18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28: 18-20, NKJV
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1: 8, NKJV
And now, we come to the Third Person of the Godhead, the God that no one has seen. Seventh-day Adventists believe… God the eternal Spirit was active with the Father and the Son in Creation, Incarnation and Redemption. He inspired the writers of Scripture. He filled Christ’s life with power. He draws and convicts human beings, and those who respond, He renews and transforms into the image of God. Sent by the Father and the Son to be always with His children, He extends spiritual gifts to Christ and, in harmony with the Scriptures, leads it into all truth (Fundamental Beliefs, 5).
Some people refer to the Holy Spirit as an “It”. “The Bible reveals that the Holy Spirit is a person, not an impersonal force. Statements such as “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” (Acts 15: 28) reveal that the early believers, viewed Him as a person. The Prophet Joel prophesied:
And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
30 I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke.
31 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
32 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved;
This prophecy was fulfilled during the Pentecost when 120 believers gathered together in Jerusalem. Jesus told them to wait for the Holy Spirit. He said in Acts 1: 8, 8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
What was the character of the disciples when the Holy Spirit came upon them? Acts 2: 1, said that “they were all with one accord in one place.” And “gathered with one accord in prayer and supplication”, Acts 1: 5, 14. In other words, they were all united. No longer competing who was to be the greatest. They were ready to receive the power given by God through the Holy Spirit.
What is the Holy Spirit’s mission to the world? First, the Holy Spirit “brings us a deep conviction of sin, especially the sin of not accepting Christ” (John 16:9). Second, The Spirit urges us all to accept the righteousness of Christ. Third, the Spirit warns us of judgment, a powerful tool in stirring up sin-darkened minds to the need of repentance and conversion. When we have repented, we can be born again through the baptism of water and the Holy Spirit. (John 3:5)
What does the Holy Spirit do for the believers? 1. He assists believers. Jesus said that He will send another Helper, Counselor, Comforter, another Parakletos. Why another Helper? John wrote, “My little children, these things I write to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous” (1 John 2:12); 2. The Holy Spirit brings the truth of Christ. (John 14: 17; 15: 26, 16: 13); 3. He brings the presence of Christ. Jesus said, 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. John 14: 16, 17 NIV; 4. “The Holy Spirit guides the operation of the church”. He is the True Vicar of Christ on earth; 5. He equips the Church with gifts. In the early church, as well, it was through the Holy Spirit that Christ bestowed His gifts on the church. The Spirit distributed these spiritual gifts to believers as He saw fit, thus benefiting the church.( Acts 2: 28, 1 Corinthians 12: 7-11. He provided the special power necessary for proclaiming the gospel to the ends of the earth; 6. He fills the hearts of believers Ephesians 5: 18, Titus 3: 5, 6).
There we have it. The Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Godhead, invites us to welcome the presence of God in our hearts. He will bring gladness and joy, life everlasting. He will come again and save us from this sin, leaving Satan, his angels, and those who did not want to accept Jesus as their Saviour, behind to someday burn in everlasting fire. That’s hellfire, folks. Here, Satan could not be in charge because he would be hopping up in down in pain because he would be burning.
By Ben Berto
“To contact us: Our website is www.abundantlifeadventist.ca. Worship with us every Saturday Sabbath, the seventh day of the week. Genesis 2: 2, 3, Exodus 20: 8-10, Isaiah 58: 13, 14; Isaiah 66: 22, 23; Matthew 5: 17-19; Revelation 22: 14, John 14: 1-3, Rev. 6:6-12
