As the Spirit of God is responsible instilling order in the world, He is also responsible for maintaining order within the Family of God.

     In the Old Testament the Family of God was Israel, named after their first earthly leader and father.  Out of Israel the patriarch rose up a nation composed of twelve tribes, each designed by God to perform a specific task within the family unit.  The Tribes were each named after their own individual patriarchs, all sons of Israel.  These Tribes were:

Numbers 1: 21-43  "Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Reuben, were forty and six thousand and five hundred. Of the children of Simeon, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, those that were numbered of them, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Simeon, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred. Of the children of Gad, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Gad, were forty and five thousand six hundred and fifty. Of the children of Judah, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Judah, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred. Of the children of Issachar, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Issachar, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred. Of the children of Zebulun, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Zebulun, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred. Of the children of Joseph, namely, of the children of Ephraim, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Ephraim, were forty thousand and five hundred. Of the children of Manasseh, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Manasseh, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred. Of the children of Benjamin, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Benjamin, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred. Of the children of Dan, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Dan, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred. Of the children of Asher, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Asher, were forty and one thousand and five hundred. Of the children of Naphtali, throughout their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Naphtali, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred."

     The Lord God called out another tribe, The Tribe of Levi, which was to be a tribe of priests over Israel.  These were to be a part of the Family of God, yet not numbered among the tribes as they were set aside to perform the priestly duties as they were instructed by Mosaic Law.

     In the New Testament theocracy the Family of God goes under the title "The Body of Christ", or the Church.  This family was created with the death and subsequent resurrection of Jesus Christ.  In the Old Testament theocracy you had to be physically born into the Family in order to be numbered among the Children of God!  In the New Testament theocracy you are "spiritually born" into the Family.  To become a part of the Body of Christ you must "repent" of your sins, accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior.  When you do this the Holy Spirit regenerates you and indwells you so you become an adopted son of the living God.

Israel	New Testament Church
You were "physically born" a Jew, though you were not recognized as a part of the Family of Israel until after the rite of circumcision.	You only enter the Church by faith in the historic Jesus Christ. This causes the Holy Spirit to "regenerate you as a child of God.
Your spiritual Father is God, your earthly father Israel, the patriarch of the tribes.	Your spiritual Father is God. The Church was founded on the finished work of Christ, so you have no earthly father.
You maintain fellowship with God on the condition that you keep the symbolic rites and sacrifices God commanded.	You maintain fellowship with God by believing on the Son.  The sacrifice of Christ supersedes the sacrifices of the Old Testament.
You still wait for the Messiah.	The Messiah has come in Jesus Christ!

     There are several distinct differences between the New and Old Testament Theocracies.  Most notable is the fact that there is "no need" to perform any outward rite or ritual in order to become a member of the Church.

     Though we are encouraged to partake of the Lord's Table and to seek water baptism, these sacraments have "no bearing on the eternal security" of the believer.  There is both a physical body (the local Church) as well as a spiritual body (the universal body of Believers, regardless of denomination), whereas in Israel, there was only the physical nation.  In the New Testament theocracy a person needs to belong to the spiritual body in order to become a child of God, though we are commanded by the Scripture to attend the local Church.

John 14:6  "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

     Of the two theocracies the New transcends the Old.  In the New Testament, again and again, Christ states that He is the "only way" to God the Father.  By accepting His substitutionary Atonement the Holy Spirit is enabled to regenerate the believer to Salvation.  What, then?  Are we to say that God's chosen Israel is to be cast aside once the Church enters the scene?

Romans 9:6-8  "Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect.  For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:  Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children:  but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.  That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God:  but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. "

     "No, God's chosen will not be cast aside."  When the time comes, the Father of Lights will reveal to Israel that Christ is the Messiah.  Before Israel can be saved they must be brought to accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.  Whether you are born Jew or Gentile, if you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, then you will spend an eternity in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20.1-5).  The spiritual must transcend the physical, the new Covenant must transcend the old before you can reach the portals of Heaven.

