QUESTION 6
What
Function Does The Holy Spirit Have In Prayer?
Very often, quoting Matthew
18:20, it is asserted, concerning the blessing on a gathering of Christians,
that: '…where two or three are, gathered in My name, there am I in the
midst of them'. Much is made of this concerning coming into the presence
of the Lord. A correct handling of the word of truth, however, shows that
these words were spoken by Jesus to the disciples - who were all of the
Circumcision.
Within the evangel of
the Circumcision this statement would be true! This arises from the
fact that holy spirit was granted individually on a probationary
basis - as long as the recipient displayed a correct attitude and was in
obedience to the law. This gift could, thus, be summarily withdrawn, as
exemplified in the case of Ananias and Saphira in Acts chapter 5.
Earlier, in the case of King Saul, it is clear that holy spirit could be
given, and then withdrawn. Not only that, an evil spirit which somewhat
deranged him was given in its place by God (1Sam 16:14,15)! This
system applies to all believers under the evangel of the Circumcision.
2Pet.2:20,21
For if, while fleeing from the defilements of the world
by the recognition of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
yet, being again
involved in these, they are being discomfited,
their last state has become
worse than the first.
For it were better for them
not
to have recognized the way of righteousness, than,
recognizing it, to go back
to what was behind, from the holy precept given over to them.
Heb.6:4-6
For it is impossible for those once enlightened,
besides tasting the celestial
gratuity
and becoming partakers
of holy spirit, and tasting the ideal declaration of God,
besides the powerful deeds
of the impending eon,
and falling aside, to
be renewing them again to repentance
while crucifying for themselves
the Son of God again and holding Him up to infamy.
Heb.10:26-31
For at our sinning voluntarily after obtaining the recognition of
the truth,
it is no longer leaving
a sacrifice concerned with sins,
but a certain fearful waiting
for
judging and fiery jealousy, about to be eating the hostile.
Anyone repudiating Moses'
law is dying without pity
on the testimony of two
or three witnesses.
Of how much worse
punishment, are you supposing, will he be counted worthy
who tramples on the Son
of God, and deems the blood of the covenant
by which he is hallowed
contaminating, and outrages the spirit of grace?
For we are acquainted with
Him Who is saying, Mine is vengeance!
I will repay! the Lord is
saying, and again, "The Lord will be judging His people"
Fearful is it to
be falling into the hands of the living God!
The present administration,
in accord with the evangel of the Uncircumcision, sees a permanent
presence of holy spirit - where God's spirit makes its home in the
recipient! It establishes a special relationship with God and produces
an attitude, or disposition, which Christ Himself exemplified in His obedience
to the Father.
Rom.8:9
…God's spirit is making its home in you.
2Tim.1:14
…guard through the holy spirit which is making its home in us.
1Cor.3:16 …you
are a temple of God and the spirit of God is making its home in you
Rom.8:16 The
spirit itself is testifying together with our spirit that we are children
of God.
Rom.8:14,15
For whoever are being led by God's spirit, these are sons of God.
For you did not get slavery's
spirit to fear again,
but you got the spirit
of sonship, in which we are crying, "Abba, Father!"
Gal.4:6,7 seeing
that you are sons,
God delegates the spirit
of His Son into our hearts, crying "Abba! Father!"
Rom.8:9b
…Now if anyone has not Christ’s spirit, this one is not His.
Phil.2:5-8
For let this disposition be in you, which is in Christ Jesus also, Who,…
empties Himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming to be in the likeness of humanity,
and, being found in fashion
as a human, He humbles Himself,
becoming obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross.
This gift of holy spirit sets
us apart from the rest of creation even now, for the Lord knew,
from the beginning, those who are His (2Tim.2:19).
It is also a seal of God's
ownership, making the recipient God's property. And it effectively
constitutes God's guarantee of deliverance from His indignation
as well as God's word on a resurrection to immortality!
Eph.4:30
...the holy spirit of God by which you are sealed for the day of
deliverance.
