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The Holy Spirit Page

He is God, and we need to Let Him Be what He is!

Cessationism is Incompatible with Predestination

A short article showing how that if you believe in Predestination you should also believe in the continuation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Cessationism presents a contradiction for predestinarian's.

Are You Afraid of The Holy Spirit?

This was the introduction to a series of 
Sunday Evening Bible Studies I conducted
at Second Baptist Church in South Hadley Ma.

Are Spiritual Gifts For Today?
-James Sheets

The Holy Spirit ought to control the functioning of the church,
and the empowerment of the believers to do the work
that Christ has called them to do.  This article shows how this happens.

Notable Quote


“All the good that is ever done in the world is worked by the Holy Spirit and, as the Holy Spirit honors Jesus Christ, so He puts great honor upon the Holy Spirit. If you and I try, either as a Church or as individuals, to do without the Holy Spirit, God will soon do without us. Unless we reverently worship Him and believingly trust in Him, we shall find that we shall be like Samson when his locks were shorn. He shook himself as he had done before, but when the Philistines were upon him, he could do nothing against them. Our prayer must always be, ‘Holy Spirit, dwell with me! Holy Spirit, dwell with Your servants!’ We know that we are utterly dependent upon Him. Such is the teaching of our Master and Jesus Christ is ‘the same yesterday, and today, and forever.’”
Charles H. Spurgeon,  1894, Sermon #2358

Spirit Gifts - What are we to Think?

This is a short article based upon some personal correspondence, 
but I think it is a valuable little study regarding the traditional Baptist views,
and why they cannot be sustained from scripture.

Did the Spiritual Gifts Cease with the Apostles?
-Alan Nairne

This study traces Alan Nairne's personal journey from dispensational fundamentalism to "Reformed Continuationism" (the belief that the gifts still exist).  Keep in mind this is an account of his story, and there are certain aspects which I do not agree with.  But he does do a good job of explaining why the cessationist's arguments fail and do much harm to an understanding of Biblical spirituality.

Signs and Wonders - Then and Now
-John Piper

John Piper is one of America's most beloved and respected Reformed pastors. 
He is not a cessationist, and here he tells you at least part of the reason why.

Spiritual Gifts
-John Piper

This is a very practical study on the spiritual gifts
by a preeminent Reformed Bible Teacher.

The Gifts From The Holy Spirit
Are For Today!

The title says what this is all about.
The Holy Spirit Still Gives His Gifts to The Church.

Speaking in tongues
in the early church fathers
by Francis Gumerlock

This article documents the mention of tongues in early church documents.  It seems that all the early church fathers understood the gift of tongues as "the ability to speak in known human languages" as evidenced in Acts 2.  Tongues was never understood as incomprehensible gibberish or ecstatic utterances. This substantiates the idea that Acts presents the normative understanding of tongues because it provides the only actual example of tongues speaking in the Bible. Corinthians does not record any actual incidences of what happened when tongues were spoken.  This is an off site article but well worth reading.

Probing Paul's Pneumatology
-Richard B. Gaffin Jr.

A scholarly article which appeared in the
JOURNAL OF THE EVANGELICAL THEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
Professor Gaffin is from Westminster Theological Seminary.

The Case of Variant Miracle Workers?

Should we automatically reject miracle workers who do not fit in
with our preconceived notions of how it is supposed to work,
or how it is supposed to look.  There is very clear teaching in
the Bible about who we are supposed to accept and who we
are supposed to reject.  You might be surprised by this little
study from the life of Christ.

Bible Verses on...
The Holy Spirit as
The Guide and Teacher Teacher of Christians

He is the only Infallible guide we have.

The Holy Spirit as
The Illuminator of Scripture

We know that the Holy Spirit played the key role in the "inspiration" of the Bible (2Pet. 1:21),  but we also need to know that He plays the key role in the "illumination" of it (Jn. 16:13;  1Cor. 2:9-16).   Without the holy Spirit illuminating what he wrote, the Bible would just be a book of words of ink printed on high quality paper. The Bible, on the other hand is a "living" book (Heb. 4:12,  quick = alive), not just because of it's inspiration, but because the Holy Spirit interprets it and applies it to the heart.