     The Spirit of God works in the individual believer, both Old and New Testament, in two very "different ways".  In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit walked with and guided the elect of God:

Numbers 11:25  "And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders:  and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease."

     In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit empowered the believer so that he could perform miraculous things within the Plan of God.

Psalms 51:10  "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."

     The Holy Spirit performed works of progressive Sanctification among the Patriarchs.  He cleansed them daily, helping them to grow closer and closer in fellowship to God.

Psalms 51:11  "Cast me not away from thy presence;  and take not thy holy spirit from me. "

     In the Old Testament the presence of the Holy Spirit nor the Salvation of the Believer was "not in any way" secure.  Why?  Because the salvation of the Believer in the old order was "based on a Covenant" between God and man. Man, being finite and sinful, usually broke the Covenant on a daily basis. Because man's salvation was "not secure" the indwelling ministry of Spirit was temporary, subject to loss.

John 3:16  "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

     In the New Testament the Holy Spirit "permanently" indwelt and ministered to the believer.  Why?  In the new order salvation was "not based" on a Covenant agreement between God and man.  It was a one sided offer, a gift from God based on mercy.  God made an offer that if we but "accept" the substitutionary death of Christ by accepting Him as Savior, then we would become possessors of eternal life.  Salvation is now based on what God does for us, not on what God does and then we augment.  Salvation is based on mercy, "not" justice.  Christ has already paid the just penalty for our sins.

     In the new order the believer is as secure in his salvation as the Father is sovereign.  Since the Salvation of the Believer is secure the indwelling of the Spirit is permanent:

John 14:16-17  "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;  Even the Spirit of truth;  whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him:  but ye know him;  for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."

     The Spirit not only permanently indwells the believer because we are spiritually secure, but He also permanently indwells us "because of the promise" of the Son.  In the above statements Christ does not use vague terminology.  He does not say "Maybe you'll receive the Spirit".  The Son states "He 'SHALL be in you' ".  As Jesus is the Son of God He had the full authority of the Godhead to make this promise.  The Spirit of God will never leave us or forsake us, for we are His and He is ours forever.

     (John Calvin)  "Unless we grasp [ the doctrine of the Trinity ] then only the bare and empty name of God flits about to the exclusion of the true God.."

"TRINITY":  Though the word is not found in the Bible, the concept is true and can be found in both the Old and New Testaments.  The word "Trinity" is derived from the latin word "Trinus" or the Greek "Trias", meaning "Three".

     The early Christian Church found it necessary to create certain terms to define certain aspects of God.  Why?  From the Church's earliest foundation heretics arose to lead the Christian away from the Scriptures.  John Calvin said:

     "These terms are necessary to unmask false teachers ... of this today we have an abundance of experience ... in our great efforts to route the enemies of pure and wholesome doctrine ... men of old, stirred up by various struggles over depraved doctrines were compelled to set forth with constant clarity what they felt, lest they leave any devious shift to the envious to cloak their errors in layers of verbiage .."

     The term "Trinity" denotes that there are three equally Divine Persons who subsist in one essence, all three together forming the Godhead.  The Three are of equal substance:  equally divine, holy, righteous, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, eternal.  None are "created beings", but are the Creators of all.

     Each of the Persons within the Trinity are distinguished from the other Two by certain incommunicable properties.  These properties in "no way" makes either one or the other of the Persons less or more divine than His counterparts.  The Father alone possesses the Ruling Authority of the Trinity.  This is the reason He is called "Father". The Son alone possesses sonship or philiation from the Father.  The Spirit alone possesses Procession:  He proceeds from the Father and the Son.  He is the spiritual hands and feet of God, doing His work on the earth.

     Each of the members of the Trinity have their own specific tasks and responsibilities which they follow without argument or dispute.  They have a certain order of subsistence and operation:  a chain of command, if you will.  "It is neither by accident or by habit that we refer to the Trinity as The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit."