2Cor.1:22
Who also seals us and is giving the earnest of the spirit
in our hearts
Eph.1:13,14
… you are sealed with the holy spirit of promise
(which is an earnest
of
the enjoyment of our allotment,
to the deliverance
of that which has been procured) for the laud of His glory!
Rom.8:23
Yet not only so, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruit of the
spirit,
we ourselves also, are groaning
in ourselves,
awaiting the sonship, the
deliverance of our body.
2Cor.5:4,5
For we also, who are in the tabernacle, are groaning, being burdened,
on which we are not wanting
to be stripped, but to be dressed,
that the mortal may be swallowed
up by life.
Now He Who produces us for
this same longing is God,
Who is also giving us the
earnest of the spirit.
Rom.8:11 Now
if the spirit of Him Who rouses Jesus from among the dead
is making its home in
you, He Who rouses Christ Jesus from among the dead
will also be vivifying your
mortal bodies because of His spirit making its home in you.
This gracious gift of holy spirit
opens our minds to the things of God, revealing to us God's intentions
and His preparations for their fulfilment. It dispels the clouds of ambiguity
concerning the reasons for our existence and the goals of our experiences,
disclosing to us intimate insights into the secrets of God!
1Cor.2:6-8 Yet
wisdom are we speaking among the mature,
yet a wisdom not of this
eon,
neither of the chief men
of this eon, who are being discarded,
but we are speaking God's
wisdom in a secret, wisdom which has been concealed,
which God designates before--before
the eons, for our glory,
which not one of the chief
men of this eon knows, …
1Cor.2:9-11
… That which the eye did not perceive,
and the ear did not
hear,
and to which the heart
of man did not ascend--
whatever God makes ready
for those who are loving Him.
Yet to us God reveals
them through His spirit,
for the spirit is searching
all, even the depths of God.
1Cor.2:11-13
For is any of humanity acquainted with that which is human
except the spirit of
humanity which is in it?
Thus also, that which is
of God no one knows, except the spirit of God.
Now we obtained, not the
spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God,
that we may be
perceiving that which is being graciously given to us by God,
which we are speaking also,
not with words taught by human wisdom,
but with those taught
by the spirit, matching spiritual blessings with spiritual words.
1Cor.2:14-16
Now the soulish man is not receiving those things
which are of the spirit
of God, for they are stupidity to him,
and he is not able
to know them, seeing that they are spiritually examined.
Now he who is spiritual
is, indeed, examining all, yet he is being examined by no one.
For who knew the mind of
the Lord? Who will be deducing from Him?
Yet we have the mind
of Christ.
Eph.1:17-22
…that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
may be giving you a spirit
of wisdom and revelation in the realization of Him,
the eyes of your
heart having been enlightened,
for you to perceive
what is the expectation of His calling,
and what the riches of the
glory of the enjoyment of His allotment among the saints,
and what the transcendent
greatness of His power for us who are believing,
in accord with the
operation of the might of His strength, which is operative in the
Christ,
rousing Him from among the
dead
and seating Him at His right
hand among the celestials,
up over every sovereignty
and authority and power and lordship,
and every name that is named,
not only in this eon, but also in that which is impending:
and subjects all under His
feet, and gives Him, as Head over all,
to the ecclesia which
is His body, the complement of the One completing the all in
all.
We thus begin to sense, with
growing excitement, the worth and transcendent glory of what is ahead of
us. We want to pray and to act in accord with this exhilarating
vision of tomorrow. Sometimes, however, we are confused over the happenings
of today and do not know what to pray for, specifically, concerning a particular
situation. Though we are unable to adequately express ourselves, God's
spirit within us reveals to Him our desire to be in accord with
His
plans, to be in line with His intentions.
Rom.8:26,27
Now, similarly, the spirit also is aiding our infirmity,
for what we should be praying
for, to accord with what must be, we are not aware,
but the spirit itself is
pleading for us with inarticulate groanings.
Now He Who is searching
the hearts is aware what is the disposition of the spirit,
for in accord with God
is it pleading for the saints.
September 2001
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