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Holy Spirit Research Paper
Elizabeth Meyer
Oral Roberts University
THE 104: Spirit Empowered Living
Dr. French
November 9, 2023
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Introduction
Throughout the Bible, in order to fill the void of separation between man and God that sin has established, God uniquely institutes various avenues for His presence to abide among His
people. Because God is a trinity, there are numerous examples of the forms that His presence takes that are evident throughout the Bible. Primarily, the one that is still predominantly relevant to modern Christianity today is the Holy Spirit. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Pneumatology is “
the branch of Christian theology concerned with the Holy Spirit.” Derived from the Greek language, the word ‘pneuma’ means “breath”, pertaining to the necessity of life, or “spirit”. Additionally, the word ‘logos’ means “to teach about”. Not only is the Holy Spirit an essential component to life, but understanding the Holy Spirit is, likewise, essential to understanding the fullness of God. Who is the Holy Spirit?
A huge question that often puzzles people that may be new to the faith, or even believers, is the inquiry, “who is the Holy Spirit?” This question is wholly valid due to the complexity of the person of the Holy Spirit. From the Old Testament to the New Testament, there are various demonstrations of the characteristics and qualities of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not just one specific thing and this unveils a multitude of revelation concerning the subsistence of the Holy Spirit. Moreover, the evidence of the Holy Spirit residing within Christians plays a large role in expounding upon the presentation and understanding of the person of the Holy Spirit (Carroll 16). So, who is the Holy Spirit? In the New Testament, it is evident that being filled with
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the Holy Spirit is directly correlated with various attributes such as the joy of the Lord (New King James Version, Acts 13.52). Not only is the Holy Spirit presented as the joy of the Lord, but
the Spirit brings righteousness to the remembrance of man and is the source of Heavenly peace (Rom. 14.17). Similarly, the Holy Spirit is the teacher of things beyond the wisdom of man (I Cor. 2.13). With the Holy Spirit, there is a whole new level of knowledge and discernment accessible because the Holy Spirit is not of this world, rather, He is derived from God, so with the Holy Spirit, comes the things only known through the Father (I Cor. 2.12). Simply, Jesus Himself describes the Holy Spirit as “the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby),” because Jesus wanted His people to know the goodness of who they were receiving (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition, John 14.26). Evidently, the Holy Spirit being sent by the Father paved way for God’s presence to reside in the midst of all people. It is important to realize that all previously mentioned attributes of the Holy Spirit not only amplify the works of Jesus, but they allow a better understanding of who the Holy Spirit is because He is,
in His fullness, each and every one of these characteristics. What is the Work of the Holy Spirit?
Principally, because the Holy Spirit has a copious expanse of attributes, He also does an ample number of things that are correlated with who He is. The Holy Spirit has an abundance of duties that are meant to aid the earth, the church, and the individual believer. Since the beginning, one of these duties has been for the Holy Spirit to bring light to the darkness. While the world was formless, darkness enveloped the depths of the earth (New King James Version, Gen. 1.2). Still the Spirit of God remained upon the waters, and once God spoke through His Spirit, light immediately developed (Gen. 1.2). This is still evident today because where the
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Spirit of the Lord is, specifically when the Spirit abides among the children of God, darkness cannot exist (Eph. 5.8 and 11). Moreover, within the church, the Holy Spirit establishes unity and
order. The Apostle Paul, when writing to the church in Ephesis, admonished them to strive for harmony within the Spirit, for just as there is one Holy Spirit, there is one body of Christ, otherwise known as the church (Eph. 4.3-4). Similarly, when it comes to order within the church,
the Spirit of God is not made known through chaos or distraction. Throughout the scriptures, it is
apparent that the Holy Spirit arrives when there is order. Distinctly, people within the New Testament were filled with the Holy Spirit by first hearing of Him, then through the laying on of hands, and after these things, the confirmation of the baptism of the Holy Spirit would be made known (Acts 19.2-6). Additionally, some gifts that are manifest of the Holy Spirit are those of prophecy and the interpretation of tongues. The gifts of prophecy and interpretation are the greatest gifts of the Spirit and are meant for the edification of the church (I Cor. 14.4-5). In addition to prophecy and interpretation, the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues is not only for just the individual. Rather, God makes known that He is no respecter of persons (Acts.10.34). On
the day of Pentecost, the baptism of the Holy Spirit was not confined to certain individuals and this portrayed the heart of the corporate anointing of the Spirit (Thiselton 50). The Bible says that