     Each member follows the tasks He has accepted from eternity past.  Since there is an obvious chain of command, are we to say that one Being is less divine than the other?  No, For equal worth does "not" demand equal function.  In any well organized unit there must be order and leadership.  This principal is true even for the order of the Godhead.  In all of the work that the Godhead does in the world each of the individual divine Beings are able to perform each task with the same power.  The Father can create, just as can the Son and the Spirit can create.  Yet within the unit of the Trinity each Person, of His own accord, performs His work in His sphere according to a prescribed manner.

     The Father creates by direction.  He commands the creation through His Son.  The Son creates by orders, creates by directing the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit creates directly, and is the literal hand of God on the materiel world.  The Father is the source of creation, the Son the mediate of Creation, the Spirit the direct action of Creation.

     In this section we'll study the action of the Holy Spirit in the life and ministry of Christ (pre-Pentacost).

Luke 1:13-15  "But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias:  for thy prayer is heard;  and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.  And thou shalt have joy and gladness;  and many shall rejoice at his birth.  For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink;  and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb."

     There are many doctrinal truths that can be seen in this passage.  First, among the New Testament patriarchs, even before the death of Christ, it was "possible" for a person to be saved.  This was true in the life of John the Baptist.  The Spirit "cannot" indwell a unclean temple.  It was necessary that John be "regenerated" in order for the Spirit to work in him.

John 3:5-7 "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again."

     The Spirit is the direct Author of Regeneration, and worked in the life of John "before" the atonement of Christ was complete. The Spirit performed this work because He is omniscient and knew the work to come in Christ would not fail. This was not the first time that a Patriarch was regenerated by God "before" Christ's atoning work on the Cross. In the Old Testament there were a group of people known as the Nazarites. They were a group of saints who were to separate themselves from marriage and all manner of strong drink. They were also commanded to never cut their hair, as this was a sign of their vow unto God. (Numbers 6.1-23) These men and women were set apart by God to serve Him. They were filled with the Spirit, fully regenerated.

     The filling of the Spirit empowered John so that he could perform works for God. John was an evangelist, announcing the coming of Christ. He rebuked Israel for their long term disobedience to God, and exhorted then to turn back to the root of their Salvation.

Luke 1:41-42 "And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb."

     John's mother Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. What was the result of her filling? She prophesied the coming of Christ. Again, the Filling of the Spirit gave her empowerment from God to work for Him.

Luke 1:67-68 "And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people"

Luke 2:25-26 "And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ."

     Again, we can define the Filling of the Spirit by what was accomplished "after" it occurred. For Zacharias the Filling was accompanied by prophecy. For Simeon, the Filling was resulted in a vision from God. The Filling in each and every case resulted in the operation of Divine Gifts.

Luke 11:20 "But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you."

Matthew 12:28 "But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you."

     The Holy Spirit is the supreme Functionary of the Godhead. The Father is the Source of all action that takes place in creation because He commands the action. The Holy Spirit is the "direct action" or hand of God that actually "does" the action. This is why He is called the "finger of God".

Hebrews 2:16-17 "For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people."

     In the Birth of the humanity of Christ, the Father was the source of this creation. He gave the command that set the process in motion. The Son was the "voluntary partaker" of the human body, and was in "no wise" forced to take part against His will.

Matthew 1:18-20 "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost."

     In the birth of Christ the Holy Spirit was the Direct Agent of the conception. The actual moment of the fertilization of Mary is listed in:

Luke 1:35 "And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."

     The words "come upon" in the Greek text describe a sudden and irresistible force, like a whirlwind, overpowering the object which He overshadowed. To whom does the humanity of Christ attribute its sinlessness to: God, Mary, or both parties?

Luke 1:46-47 "And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour."

