Week 7: Holy Spirit

Lecture 1: Holy Spirit is With, In, Ahead, Upon
With- Conflicts the idea that the Spirit is somewhere else It's not Him who shows up, but we must show up to him. We recognize His presence. Matthew 1:23 Immanuel - God with us. Genesis 28:17, Psalm 139: 7-8
Ahead- Holy Spirit already ahead living in that moment. He is present, current, and future and is actually pulling us towards the future. What arrogance to say we're going to bring God onto other nations.
Upon- The dominant manifestation was through the Father in the OT, Jesus in the NT, and Holy Spirit from Acts onward. When the Spirit comes upon you, how will you respond, with an audience of one? Maybe it's not God making us to to act certain ways when he comes upon you, it's how we individually react from those experiences.
In- Ezekiel 36:27 "I will put my Spirit in you" 1 Corinthians 3:16 "Spirit dwells in you".
Spiritual adultery: if you put something or a desire above God (family, ministry, marriage). Don't try harder, but surrender and empty. Let him in.

Lecture 2: Holiness = Put God First - Love Others - Flee Sin - Pursue God's Will
Put God First- Romans 1:25 - Worship the creator, not the created. Luke 7:36-39 - It's not the theologian who God loves more, it's the worshiping in submission of the sinful woman.
Love Others- Thomas Merton: Corrupt forms of love wait for the neighbor to 'become a worthy object to love' before actually loving. - Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they're worthy.
Flee From Sin- 1 Timothy 2:2 - Flee the evil desires in you. 1 Corinthians 6:20 - You are not your own, honor God with your body. Lust does not operate linearly. It grows exponentially. It's a life style of surrender and submission. Holiness is a gift from God that protects us from harm. How comfortable are you being different? Sexually?

Lecture 3: Spiritual Gifts.
Prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, leading, mercy. (Romans 12:6-8)
The 9 Spiritual Gifts: (1 Corinthians 12: 1-14)
Five Fold Ministry: Prophet, apostle, evangelist, pastor, teacher
- pastor: passion for discipling, usually in one place. (Ezekiel 34)
Prophecy: Filter and test prophecies and hold onto what is good. Ask is it Biblical? (1 Thessalonians 5:19)
Speaking in Tongues: Purpose is to edify and build ourselves up. When we prophecy, we speak to man, when we speak in tongues, we give praise onto God.

Lecture 4: Holy Spirit is in the business of reconciling relationships, restoring justice, and redeeming beauty."Not to snatch people away from earth to heaven, but to colonize earth with life of heaven"
"Don't be so heavenly  minded that you can't accomplish earthly responsibilities"- David Cowie
- It's part of our calling to care for the environment. It affects the poor when we do nothing to stop climate change.
- We have the wrong theology if we believe that we have a ticket to heaven, so it doesn't matter what we do on this earth. He's going to restore and renew this earth.
Community is...  Jesus in the center > Behaving > Believing> Belonging. What if the mass migration issue is not a threat, but an opportunity? What if Christians dared to love the homosexuals? Love Wins.