THE PURPOSE AND POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: INTRODUCTION

Genesis chapter 1






Today we are walking in: The Purpose and Power Of The Holy Spirit: INTRODUCTION








Joel 2:28




And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit H7307 upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:







SPIRIT










Today we look to the word-SPIRIT- H7307-RUWACH-wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being:—air, anger, blast, breath,













The Torah Testifies……………………….




Genesis 1:2




And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit H7307 of God moved upon the face of the waters.






Genesis 6:3




And the LORD said, My spirit H7307 shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.







Exodus 28:3




And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit H7307 of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.






















The Prophets Proclaim……………………….







Isaiah 31:3




Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit H7307. When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.







Ezekiel 2:2




And the spirit H7307 entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.










Haggai 1:14




And the LORD stirred up the spirit H7307 of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit H7307 of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit H7307 of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God,



















The Writings Witness………………………..




Job 10:12




Thou hast granted me life and favour, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit H7307.







Psalm 34:18




The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. H7307







Proverbs 15:4




A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit H7307.












The Purpose and Power Of The Holy Spirit


Introduction


Human beings of all ages, genders, nationalities, and ethnic groups are on a search for purpose and significance. Consider:


- the multitude of religions in the world that seek to explain our existence.


- the large and growing number of books on the “self-help” shelves in bookstores.


- the enormous emphasis in Western countries on self-actualization.


- the scientific community’s continual pursuit of the origins of life.


- the ongoing struggle of Third-World peoples to gain freedom and a sense of identity for their nations and themselves.


We seek to understand why we are here, the significance of the world we live in, and how we can fulfill our personal potential. We want to know if our individual lives have any real meaning in the vast expanse of history and time.


Why do we struggle with these questions? Why don’t we already know the answers to them?


What makes us so introspective and continually longing to find meaning for ourselves and our world?


“Return to Manufacturer”


Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all human beings were born with “manufacturer’s instructions” tied to their wrists, explaining who they are and how they work? (Of course, even if we did, most of us would probably skip the instructions and try to figure out life as we went along!)


I believe human beings do come with the equivalent of operating instructions that give us answers to our deepest questions about ourselves and our world. Some of this information has been placed within us; the rest has been given to us by our Creator, or “Manufacturer,” in written form. The reason we’re filled with such uncertainty and confusion about life is that we’ve lost our connection to these original instructions. We haven’t stopped to recognize our internal programming or to read our life manual in order to understand our personal potential or how we work. This is why we can’t see the purpose of the world itself and how it is supposed to function.


When we try but fail to solve what is broken in our lives and in our world, it is because our Manufacturer’s labels have become faded, and we haven’t read this crucial instruction: “Do not try to repair yourself. Return to Manufacturer.”


It is the Manufacturer who…


- has the original blueprints.


- knows how to repair what is broken inside us.


- can provide the replacement piece for what is missing in our lives.


When we rediscover the Manufacturer’s original intent, we come to understand our purpose, our potential, and the significance of our role in this world.


Kingdom Government


The mind of our Manufacturer didn’t invent the fragmented life we have today, with its divisions among nations and people groups, its strife among families, its double-mindedness and double standards, its abuse and waste. He conceived of an orderly but energetic life in which every person could reach their fullest potential in conjunction with others for the greatest good of individuals and the community of human beings.


The original blueprint of the Creator was for a kingdom government on earth as an extension and reflection of his own greater, spiritual kingdom. This earthly government was to be a thriving colony with humanity as (1) its citizens, and (2) its local vice governors representing the home kingdom. Our mandate was to transform the colony into the nature of the kingdom.


The character of the initial colony was both peaceful and productive because of the generous nature of its Creator and Sovereign. His interests are the welfare, fruitfulness, and fulfillment of his citizens. His is a perfect government, a benevolent rule.


Inter-Realm Connection


The key to the success of this plan was the establishment of an inter-realm connection and ongoing relationship between the home kingdom and the colony of earth. This connection was completely effective because it was direct—from Sovereign to individual citizens—through a super-natural communication that allowed the citizens to know the desires and plans of the King. That connection was the very Spirit of the Sovereign living within humanity—his Holy Spirit.


To understand this inter-realm connection, we have to look at the concept of supernatural, and we must address the various misconceptions people have when they hear the term Holy Spirit. I am not talking about some kind of “force,” “mist,” or “feeling,” but a Person. I am referring to the Creator “extending himself” to us in personal interaction, a Person-to-person communication.


The Concept of the Supernatural


The word supernatural does not exist in Scripture, but it does describe a concept clearly presented there. Supernatural simply means “outside” or “above” the natural; it is spiritual rather than physical. The supernatural world is above our natural world. Paul of Tarsus, the first-century theologian, defined this concept as invisible or unseen:


Since the creation of the world Yah’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.


So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.


The supernatural realm is therefore an invisible or unseen world that is distinct from our physical one. It is what the incomparable young rabbi, Yahusha of Nazareth, was referring to when he said, “My kingdom is not of this world....But now my kingdom is from another place.”


When someone “experiences” the supernatural world of the Creator-King, it refers to their encounter with the kingdom of their Sovereign. The key to their interaction with the unseen kingdom is the Holy Spirit communicating the King’s mind and heart to them so they can carry it out on earth.


The nature of this relationship between the unseen world of the kingdom government and the seen world of the physical earth underscores the incalculable value of the one who makes the connection between these two realms possible—the Holy Spirit.


The Concept of the Kingdom


To fully appreciate the invisible kingdom government, we must realize that the idea of “kingdom” didn’t originate on earth with the ancient civilizations of Babylon and Egypt. It didn’t come from earth at all. The concept of kingdom is rooted in the desire of the Creator to design and sustain both the unseen and seen realms in order to express, represent, and manifest his nature.


Ideas are one of the most powerful forces in existence. We see how the greatest ideas transcend generations and serve as the source of people’s creative activity and the motivation for their productivity. Ideas are the starting point of all that is created. An idea becomes a full-fledged, viable concept when it is envisioned and executed. The concept of an ideal kingdom is so beautiful that only a Creator-King of a certain nature could have envisioned and established it. We need to understand the King and kingdom out of which we come.


The word king refers to the person or personality who influences and oversees the productive development and profitable service of everything under his care, for the fulfillment of his noble desires and the benefit of all those living in his realm. The environment, territory, and authority over which he presides are his “domains” or “realms.” A king effectually relating to his domains is the essence of the concept of kingdom.


Kingdom is thus the perfect example of the divine, creative act of the Creator. The first realm of his dominion is described as heaven. Heaven is the original kingdom; it was the origin of kingdoms. No kingdom existed before it, and nothing natural can be adequately compared to it. It is the first real kingdom because the first King created it. The kingdom of heaven is the only perfect prototype of kingdoms in existence.


When our Creator-King desired to extend his perfect kingdom from the invisible realm to the visible realm, the result was the creation of the physical universe and the appointment of planet earth as the destination for a unique extension of his divine being. Paul of Tarsus attempted to communicate this divine process of creation and extension when writing to people in the city of Colossae: “By him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.”


The kingdom of heaven and its colony of earth exist through the will of our Creator-King. It is therefore impossible to comprehend humanity’s purpose without understanding the kingdom concept and how we are meant to live it out on earth. An inter-realm connection through the Holy Spirit is what enables us to fulfill our very purpose as human beings. The kingdom government is the ultimate answer to our search for personal significance and the meaning of the world around us.


We can no longer ignore the fading instructions on our Manufacturer’s label. Let us return to the initial intent of our Creator-King, so we may understand the original blueprints of both kingdom and colony.