     Though Mary was truly blessed among women, though she was chosen to be the mother of the "humanity of Christ, it is obvious that she was "not sinless". She acknowledged her "need" for a Savior. How far did her motherhood impact the humanity of Christ?

     It is a known medical fact that the fertilized ovum of the female grows into the body of the child. The man contributes to the construction of the blood in the growing child (a fact not lost on fathers involved in paternity suits). Christ in His person had to be sinless human as well as fully God. Only as sinless human could He ever be an adequate substitute for our sins. Mary is the mother of the human body of Christ, yet she is in no way the mother of His moral nature. The secret of our Lord's sinlessness is traced back to the seed of the Holy Spirit which contributed to His sinless blood (which contains the soul of man). Mary in "no way" was the "Mother of God" as some cultically believe.

     In order to have a proper and righteous Atonement for sin, it was necessary that Christ be a fully human man. The Jewish sacrifices of Atonement were "not" perfect. They only delayed the wrath and justice of God, but did not secure His forgiveness. The Jewish sacrifices were ineffectual for they were "not truly" substitutional. Instead of submitting a sinless human to the Altar to pay the penalty for sin, a sinful animal was used. These sacrifices could not willingly submit themselves to the altar. Animals have no true rationality, so they could not truly refuse or submit to the act of Atonement. The sacrifice of Christ did what no animal sacrifice could do. Christ was human, and willingly submitted Himself to the Cross for us.

Genesis 3:15 "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."

     It was necessary that Christ be born of a woman because of the promise of God to Satan. Since sin came into the world by man, it is righteous and just that God destroy sin by man. God is not a man that He should lie. It is necessary that what  He promised would exactly and completely come to past.

Galatians 3:6-9 "Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham."

     God gave a two-fold promise to Abraham that had to be carried out in Jesus. God promised Abraham that He would be the father of many nations. If Christ had not died for the elect as He did it would have never been possible for us to become the Children of God. God promised Abraham that from him "all nations" would be blessed. God carried out His promise through the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Christ in His humanity was born Jewish, out of the line of Abraham. His substitutional Atonement paid for both Jew and Gentile.

Matthew 3:13-17 "Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

     Jesus went to John to be baptized. It was necessary that He do so in order to "fulfill all righteousness", that is, fulfill the Plan of God. Immediately after His baptism Jesus was anointed by the Spirit of God. Christ "fully" took on humanity in order to be a perfect substitute for our sins. It was necessary that He put off or temporarily refuse to use His own Divine powers, fulfilling His earthly ministry through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Luke 11:20 "But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you."

Matthew 12:28 "But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you."

     All that was accomplished in the earthly ministry of Christ; from the casting out of devils to the healing of the infirm, was accomplished "through" the Holy Spirit of God.

     In His earthly ministry Jesus set the "perfect example" of the Christian walk. Christ did not work with the intent of glorifying Himself, but ministered in order to bring glory to God. Christ did "no work" under His own power (though He could have easily done so) in order that He show us how to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit.

     Jesus could not do the works of God while in His earthly ministry apart from the Holy Spirit and stay faithful to the Plan of God. In the same way we as Christians must do any work for God through that selfsame Spirit. Whenever the Christian seeks to work for God under his own finite power, he is telling the Father "I believe that I am more powerful than the Holy Spirit in this instance. I know what to do, and do not need the Spirit's guidance". When our actions betray such a belief we ignore the power of God in our lives.

Matthew 4:3-11 "And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him."

     As soon as Jesus acknowledged the power of the Holy Spirit in His life (immediately following His baptism), He immediately subjected His will to the Spirit. Jesus literally "lived by the power of the Spirit and the Word. At no time during His temptation does Jesus rebuke or refute Satan on the basis of His own feelings, on the basis of what He Himself intellectually believed. At every turn Satan is rebuked by the Holy Scripture as He was lead by the Holy Spirit.

Why do we say that Jesus "did not rely" on His own intellect or powers of reason?

