Element Christian Church
John 14:16-17 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.
John 20:21-22 ESV
John 14:16-17 ESV
John 14:17 NIV
John 8:58 ESV
Deuteronomy 6:4 ESV
2 Peter 1:21 ESV
Acts 1:16 ESV
John 6:63 ESV
John 14:18-21 ESV
1 John 3:19-20 ESV
1 John 2:1-2 ESV
DISCUSSION & QUESTIONS:
Who is the Holy Spirit?
Do you view God’s Spirit as a force or a person?
What is the difference and implications between the Spirit being a force or a person?
The Holy Spirit is a person, He is God. We say He is the “Third person of the Trinity,” but “third” has nothing to do with preeminence or who is better or more powerful. One writer calls the Holy Spirit He becomes a “divine resident of the Christian’s heart.” Jesus never refers to the Holy Spirit as an “IT,” He doesn’t say the Holy Spirit is like an energy or a force, but the Holy Spirit is a person. If you think the Holy Spirit is a force you will go about “trying to get it” rather than submit to Him.
The Holy Spirit is actually living inside of believers.
If you are not a believer, how does that sound to you and, if true, what do you think about that statement?
Is there anything in your life that would change if you truly understood that the Spirit was with you in every moment?
John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. The words of Jesus we read in the Bible were produced by the Spirit, these are the words that lead us to eternal life. The Holy Spirit, at one level, is the author of the Scripture. The Spirit fills us, becoming part of who we are. Like how some people use glasses, we put them on, and we look at everything else through them. We don’t just read the Scriptures to learn facts, we read them so they would dwell richly in us; this is what the Spirit does.
What does the Holy Spirit do?
How do we live in what the Spirit gives?
How does understanding the Holy Spirit better help us to see God’s deep-rooted selflessness and other-oriented posture?
John 14:16-17 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper to be with you forever… The word for helper is Paraclete. Para means to stand alongside, Kaleo means to declare, to call, or to argue. The best way to translate this is, “I’m going to send you a legal advocate.” The idea is that the Spirit stands and represents us, He is FOR US in the strongest sense as someone who can make a case and defend us. The Holy Spirit defends us against the enemies here on earth, but especially the enemies inside our own heart. The Holy Spirit also confronts and convicts us when we are tempted or want to run from God.
How is He the ‘Spirit of truth’ and our Helper (advocate, counselor?)
From who and how does the Holy Spirit defend us?
How does the Holy Spirit bring confrontation and conviction?
How does the Holy Spirit advocate for us on earth?
How does the Holy Spirit point us to Jesus and Jesus’ advocacy?
How can we, as a community, explain the Holy Spirit better to those who do not know about Him?