John 14:16-18 NKJV And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
As Jesus prepared his disciples for His inevitable departure, He assured them that they will not be abandoned and left as orphans but instead another “Helper” that is the Holy Spirit will be there to guide them in the same way that He himself had ministered with them for three years.
According to Strong’s 3875 and Thayer’s definition of ‘Helper’ (Parakletos) it is : Advocate, comforter, a pleader, an intercessor of Christ in his exaltation at God’s right hand, pleading with God the Father for the pardon of our sins. The Holy Spirit is also a succourer, an aider and assistant destined to take the place of Christ with the apostles after His ascension to the Father. He would lead them to a deeper knowledge of the gospel truth and give them divine strength needed to undergo trials and persecutions on behalf of the divine kingdom.
Romans 8:14-16 NKJV For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
The Holy Spirit will dwell in us if we accept Him, acknowledge and pursue Him, and allow Him to minister, comfort, counsel, intercede, advocate, strengthen, and stand by us. He can lead and speak to us in our daily struggles. He will bring into our remembrance scripture and past experiences to teach and steer us, grant us wisdom to solve challenges, comfort us when we are down, hard pressed and discouraged. He cares for us personally and can give us creative ideas and strategies in our work. He will help us through interpersonal relationships by infusing His grace to sustain us. The Holy Spirit also keeps us accountable to our righteousness through Christ by convicting us of our sin and reminds us of judgement. He empowers us to overcome the lure of the flesh temptations and weaknesses.
To live a consecrated life, we need to know the person of the Holy Spirit as we embark on the journey of being led by Him and tuning in to His voice to pray for a certain situation or people. Many of us are going through great struggles during these current times and God is aware of what we are facing in the midst of this pandemic; the changes, challenges and uncertainties. This is where we can seek the Holy Spirit’s counsel at any time if He dwells in us because He knows what we go through everyday. He can be active in our lives and in the life of the church. He is present in church services and cell groups. He is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. The Holy Spirit is the third person in the Godhead of the Trinity. He is our assurance that God is with us on earth as He dwells in us to guide us and journey with us through our lives.
Sermon Series: From the Closet to the Boardroom (Part 3)
认识圣灵
约翰福音 14:16-18我要求父，父就另外赐给你们一位保惠师〔或作“训慰师”〕，叫他永远与你们同在，就是真理的圣灵，乃世人不能接受的，因为不见他，也不认识他；你们却认识他，因他常与你们同在，也要在你们里面。我不撇下你们为孤儿，我必到你们这里来。
当耶稣为祂的离世而预备门徒之时，祂向他们保证，必不丢弃或撇下他们为孤儿，而另一位 “帮助者／保惠师”， 就是圣灵，将要以祂在过去三年中亲自服事他们的同样的方式来引导他们。
根据 Strong之3875 和 Thayer 对 “帮助者／保惠师” (Parakletos) 的定义，就是：中保／辩护者、安慰者／训慰者、恳求者／代求者、代祷者／调解者——基督 被高举在 上帝 的右边， 恳求 父神 赦免我们的罪。圣灵也是一位随时救助者、协助者、援助者，被预定在基督升天到父神那里去以后，接替基督在地上与使徒们同在。圣灵要启示和引导他们对福音真理有更深层的认识，并赋予他们所需之属天力量，能够为那属天国度忍受患难和逼迫。
罗马书 8:14-16因为凡被 神的灵引导的，都是 神的儿子。你们所受的不是奴仆的心，仍旧害怕；所受的乃是儿子的心，因此我们呼叫：“阿爸，父！” 圣灵与我们的心同证我们是 神的儿女。
我们若接受圣灵，承认祂并追求祂，且让圣灵来牧养、安慰、劝告、代祷、辩护、补强、支持与守护着我们，圣灵就会来住在我们里面。在我们的日常奋斗和挣扎中，祂可以引导我们并向我们说话；祂会引导我们记起经文和过往的经历，来教导和指引我们，赐我们智慧去克服挑战；在我们感到沮丧、压抑和灰心时安慰我们。祂关心我们个人，在我们的工作上能赐给我们创意和策略；祂浇灌恩典来维持我们，帮助我们处理人际关系。圣灵也通过使我们知罪并提醒我们将来的审判，好让我们对藉着基督而得的称义负责。圣灵赋予我们能力胜过肉体的诱惑和软弱。
要过一个分别为圣的生活，我们需要认识圣灵，踏上由圣灵带领的旅程，调整频率去聆听祂的声音，去为某个情况或某人代祷。目前这段时期，我们当中有许多人正经历着巨大的挣扎，神 知道我们在这新冠肺炎大流行中所面临的一切：变化、挑战和不定的局面。如果有圣灵住在我们里面，我们就可以随时寻求圣灵的忠告和指引，因为祂知道我们每天所要经历的。祂可以活跃于我们的生命里和教会生活中，祂出席教会的聚会和细胞小组。祂是无所不能，无所不知，无所不在的。圣灵是三位一体神的第三个位格。祂是 神与我们同在世间的确据，祂住在我们里面，带领我们同行这漫漫人生路。
讲章系列：从内室进到会议室 （第三部分）