Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. (Genesis 1:2, NIV 1984).
Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:20–21, NIV 1984).
We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. (1 Corinthians 2:12–13, NIV 1984).
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on [exalt] him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD—and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. (Isaiah 11:1–3, NIV 1984).
It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment. (John 16:7–10, NIV 1984).
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. (Ezekiel 36:25–27, NIV 1984).
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8, NIV 1984).
My Musings – The Holy Spirit was not a new manifestation of God that mysteriously appeared at Pentecost. “In the beginning,” like God the Father, and like God the Son (“with God in the beginning“) He too was already there “hovering over the waters.” Nor was He inactive between creation and Pentecost, as He inspired the prophets of old.
I wonder if the disciples found it hard to believe that “it [was] for [their] good that [Jesus was] going away?” If I was in their “sandals” I’m sure I would have found it hard to believe. But we have the hindsight to see how miraculously the disciples were transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. How the Spirit working through them transformed the world. How else could a “back-water” movement be alive and vital worldwide (“to the ends of the earth“) some 2000 years later?
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life and empowered to perform God’s ministry on earth. (Articles of Faith, First Baptist Church of Sycamore, Church Constitution & Bylaws).
My Advice – Do you have a “new heart and … a new spirit in you?” If not, be reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ and He “will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” It will be the most powerful and transforming decision you could ever make.
The Brew Is A Musing 