Chapter 6

In this chapter we focus on the nature and work of the Holy Spirit, the “silent” member of the Trinity. Which is not exactly true. The Holy Spirit can make a lot of noise one moment (Acts 2) but then speak in a whisper the next (I Kings 19). The Holy Spirit works everywhere and on everyone (even people who don’t believe in God at all), though we don’t always see it or know how. The Holy Spirit applies what Christ accomplished to ordinary people, no matter who they are and how they live. Who is this “Holy Spirit”? How can we experience the Holy Spirit’s life and power? These are the questions we will ask today. What do you learn about the Holy Spirit in the following biblical texts:

Luke 4:1-15; John 14:15-31; John 15:1-11; John 16:7-15; Romans 8:1-17; II Corinthians 3:1-18; Galatians 5:13-21

Try this practice over the next week or two. Be silent for a few minutes. Gather your thoughts and feelings and submit them to God. Concentrate your energies on God. First, exhale the poison in your soul: selfishness, self-righteousness, resentment, cynicism, judgment, self-condemnation, anger, guilt, obsessions of one kind or another. Second, inhale God’s love, forgiveness, compassion, justice, security, peace, and the like. In short, exhale the old, and inhale the new, the new life you have in the Holy Spirit. Invite the Holy Spirit to breathe that life into. Keep in mind that this is an exercise with your body that involves your soul. You are a person, not simply a body or a soul but both. Praying affects the body; but an exercise involving the body also affects the soul. It goes both ways.

What did you learn about the Holy Spirit from the chapter, the Bible study, and the spiritual exercise? What would it mean if you exhaled the old and inhaled the new everyday? How can you learn the language of Heaven by listening to God?

Romans 8:26-27