all the believers were gathered together in a single location on the day of Pentecost and every single one of them was filled with the Holy Spirit and produced the evidence of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2.1-4). However, while the Holy Spirit has great impact on the world and the church, His main objective is the individual believer, and through the individual believer is how the Holy Spirit is able to impact both the earth and the church. Now, the way that the Holy Spirit distinctly
interacts with individual people is unique. There are three dimensions of the Holy Spirit upon individual believers and these are that He is with them, He is in them, and He is on them. More
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specifically, when a believer is baptized in the Holy Spirit and prays in tongues, they are praying out the perfect will of God. When praying the perfect will of God, the Holy Spirit is concurrently, helping, the individual, process that which they do not know is inside of them. The things that individuals pray out in the mystery of the Spirit will edify them and will be made known through discernment from the Lord (I Cor. 14.4). Furthermore, the individual that abides within the Spirit of the Lord, will produce the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5.22-23 and 25). However, it is only through yielding the fruit of the Spirit that it is tangible that one walks with the Spirit (Gal. 5.25). Believers are not able to have one without the other. Overall, the work of the Holy Spirit is capacious and multifaceted. The Holy Spirit is unceasingly profound within the earth, the church, and the believer.
How Has the Holy Spirit Used People in History?
Brother Smith Wigglesworth, also known as ‘the apostle of faith’, was a forerunner within the Pentecostal revival in the early 1900’s. Wigglesworth was born in 1859 and was an Englishman that found his faith and was born again in the Wesleyan Methodist church as a young boy. His walk with the Lord began at a young age but it wasn’t until July of 1894 that Wigglesworth began his adventures with the Holy Spirit. Wigglesworth recalls that his baptism with the Holy Spirit “
brought a marvelous manifestation of God in special gifts to sick ones, and a constant living and seeking to bring others to Jesus” (Wigglesworth). Likewise, Wigglesworth began to walk in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues and the presence of the
Lord filled him like never before. Wigglesworth further describes how his writings have been inspired of the Lord and how the presence of the Holy Spirit fills him so greatly that all he can do
is glorify Him. Smith Wigglesworth, because of his anointing with the Spirit of God, was able to
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understand the depths of the presence of the Lord. Throughout various points in his ministry, Wigglesworth was able to access the fullness of the presence of the Spirit and the power of the Spirit. What is so noteworthy about Brother Wigglesworth is that while he did such amazing things for the kingdom, he also had some very notable milestones in his faith that every believer has at some point when walking with the Holy Spirit. More specifically, Wigglesworth describes the extremely relatable way that the glory of the Holy Spirit has encompassed him at times. This is auspicious for many believers that question the worth of their calling. Subsequently, Wigglesworth is best known for his valiant and audacious healing ministry. The works and being
of the Holy Spirit are significantly palpable throughout the course of Wigglesworth’s healing ministry. The Bible says in the gospel of Luke, that the Holy Spirit ascended upon Jesus like a dove (Luke 3.22). Later on, in the book, it is evident that along with the Spirit, Jesus was anointed with the power of the Spirit and this enabled Jesus to perform miracles and wonders in the name of the Father. Like Jesus, Smith Wigglesworth was anointed with the power of the Spirit of God and coincidingly was able to perform some of modern Christianity’s greatest miracles such as bringing babies back to life, raising bodies from the dead, and ridding people of sicknesses, diseases, and cancers. There is much indication of the greatness of the Holy Spirit’s work all throughout the life of Smith Wigglesworth. In the area of ministry and leadership, a prime example of the excellence produced by the
Holy Spirit is Billy Graham. Brother Billy Graham was an extremely successful evangelist for the kingdom of God. It is stated that he preached the word of God to more people in live audiences than anyone in history, nearing the total to 215 million people (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association). It is obvious that over the course of the ministry of Brother Billy Graham, the Holy Spirit has been present. Throughout both the Old and New Testament, the
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Holy Spirit has consistently led and taught believers. Exclusively, the Holy Spirit was in the midst of every sermon preached by Graham. Since the time that God sent the Holy Spirit, one of his tasks has been to give utterance to those preaching the gospel (Luke 12.11-12). Considering the abundance of times that Billy Graham has preached the gospel, in person, on tv, in his books, etc., and also considering the fruits of the Spirit that have stemmed from his ministry, it is painless to say that the Holy Spirit has been involved. Even more so, because of his obedience to the Lord, Billy Graham had also found favor in both the eyes of man and God (Prov. 3.4). The approval that Brother Graham discovered within the judgement of man was so unlikely and extravagant that it only could have been God. The Holy Spirit revealed such great revelation for Billy Graham throughout his ministry and Brother Graham was so intent on following the will of
God and listening to the Holy Spirit that he excelled greatly in his ministry on earth.
