Classroom: The Holy Spirit 03-19-07

03-19-07 Nabil Attala
The Holy Spirit

This year, I am only traveling to Cyprus to talk at a DTS. I believe that God wants to meet every one of you, because He sent me here, and only here. What we’re going to do is open some doors, and it’s up to you – if you want to see more, take more. It starts with your heart, if you want to open it and receive it. I want to tell you something in the beginning. You cannot put God in a box and search Him – where He fits with your ideas and your ideology. Who submits to God? Who submits to whom? We cannot bring God to submit to us, but we have to go to God and submit to Him.

To be a disciple means to be a teachable person. To be open to teaching and receiving – not to fight. In the time of Jesus, the teachers sit on a chair and all of the disciples sit on the floor. He wants us to sit and be open and learn. Thank God for His Father Heart.

Let me start with a question. I have just one question. I hope you’ll let me ask it.

When I say “Holy Spirit” what’s your first impression? What’s the first thing that comes to your mind?

Rob: Conscience. Everything we think is good. Speaking in tongues, Benny Hinn, people falling over.
Me: God’s invisible presence.
Adam: The Spirit of God dwelling within us.
Simon: Holiness and leadership.
Sanae: Comforter
Ronza: Guidance. He’s a person who guides.
Ellie: conscience.

Let me ask you a second question. Why are you afraid of the teaching of the Holy Spirit?

Adam: I’m afraid it’s going to be very one-sided and charismatic.
Jason: I’m not afraid. I’ve just been waiting for this week.
Chris: I’m afraid of how this week is going to align with the Bible.

Thank you for your honesty. There is nothing that you can call a perfect introduction to this subject, but wherever you are and whatever you think – I pray that the Lord will answer your questions inside of your heart, and I pray that we will go in balance; and the balance depends on where you are – because if you are in the middle, that balance will be something that’s just behind you. If you’re on the edge, the balance will be something that’s just beside you, but I pray that the Lord will bring us all to focus and bring us to the center. This cannot happen in one week. All we’re going to do is open some doors and some ideas. My focus is that we’re going to speak about the Holy Spirit, we’re going to touch some areas, but because this is a discipleship training school – TRAINING school, we’re going to focus more about the training. The practical side of the subject. I’m not here just to fill your thoughts, but when we talk about the Holy Spirit and what He’s doing right now, I want to give the Holy Spirit the chance, right here, to do His work through us; and if you don’t like what I’m saying, just keep it with you and right it down – but pass it. Leave it how it is for now and continue on with me. Don’t judge now, we’ll pick that up later in the end. Write down your comments.

I remember in Larnaca, there was this little old lady, and after the first day – she expressed her lovely feelings towards me. “I hate you! And I hate what you’re teaching!” And thankfully God gave me the grace to answer, “just wait. By the end of the week you’ll love me.” And in the end – praise God – she was crying in my arms.

When we talk about the Holy Spirit, as we see, it’s a very sensitive subject. Why is it sensitive? Because there are a lot of methods and a lot of ways to reach this subject; and a lot of people are afraid of deception and confusion.

Matthew 22:29
But Jesus answered them, "You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.

You will be deceived if you do not know two things. 1) if you don’t know the word of God and 2) if you don’t know the power of God.

The Holy Spirit, He is the one who describes the word of God. He is the one who displays the power of God. Deception is not all lies. Deception is half lies and half truth – mixed together.

So this subject is very controversial, because when we know and become a person of the Holy Spirit – there is life. If you are dead, there is no problem when you go to the graveyard. You’re dead – there’s no problem! But when you’re alive, you’re going to face a lot of problems in these circumstances. And if you have the Holy Spirit, you’ll find these problems, because He is the Spirit of life.

There are a lot of impressions of the Holy Spirit. Like you all answered. Some people think of the Holy Spirit as “it”… let’s open the scriptures.

John 14:15-17
"If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

The world does not know Him. How do we know Him? Because He dwells in us. We know Him through the person of Jesus Christ.