Notable Quote

“The Holy Spirit still exists, works and teaches in the Church. And we have a test by which to know whether what people claim to be revelation is revelation or not—“He shall receive of Mine.” The Holy Spirit will never go farther than the Cross and the coming of the Lord. He will go no farther than that which concerns Christ. “He shall receive of Mine.” When, therefore, anybody whispers in my ear that there has been revealed to him this or that, which I do not find in the teaching of Christ and His Apostles, I tell him that we must be taught by the Holy Spirit. His one vocation is to deal with the things of Christ! If we do not remember this, we may be carried away by quirks, as many have been. Those who will have to do with other things, let them—but as for us, we shall be satisfied to confine our thoughts and our teaching within these limitless limits--
“He shall take of Mine, and shall show it unto you.”
C. H. Spurgeon 1891, Sermon #2213

Slain in The Spirit
and Other Signs and Wonders
Biblical or Unbiblical?
-Wayne O'Conner

This article was written over 15 years ago, but it is still applicable to today's  lying wonders.  There are clear marks between the true gifts and gifts wrought by demonic forces.  Do Not Be deceived. This examines new types of manifestations, slaying in the Spirit, Toronto blessing, Holy laughter, Drunk in the Spirit etc.

Notable Quote

Nothing is more contrary to a heavenly hope than
an earthly heart.
-WILLIAM GURNALL

Miracles Create Unbelief
-Bob Enyart

An interesting and eyeopening study that  will help you think correctly
about the actual effects that miracles have on people.

Spiritual Warfare

A different perspective

Studies on various gifts

This is a collection of articles dealing with various aspects of all the different gifts.  New articles of relevance are added frequently.

Ministry of Healing
A.J. Gordon

This is a complete 250 page book by the late pastor of Clarendon Street Baptist Church, and the Founder of Gordon College, A.J.Gordon.  The outstanding feature of this book, is that the brilliant author, presents an undeniable case for continuation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, specifically the gift of healing.  He traces healing historically as well as theologically, and the arguments presented; even though they were presented well before the rise of Pentecostalism, and the consequential overreaction of the cessationist movement; are solid arguments which need to be resurrected in the defense of the gifts of the Holy Spirit among Baptist's today.     Cessationism, has had a horrendously detrimental effect on the churches of America, especially within Baptist circles.   False doctrines always have deleterious effects on the body of Christ, and cessationism is no exception.

Biblical Healing
-Vincent Cheung

This excellent little book includes the concept of healing in the atonement, the concept of the authority of believers, the methodology of healing ministries as they function today and deficient views of healing.

Speaking in Tongues and Interpretation

Tongues is the most abused and the most counterfeited of all the gifts.  Anyone can babble or mutter mysterious sounds.   So how do we know what's real and what's from God? 

Tongues - Acts vs. Corinth

This is a no holds barred comparison and contrast between Acts and Corinth.
THIS ARTICLE IS A MUST READ if you want to know what the Bible actually teaches about tongues.

Apostles

You'll learn how many apostles there were, along with their functions.  You'll learn how easy it is to spot false apostles, and learn in what sense this gift continues today.

Prophecy

Many things are clarified and explained.  There is also some important stuff about the gift of tongues here, because these revelatory gifts are similar in many respects.

Testing of Prophets and Prophecies
-R.H. Johnston

The proper assessment of prophets and their messages is critical to the health and safety of God's church.  This is especially so today, when false prophets stand on every corner and fill pulpits across the land.  Many of them attract huge crowds and fill civic centers and stadiums with multitudes of eager followers.  Beware.  True prophets must meet the strictest of requirements, in order for God's people to listen to them.   This article points these requirements out, and gives us clear guidelines for assessing any prophets message.  This was written by R.H.Johnston, and while I do not agree with everything he says, I do endorse the Bible commands to "Try the Spirits" (1Jn. 4:1) , and the idea that "the spirits of the prophets is subject to the prophets"  (1Cor. 14:32).

Where did the Virgin Daughters Prophesy?

And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy - Acts 21:9
This is a great study on prophecy in general and on the role of women prophets in particular.

The Women at Pentecost Prophesied and Spoke in Tongues

Were they out of line?  A short observation.

Discerning of Spirits

This gift should probably be first in any study of the gifts.  All of the gifts are important, but some are more important than others, and I think this one should probably be at the top of the list in our day of so much confusion, because it is a gift that straightens out things that mislead and trap believers.  This concept of a "hierarchy of the gifts" is taught in scripture.

Discerning of Spirits Part 2

This is a more in depth study of this gift that the first article above.

Anointing / Discernment
(Regular Christian Discernment)

This article discusses the difference between the gift of "Discerning of spirits" and "spiritual discernment".  These things should never be confused.  They are separate and distinct.  One is a natural trait, belonging to every believer,  the other is a supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit, and very few people have ever had it. Learn about the differences in this article.

Sickness and The Devil
Vincent Cheung

This article does an excellent job exploring the question of How  sickness can be from the Devil and from God at the same time.  It shows why taking medicine is not resisting the will of God, and why Healing people is a form of resisting the Devil.