     In the second temptation Satan resorts to twisting the Holy Writings to deceive Jesus. Satan in effect tried to convince Jesus to tempt the Father's resolve by by jumping off the pinnacle of the Temple. His reasoning was that the Scripture teaches that the Messiah could not be harmed because of the Angelic protection surrounding Him. Had Jesus relied on the facility of human reason alone it would have been very easy to succumb to this faulty line of reasoning. Yet Jesus relied only on the power of the Spirit. Based on the leading of the Spirit and the Word He rejected this temptation and defeated Satan's tactics.

     Because Jesus submitted Himself to the power of the Holy Spirit the Plan of God was free to run it's course during His earthly ministry. Because Jesus did as the Spirit required the elect are made secure through the atonement of the Cross.

     The Christian, like our Lord Jesus, is to be "totally reliant on the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God. Satan can come up with clever half truths that he uses to deceive the Church and the world. Such half truths are evident through the latter rain "movements" prominent in Christendom today. Satan's lies have a smattering of misinterpreted Scripture and a bit of human reasoning. When his lies are followed the Christian is deceived into error, left ineffectual for God.

     There are denominations and divisions in the Church today because believers have rejected the leading of the Spirit in favor of Satan's sweet lies. Many believers refuse to submit their wills to the Holy Spirit. We are often too reliant on what we feel is right, and have been too lenient in submitting ourselves to the Authority of the Word.

Luke 4:14-15 "And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all."

     Jesus taught the people while filled with the Holy Spirit. He did not rely on His own intellectual prowess nor feelings. When the believer obeys the Spirit contrary to his own wants and desires only good can follow. Jesus gained fame as a mighty teacher because He submitted to the Spirit. Jesus did "not" teach with the intent of glorifying Himself, but with the intent of glorifying God. Fame followed because He "first submitted" to the will of the Spirit. This is a lesson that all Christians can learn from.

Isaiah 11:1-5 "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins."

Isaiah 42:1 "Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles."

Isaiah 61:1-3 "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;  To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified."

     All throughout prophecy it was foretold that the Holy Spirit would rest on Jesus, that His ministry would be characterized by the power of the Spirit. It was necessary that Christ's earthly ministry be fully controlled by the Spirit of God, else these prophecies would have stood unfulfilled.

     Though Christ "willingly" went to the Cross in obedience to the Father's Plan, the Holy Spirit was certainly active in the dramas of the death and resurrection of our Lord. Since the Spirit was the "Finger of God" on the earth I am certain that it was this Finger that raised Christ from the tomb. It is impossible to believe that the Spirit abandoned Christ during His death and resurrection, for Jesus even "issued directives" to His Apostles through the Spirit.

Acts 1:2 "Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:"

     Even after His death and resurrection Jesus' ministry was characterized by submission to the leading of the Spirit. Christ, as God incarnate, gave us a clear example of how we should live our lives. He did not begin His earthly ministry until He received the anointing of the Spirit. After He received this anointing He did everything through that selfsame precious Spirit. Because Jesus was obedient to the Will of the Father in obedience to the Spirit He received glory ten-fold. "As Christ has shown us let us live, walk, and minister by that Holy Spirit of Promise."

Acts 1:4-8 "And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.  For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?  And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

     When Christ's disciples ministered with Him they received the "Filling of the Spirit" so they could do the work set out for them. Yet at no time did the Spirit "permanently indwell" any of these Apostles while Christ walked the earth. Jesus had to leave so He could send us "another Comforter", the Holy Spirit to permanently indwell us.

     When Christ ascended to Heaven the Apostles hid themselves in an upper room, alone and afraid, and waited on the promise of the Son. While Christ was with them the Apostles relied on Him for constant encouragement and teaching. Yet now Jesus had gone, and they were left without strength. On the day of Pentecost the Church received strength, the strength of the Holy Spirit of God who permanently indwelt each believer.

