Thursday, 15 August 2024

How Do We Intentionally Have Fellowship with the Holy Spirit?

 First of all, who is the Holy Spirit? According to 1Cor 2:11, He is the Spirit of God. For He is one with God, and He is God, because He is His Spirit.

"For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God."


You can go and take a look at the entire chapter.


So how do we intentionally have fellowship with the Holy Spirit?


1. By receiving truth. 

In John 16:13, Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of truth. The Holy Spirit only testifies of truth. He and God are one; so He cannot speak of anything different from God or His Word.

 
According to John 17:17 the Word of God is truth. We can welcome the fellowship of the Holy Spirit by receiving what the word of God says. The Holy Spirit will be present only where the truth is being testified. Because He is a witness to truth. And He will only bear witness to truth.

 
"For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one." 1John 5:7


The Holy Spirit also glorifies Jesus, who is the Word.


2. Bringing us to; We have to receive Jesus.

 The Holy Spirit only dwells and has fellowship with the ones who are born again. When we reject Jesus and the word of God, we cannot have fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

 
"He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you." (John 16:14)


The Holy Spirit is also the One who seals us after we have received the salvation of Jesus.

"In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also having believed you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise" (Eph 1:13)


Moreover, when we reject the Son, we also reject the Father, thereby rejecting the Holy Spirit as well, who is the Spirit of God. (1 John 2:23)


3. By inviting His fellowship.

 
According to Luke 11:13, we can ask the Father for the Holy Spirit. If you are born again (you have repented and placed your faith in Jesus to save you from sin and eternal condemnation) you can pray to the Father for the Holy Spirit. That is if you have not received Him yet or you are not sure that you have Him. (Refer to Acts 8:13-17)


"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" (Luke 11:13)


You can invite the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Just remember that He comes to glorify Jesus, so we have to be living in truth and testifying of it.


4. By keeping ourselves pure through living in obedience to the word of God.

 
The body of a believer is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

 
"Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?" (1 Cor 18-19)


In Ephesians 4 we are instructed to put off the old man. That we should no longer walk in the ways that we used to when we were not born again. But to live in righteousness and holiness.

 
"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice." (Eph 4:30,31)

5. Through repentance

 
Scripture tells us that God is light and there's no darkness in Him.  "If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth."


But when we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive us our sins.  (1 John 1:5-10)


6. By meditating on the word  of God to renew our mind, then we can walk according to His will. (Eph 4:23, Romans 12:2)

Remember again, that He is the Spirit of truth and the word of God is truth. He is not a feeling either, (though we may feel His presence). So we can have fellowship with Him in faith even when there's no feeling.

Therefore, as we pray for revival, let us preach truth, let us walk in truth, because the Holy Spirit can only testify of truth. Let us preach truth and walk in truth to see the power of God.

(The points I have given are not in order and they are not limited to these only.)

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