This morning the Lord opened my mind. THIS morning, just one hour ago, when I was reading this again, the Lord opened my mind to understand that a life without the Holy Spirit is a life of orphans. This is what the Lord Jesus said! “I will not leave you orphans (verse 18), fatherless! But I will leave you with the Holy Spirit and keep you as sons and daughters. And one thing that He has and brings is the sonship!
In Romans 8:23, He speaks that the Holy Spirit cries (groans) in us! And says to the Father, “Abba!” And this morning I put it together. This is the Holy Spirit – and He gives me the understanding to be a son.

This is the challenge for this week. To know the Holy Spirit in a way of relationship. It’s not a matter of subject, of ideas, of theory, of ideology. Go to the first chapter in the Bible. I just want to tell you, the Holy Spirit is not created. He is not a “new thing.” He is eternal! You can find that the Bible starts talking about the Holy Spirit in the second verse. He is there. And when you go to the end of the Bible, Revelation 22:17

When we talk about the Holy Spirit – He is everlasting and He is eternal. He is here. We are not talking about something new, but we are talking about a person. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit has been mentioned 90 times; and 18 of the 90 times He has very different titles. In the New Testament, He has been mentioned 260 times. 39 of the 260, He has different titles and names. Jesus says the world cannot see the Holy Spirit because the world does not know Him. But Jesus says that you can know Him because He dwells in you.

1) He is a person. A complete person. He is not a power. He is not an influence. He is not an impression. But He is a person. And when we talk about somebody as a person, He has all of the characteristics of a personality. Why can’t we understand that the Holy Spirit is a person? Because the Word of God just speaks about the Holy Spirit in a symbolic way, sometimes. Like, “water, wind, fire, oil, seal, dove” and we see these pictures of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes the scriptures describes Jesus in this same symbolic way. He is the “Door” the “Way” the “Lamb of God” – but we still know He is a complete person. Because he is human. He ate and drank. But we cannot imagine this about the Holy Spirit. And many times we believe that the works of the Spirit are hidden.

The Father spoke through the prophets in the Old Testament. We read about the son in the New Testament and his life and his works. But the Spirit of God – how can we know Him? He has might, He has will, He has emotions.

Might: Romans 8:27 the Spirit searched. Nothing can search something without might.
1 Corinthians 2:10 – same thing.
Will: 1 Corinthians 12:11 – He divides the gifts and He works. Nothing can divide and work unless He is a person who has will.
Emotions: Isaiah 63:10, the people rebel against the Holy Spirit and make Him sad.

The Holy Spirit has a personality that is reflected in His work.
1 Corinthians 12:11 – He works
1 Corinthians 2:10 – He searches
Acts 13:2 – He speaks
John 13:6 He teaches
Romans 8:13 He leads
John 16:8 He convicts
Romans 8:26 He intercedes
Acts 8:29 He gives orders

How come when we read a magazine or newspaper or story – you find that you understand what you’re reading? But sometimes when you read the word of God, you find that you don’t understand what you’re reading. Have you had this experience? Why? Because we need a very close relationship with the Holy Spirit, and He is the one who will open our eyes and mind to know the word of God. If we don’t know the person of the Holy Spirit, you cannot worship God with a true worship. Why?

John 4 the Lord said that the Father is looking for true worshippers who worship Him in Spirit and truth.

Many, many times we just worship God with our minds. But God is looking for ones who will worship Him through the Holy Spirit. And how will that come? We will learn more about that. If you do not know the Holy Spirit as a person, you cannot evangelize properly.

We want to know the Holy Spirit personally. We want to depend on the Holy Spirit. We need to know the Holy Spirit as a person to do the work of the ministry. Another thing, how many of us want to grow in the Lord? All of us! How will you go about this??? “I will fast, I will pray, I will be obedient…” okay, this is great. You cannot do this without the person of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit takes us from glory to glory. He is the Spirit that brings us to be sons and daughters of God.

You have the Father, and you have the Son, loving one another. This is the power of God to bring us to understand this. In Islam, you cannot say that “God is love.” Because you need more than one person. You need two people, or three people.

He is the Spirit of His love. Many things cannot change us – but we can be changed through a person. We are talking about the personality of the Holy Spirit. He is a person. He has might, will, and emotions, and He is the one in charge to transform us into the image of Christ.