Acts 17:6 "And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also"

     When the Apostolic Church received the Holy Spirit they did, indeed, "turn the world upside down". Indwelt and filled with the Spirit these believers marched out into the godless Roman world, fearlessly preaching the Gospel of Christ. The Church grew at an astronomical rate in it's first few years when Christians relied fully on the Spirit. Not as the misled today rely, speaking gibberish and dancing around as a spectacle to the world, but reliant in the "proper use" of the Spiritual Gifts. Not self flagellation, but selfless giving created the early Church. Emotional preaching of the Gospel, not emotionalism, promoted the work of God on the earth.

     When we view the Bible from a historical viewpoint we can see the complete Godhead expressed at different times:

• The Father is highlighted from the time of creation to the incarnation of Christ.

• The Son is highlighted from His incarnation to the time of His ascension.

• The Holy Spirit is highlighted from the moment of Pentecost throughout the Church era.

     The farther we move from obedience to the Spirit toward emotionalism and selfishness, the farther do we push ourselves from the power of the Living God. This power was expressed in the early Church through rapid growth, the preaching of the Word (devoid of human infection), and a unified Christian Church.

     We can add a fourth historical viewpoint to the above three: "the influence of humanism on the Church."

• "Humanism" created the divisions in the Church we see today.

• "Humanism" allowed many of the pagan practices of the ancient world into our Churches.

• "Humanism" blinds to the Gospel and the power of the Spirit.

• "Humanism" teaches Churches that those who possess theological degrees are the only suitable pastors for the Body, forgetting that simple fishermen were the foundation of our Church.

     As the Church moves more and more into "secular humanism" it moves farther and farther from the power of the Spirit.

     We can see the importance of the Holy Spirit in the Church Age in the Book of Acts. In Acts chapter 1 the believers "waited" on the Spirit before beginning the building of the Church.

     In Acts chapters 2-12 the foundation of the Church "received the Holy Spirit." Not a "theological degree", not "secular humanist theory", not a "neat trick" invented to woo the people, "but the Holy Spirit of God."

     When the Church received and began living by the Spirit it spread outward at astronomical rates throughout the Jewish world (Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria). In Acts chapters 13-28 the Church moved outward into the Gentile world, gathering more believers for Christ. The Apostle Paul was raised up to preach Christ to the Gentiles. Through his submission to the Spirit the Church spread, carrying the Gospel message with it.

     The early Church received the Spirit like a starving man receives food, or as a thirsty man receives water. They did not make light of the precious Spirit, nor devote their time to "swooning" in His presence. Throughout Acts the Holy Spirit is mentioned 68 times. He was a powerful Presence in the early Church, a Presence that should be equally submitted to in our modern day Church. "To our detriment, though, often He is ignored in order to promote our own self serving agenda. Shame on us!

     "We must return to obeying the Spirit as the early Church did. Look at the results:"

• In the early Church hundreds were gathered into the Body at a time, yet in our present Church often one or none come forward at the Altar Call.

• In the early Church the Word of God was boldly preached even to the highest governing bodies, but in our present Church we usually water the Word down in order to "offend no one".

• In the early Church new Christians were discipled in the Scripture, overseen by the Elders. In our present Church new believers are seen as trophies, often ignored once they become part of the "head count".

     Why do we seem so powerless today as compared to the early Church? Is it not because we refuse to submit ourselves to the Spirit of God. Is it because we love to hear the "pretty sermons" rather than the "pure Word of God?" Is it because we'd rather watch television than study God's Word hand down to us?

     "Unless we begin to walk in the Spirit of God, seeking total submission to His Will, then the Church of Christ will continue to lose it's effectiveness in our world today."

     Until we as a Church submit to the Spirit we can expect only lackluster performance, poor growth, and chastisement from our Father above. Only through the precious Holy Spirit and obedience to His Word will we ever see true growth in the Church.