How Can the Holy Spirit Use Me?
Throughout my own life, I have seen a multitude of evidence of the Holy Spirit working in and through me. From the time I was born until I was about eight years old, I grew up in a Presbyterian church where my mom was employed. Because this church was Presbyterian, I had never heard of the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, prophecy, etc. I had no clue what the Pentecostal movement was and I barely had a true understanding of who Jesus was. It wasn’t until I was eight and my family had moved to an Assembly of God church that I had heard anything remotely close to what the Holy Spirit was. I remember so vividly standing at the altar, on a Sunday, with my mom and hearing her speak in tongues for the very first time. I had thought that everyone had lost their minds and I had no idea what was wrong with my mom. Later on that year, my older sister had gone off to college at Oral Roberts University and I was
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sitting on my coffee table at home watching Reinhard Bonnke preach at fall revival. In the middle of his sermon, I just begin speaking in tongues. Bonnke hadn’t been preaching about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but the anointing of the Holy Spirit was there. What I find so astonishing is that the fall revival where I was baptized in the Holy Spirit at nine years old, was the same fall revival my sister was baptized in the Spirit at the age of nineteen. This was the first time that it was recognizable to me that the Holy Spirit knows no bounds. Since then, I have greatly grown in my understanding of the Lord and in my abilities with the Holy Spirit. My personal prayer language with the Lord has grown and developed and I have found such revelation in the word of
God because of the Holy Spirit. The most predominant way that I have heard the voice of the Holy Spirit is through revelation in the scriptures of the Bible. It has definitely been one of the most freeing and amazing gifts from God that I have ever received. The Spirit of God has always
been apparent within my life, but most specifically concerning my birth and my God-given purpose. Long-story short, my mom was never supposed to carry me past the first trimester, but the fact that God saved me is such a prominent indication that the Holy Spirit has quite literally been with me and for me since the very beginning. On the other hand, concerning my future in ministry and leadership, and my future career in full-time ministry, I am confident that the Lord will continue to speak to me and guide me through the heavenly understanding of the Bible given
to me by the Holy Spirit. Conclusion
To conclude, though the Holy Spirit is so complex and intricate, there is such power and
revelation in His presence. As a means to reunite with His beloved, the person of the Holy Spirit
and the works of the Holy Spirit have reconnected God with His people in such a profound way.
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Overall, I believe that, not only does the study of the Holy Spirit provide Christians with a more
meaningful understanding of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but it also provides such an
evocative perception of the purpose that people have here on earth. The thorough study of the
Holy Spirit is essential to the unlocking the full potential and power that God has in store for our
lives.
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Works Cited
Carroll, John T..
The Holy Spirit in the New Testament, Abingdon Press, 2018.
ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/oru-ebooks/detail.action?
docID=5255623
.
Thiselton, Anthony C..
A Shorter Guide to the Holy Spirit : Bible, Doctrine, Experience, Eerdmans, 2016.
ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/oru-
ebooks/detail.action?docID=4859070
.
Cauchi, T. & The Revival Library (Eds.). (2015). Baptism in the Holy Spirit. SMITH WIGGLESWORTH. Retrieved November 9, 2023, from
http://smithwigglesworth.com/index.php/smith-wigglesworth-life/baptism-in-the-
holy-spirit
Billy Graham. (2020, September 1). Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Retrieved November
9, 2023, from https://billygraham.org/about/biographies/billy-graham/