Second thing, He is God Himself. He is God Himself. He is equal to the Father and the Son.

Romans 15:30 He is a Spirit of Love. This means that He is a Spirit of the Father. He is equal to the Father.

The Lord Jesus describes the Holy Spirit with this word, “He is the Spirit of truth.”

1 Peter 1:16 Be Holy because I am Holy.
We say the same thing about the Holy Spirit. HOLY Spirit.

He is declared to be the son of God according to the Spirit of Holiness. We know that He is everlasting.

Hebrews 9:14 He is the everlasting Spirit.

Acts 5 – In one verse it speaks about Him as the Holy Spirit, and in the other verse it speaks about Him as God.

Acts 5:3-4
But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God."

In all of the Bible, the Holy Spirit goes with the Father and goes with the Son.
John 4:24 – it says God is Spirit.
Genesis 1:2 – the Spirit of God
Zechariah 7:12 – the Spirit of the Lord of Hosts
Luke 17: - Spirit of the Lord
Romans 8:9 – Spirit of Christ
2 Corinthians 3:3 – Spirit of the living God
Galatians 4:6 Spirit of the Son of God

God wants every one of us to meet with the Holy Spirit – to meet with every one of us. When I meet with and know the Holy Spirit as a person, when I know the Holy Spirit in my life – and give more of my life to the Holy Spirit… guys let me tell you the truth! We know the Father! And we know the Son! But we know less and less about the Holy Spirit. We can, most of the time, pray to the Father, and even more of the time we pray to the Son – it’s easy for us to say Jesus or father, but it’s very rare for us to call out and say “Holy Spirit”! Or to talk to the Holy Spirit or ask the Holy Spirit for something! And I want to open this door this morning! Come and know the Holy Spirit! Come and meet this precious person! He’s here, right here, and He is the one who dwells in you! He’s the one who’s going to give you the understanding of the word of God! He’s the one who wants to hold your hand and say, “come, I want to introduce you to the riches of God!” The Holy Spirit is the one who brings what’s in the Fathers heart!

John 16:12-15 "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

This is what we call the prophetic Spirit. The Spirit that will tell you what? What is to come. The main purpose of the Holy Spirit, what the Lord Jesus said in verse 14, that “He will glorify me.” And this is the purpose of the Holy Spirit – to glorify Jesus. Not to glorify us, not to use the Holy Spirit to glorify us – and we can see this in the churches today in many ways. He is not the Spirit to be used to glorify us! But He is to glorify Jesus!

The only one who can give you the power to say these same things, “all that the Father has is mine” – is the Holy Spirit. This is the new understanding – to know what you have in Christ Jesus. And the only thing that can bring this to your heart is the Holy Spirit! Hallelujah. The Lord wants to bring this to our minds today. We have to come to know the Holy Spirit as a person, as God. And we welcome Him in our life and to make a decision today to build a new relationship with the Holy Spirit.

I cannot teach or evangelize without the Holy Spirit. I cannot live my life as a husband, a wife, a brother or sister, a child – without the Holy Spirit! Because He is the one – the person that transformed me.

Okay, I will finish with one thing. How many of you know the verse in the Bible “resist the enemy and he will flee.” And we say, “in the name of Jesus! In the name of Jesus!” and we still sin, and fall. So why doesn’t this work? Because we are doing the third thing. First:

1. Humble yourself
2. Submit to God
3. Release - Be filled

Many times, we don’t resist the enemy – we resist the Holy Spirit! He says, “do that, and you will be free!” And we don’t do that! We want to go our own way. Submit yourself! Say “yes” with a joyful heart!

--Coffee Break--

We will try to reach 2 areas:
1) The Gifts of the Holy Spirit
2) The fruit of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit has gifts that He wants to give us. The gifts of the Holy Spirit is to do the work of the ministry; but the fruit of the Holy Spirit shows how you are growing with God day after day. And the fruit of the Holy Spirit goes into every area of your life; it’s a sign of maturity. We will try to focus half and half on the gifts of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit.

When we talk about the gifts of the Spirit, we are not trying to fill your head with information. We are just trying to practice what we are given.

