings into each of our lives. The Fruit of the Spirit stands in stark contrast to the fruit of this world. Because of the fruit that the Spirit is growing in us, we can say:
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world,
the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world
- the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life -
is not from the Father but from the world
1 John 2:15-16
Building the Church
Building God's church is not a human endeavour. Church growth cannot be reduced to a formula or program. Rather, the Spirit grows His church how and when He choses. Yet, God has not called us to be passive passengers but active participants. For this reason, the believer both becomes part of the church at salvation and commits to joining and building up the church body.