Receiving the Holy Spirit

What does it mean to receive the Holy Spirit? We have 2 parties.
Calvinistic, Baptist, and what we call the main line protestant:
We receive the Holy Spirit when we receive Christ – when we come from darkness to light, when we know that our names have been written in the book of life.

Charismatic, Pentecostal
We receive the Holy Spirit, not only when we receive Jesus Christ as a Savior, but there is another experience in life – when we are Baptized in the Holy Spirit and we speak in tongues.

Both are right. Both are wrong. I would like to explain this more in this session. When we understand the word of God, we will see that the Word of God teaches us about two different things. 1. There is a receiving of the Holy Spirit when we receive Christ as our Savior, and the Holy Spirit will dwell and remain in our life. This is bound and related to the resurrected Christ. We cannot be bound to and receive the Holy Spirit unless Jesus has been resurrected from the dead!

John 20:19-22
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

This is the first time that we hear “receive the Holy Spirit” and see that Jesus has been resurrected from the dead. The state of the disciples has been transformed from the salvation of the Old Testament to the salvation of the New Testament.

Romans 10:9-10
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Here is the salvation of the New Testament

What happened in our life when we believed? God breathed into our hearts a new life in creation with Jesus Christ! What happened in the beginning? God brought Adam from the dust of the earth, and the Bible says God breathed into him. This is the old creation – and it happened in this way: God breathed into Adam. And in this way, Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit into every one of us.

Luke 24:49
And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."

Do not leave Jerusalem until you are empowered from the Lord on high.

Acts 1:2
until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.

Acts 1:4
And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, "you heard from me;

What is the promise of the Father? What is the promise? We can read about it in verse 5.

Acts 1:5
for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

Now this is the other part. Jesus came from the dead – and here is the other part. It’s a baptism from the Holy Spirit. A baptism in water means that you were dipped in water. This is the same thing with the Holy Spirit.

The first part is that the Son of God breathes the Holy Spirit inside of us. And now comes the second part – it has to do with the Son of God glorified.

When I confess Jesus Christ, I confess that He has been risen from the dead. But there is a promise of God that when Jesus will be glorified to be seated at the right hand of God, then He will send the Holy Spirit and this is an additional blessing and receiving of the Holy Spirit.

John 7:38-39
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

It’s very simple and very clear. We receive the Holy Spirit when we confess Jesus, and we receive the Spirit when we receive the gifts – when Jesus is glorified.

Acts 2:1-4
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

It’s not fire and winds, but he cannot describe it. It’s like that. All the people that assemble in this room have been filled with the Holy Spirit and they start to speak in another tongue. We are talking about gifts – He gives them. Since that day, since that moment, something has happened in their lives. They changed completely. They were in the upper room afraid of the Jews – but when this happened they went out of the room and began to speak in tongues. There were people there from every nation and they were gathering in Jerusalem. They were all Jews, but from different nations – and they all started to speak in different languages.

They received something in their hearts, in the spirits – and from the flow of the heart their mouths spoke. When your heart is filled with something… you speak it.

The problem is, I receive the Holy Spirit when I receive Jesus; and the other is “no no no, I receive the Holy Spirit but I need the baptism of the Holy Spirit.”

Now let me bring it together. Every believer that has been converted has been given the Holy Spirit. But he needs to receive the Holy Spirit and to be baptized with a supernatural experience for the witness and the testimony and the work of the kingdom. I use another word. I use the word “release.” You receive the Holy Spirit, maybe once, maybe twice – this is not my point. My point is that your gifts must be released. The gifts that you have already received.

There are 3 stories in the book of Acts – and in every one of them, people received the Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking in tongues. Acts 10 when Peter went to Cornelius’ house. In Acts 19, Paul is asking them in verse 2, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They said that they didn’t even hear of the Holy Spirit. It says they started to speak in another tongue and prophesy. Acts 8, in the city of Samaria. The Apostles went there and laid hands and they received the Holy Spirit. The story of Simon, he sees a miracle. He sees the power of the Holy Spirit when it is released.

On the day of Pentecost, there are many people from different nations. They thought at first that the disciples were drunk. Later, when another issue comes up – the apostles show that the gentiles have been given the Holy Spirit because of the miracles and works.

I have a point here. If the disciples were in a very bad need for this baptism, for this receiving, and the Lord Jesus did not release them unless they received this gift, how much do we need it today? These are the apostles of God! They lived with Him! They did everything Jesus did, and they were in a big need of this gift! We are the same way!

Okay, you are here in this school to be prepared to go on outreach. To go and do the work of the ministry, and I’m telling you that this is your upper room! You are here to receive the Holy Spirit! To go out and minister and receive the Holy Spirit! Now, how can we receive the Holy Spirit. How can we receive the Holy Spirit right now? Very simple. I will take two passages from the Bible.

Luke 11:9
And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Jesus is giving an example. If your son comes to you and asks for food. Food is a need. It’s an immediate need. And if you are a Father, you can say just wait for 5 minutes and we will go and eat. If you ask for something good – give me a fish, give me an egg. If he asks for something like this, you’re not going to give him something bad, are you? You’re going to give him something good! Let’s take a look at this.

Luke 11:11-13
What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent;
or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

When you ask the Father for the Holy Spirit, He will answer you immediately, and He will answer you with a good thing. So we’re going to do that right now! And what’s He going to do? “First you need to go and fast for 15 days. Then you need to cleanse your life… then…” is this true? Is this what you need to do? No. No. When you ask the Father, He will give to you immediately. Why? Because you’re asking according to your heart.

John 7:37-39
On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

1) Be thirsty. You cannot drink water if you are not thirsty. Show the Lord that you are thirsty.
2) Lord Jesus said “come to me” – He is the source. He is the one that will baptize with the Holy Spirit.
3) Drink. This is what he said. If anyone thirsts – let him come to me and drink. Now, how do we drink Spirit? It’s very easy to explain how to drink water. Open your mouth, pour it in, and you’ll drink. But how do you drink Spirit?
4) Believe. He who believes in me, out of him will flow rivers of living water.

When you do this, you will hear two suggestions. What are you going to do?

1) You’re going to hear the voice inside of you. It will tell you, “this is not God. This is you. You are a puppet. You are saying something. But I want you to stand and say, “yes I am the one who speaks, but this is the gift of the Holy Spirit. He gives me the ability to speak.”
2) How can you speak a language that you don’t know? Something is very strange to you.

Do you understand what you say? And you say, “no” – and that’s the beautiful thing! You don’t have to understand.

What stops us from receiving? Doubts! Disbelief. I don’t like to be charismatic. I am not talking about Charismatic or Pentecostal. I am talking about the gift of the Holy Spirit. I am not talking about the gift of the denomination. I am talking about the gift of the Spirit [he holds up the Bible]. God gives the good gifts of the Spirit to do the work! We will talk more tomorrow about the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

How many of us want to be used by God in these things?! I want to encourage you! I was such a person – a pastor – I was teaching “be intellectual”. This was my teaching – and you don’t need that today. You don’t need the Holy Spirit, because you already have it. [You just need to release it].

Some of us, we are expecting to receive these things in such a way – because we have false teachings… or lack of teachings… probably lack of teachings.

I was teaching in a conference house – and a lot of churches come
And I saw in front of my eyes, another person holding somebody and saying, “repeat after me! Say ‘SHEKABALALALA!’” This is wrong teaching.

All I’m telling you is – don’t put it in your mind that you will receive these things in a certain way. Don’t have expectations. If we release the Holy Spirit – it will flow out of our hearts and tongues.

1 Corinthians 14:15
I speak with my mind and I will pray with my mind and I will speak with my spirit and pray with my spirit.

Get it out of your mind that when you receive you need to be 100% holy! That “this is the gift of God, and He’s not going to give it to you!” No, God gives it to the nothing people! This is a gift for unworthy people. Are you worthy or unworthy? If you are worthy, you will not receive it. If you are not worthy, it’s yours! This is the grace of God!

1 Corinthians 1:26-30
For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption.

God is looking for the foolish people! He is looking for the unwise and the poor!