Ministry of the Holy Spirit

Introduction: The Holy Spirit in the New Testament Church

My message today is on the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament Church. When I say New Testament Church, I mean the church from the time of the Apostles right down to the present time.

Now it might surprise you to hear me say that the Holy Spirit ministered in exactly the same way in the Old Testament as He now does in the New Testament Church. The difference is this: in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit came upon a small number of individuals at a specific time for a specific purpose -- people like Moses, Elijah, and Elisha. Often when a person was anointed in the Old Testament, they also moved in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This is very evident in the ministries of Elijah and Elisha -- you can see them ministering through the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

But in the New Testament Church, the Holy Spirit doesn't minister through one or two select individuals who are anointed for a specific task or purpose. Now the Holy Spirit ministers through the whole body of Christ. That is the difference. The Holy Spirit hasn't changed, but now He ministers through the whole body of Christ.

This is what the prophet Joel was talking about when he prophesied of the Lord, saying, "I will pour out my Spirit upon all my people" -- upon all believers. That's the New Testament age, where the Holy Spirit is upon the whole body of Christ, and we are ministering together.

The Whole Godhead at Work

My text is 1 Corinthians 12, verses 4 through 6:

"Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all." -- 1 Corinthians 12:4-6

The first thing I see in these three verses is that the whole of the Godhead -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- is involved in the ministry of the New Testament Church.

There are diversities of gifts, but it's the same Holy Spirit. There are differences of ministries -- the ministries within the body of Christ, for the life of Christ dwells in us, "Christ in you, the hope of glory" -- and so it's the same Lord Jesus Christ. The body of Christ is ministering the ministries of the body of Christ. And there are differences of workings -- that word "workings" means "energized" -- and it's the same God. It is the plan and purpose of God being fulfilled through the church.

When God calls us to do something, He will also equip us so that we are able to do it. There are times when the energizing power of the Holy Spirit comes upon us so that we can fulfill the plan and purpose of God. The whole of the Godhead is involved in the ministry of the church, and that is wonderful.

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Verse 4 says, "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit" -- the gifts of the Holy Spirit. There has been a lot of controversy regarding the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Even soon after the apostolic age, people were saying that all the gifts of the Holy Spirit had ceased.

God did special miracles through the apostles because Scripture was being written by the apostles. They were presenting the Gospel, presenting the apostles' doctrine that we have in the Scriptures. God did special miracles through them which are not to be repeated. So it is true that there were miracles done at the time of the Apostles that will not be repeated and are not being repeated.

But I believe the gifts of the Holy Spirit have always been evident in the church. The Holy Spirit moves in different ways at different times.

John the Baptist: Same Spirit, Different Operation

Let me give you an example. When the angel Gabriel came into the holy place where Zacharias was and told him that he and his wife would have a son in their old age -- that the son's name would be John and that he would go before, preparing the way of the Messiah -- this is what Gabriel said:

"He will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah." -- Luke 1:17

Gabriel said to Zacharias that John the Baptist would minister in the spirit and power of Elijah. Now Elijah saw tremendous miracles -- he raised the dead, fire came down from heaven with the prophets of Baal, the oil that never ran out, the grain so they could make bread. Tremendous miracles happened with Elijah.

John the Baptist came in the same spirit and power as Elijah, but when you read John 10:41, it says: "Then many came to him and said, 'John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this man were true'" -- this man being the Lord Jesus Christ. John performed no sign, no miracle!

He came in the spirit and power of Elijah, and yet he saw no miracle. When John preached, when he was baptizing and preaching repentance, the same anointing that was upon Elijah was upon him. But Elijah saw great signs and wonders, and John saw none. Why? Because he was preparing the way for the Messiah, and it would have detracted from the ministry of the Messiah. It was the same anointing, the same Spirit, but there were no miracles -- because the Holy Spirit ministers as He will and for His purpose.

The Gifts at Work Today

God moves in different ways at different times. The Holy Spirit is not a showman. He doesn't put on a circus. Many things that the Holy Spirit does are done secretly and quietly.

I believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are working when we are at our church prayer meeting, praying for one another and praying for those who have hospital appointments. Often they go to the hospital and are amazed at the difference. Sometimes they have gone for an operation and not needed to have it. I believe this is the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Those who are cessationists and say the gifts have stopped will call it something different. Well, I say it is the Holy Spirit that did it, and it is a gift -- so it is the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The same is true when you call for the elders of the church, as it says in James 5:

"Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church... and the prayer of faith will save the sick." -- James 5:14-15

I believe that is the gifts of the Holy Spirit in operation, because it is the Holy Spirit that does the work and it is a gift. Many things that people have called by other names are the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The gifts of the Holy Spirit have not ceased, but they are not done the way that people have often presented them. There is a lot of fakery and falsehood. This is a natural part of the Christian life -- the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The Ministries of the Body of Christ

Verse 5 says, "And there are differences of ministries, but the same Lord." Now we are talking about the ministries within the body of Christ.

The whole point of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the ministries of the Holy Spirit, and the energizing power of the Holy Spirit is so that we are equipped for service. In Ephesians chapter 6, it talks about the armor of God, given to us so that we can stand firm in the faith. We have an enemy who would seek to put us down, but we can stand firm in the faith by putting on the full armor of God.

But the gifts, the ministries, and the energizing power of the Holy Spirit equip us for service -- so that we can be the people God wants us to be in this world.

When it comes to the ministries of the Holy Spirit, we see in Ephesians 4:11-12:

"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." -- Ephesians 4:11-12

This is talking about different aspects of scriptural teaching -- apostolic teaching, prophetic teaching, evangelistic teaching, pastoral teaching, and teachers who expound the Word of God. It is all in line with the Scriptures. There is no new revelation. This is people preaching and teaching the Word of God, all found in the Scriptures.

The purpose is stated in verse 12: for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. God puts these ministries in the church to build people up in the Word of God, so that every person in the body of Christ is equipped for ministry.

Every Member Has a Ministry

We are all to be ministers within the body of Christ -- servants serving within the body of Christ. Not all have a preaching ministry or a teaching ministry, but there are ministries of helps. It is so refreshing when people just have a heart to help others. There are even some who have the gift of giving. We should all be givers, but there are some who just have this gift, and it is so refreshing when there is someone who is generous -- because it is a gift of the Holy Spirit that they are ministering with.

We should all be givers. The Lord loves a cheerful giver -- not because of "seed faith" and all this teaching where preachers have made a lot of money, but because we simply have a heart that loves to give and loves to build up the body of Christ.

Whatever ministry the Lord calls us to, we should build up that ministry. The Lord has put ministries in the church so that the church builds itself up. There are different ministries, but it is the same Lord.

I believe one of the greatest ministries -- if not the greatest ministry -- is praying for one another. When God puts us into a local church, we should be praying for one another. The leaders of the church should be praying for the people, that the Lord will keep them, protect them, and build them up. Paul was praying continuously for the people in the churches that he founded or became a part of.

The Energizing Power of the Holy Spirit

Verse 6 of 1 Corinthians 12 says, "And there are diversities of workings" -- that energizing power. James 5 refers to this. It is the same word in James 5:16 when it says:

"The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." -- James 5:16

It is that same word -- "energized." The energized prayer of a righteous man. Then it talks about Elijah, who prayed and it did not rain for three and a half years. That was energized power -- the Holy Spirit energizing him to pray for something that naturally he would never have prayed for.

I have experienced this in my own life. In preaching, I have felt that I was able to preach in a way that was not normal, not natural ability, but that the energizing power of the Holy Spirit enabled me to do it. It is so wonderful when this happens -- when we are energized to do things that naturally we could not do.

We can be energized in prayer. We can be energized in our preaching and in our teaching. That energizing power can come upon us at any time, because God will always equip us for the work that He calls us to do. God will never send you to do something that He does not equip you for. This is the wonderful thing about being part of the New Testament Church, the body of Christ: God will always equip us so that we can fulfill His plan and purpose in our life. He will never send us somewhere where He does not equip us so that we are able to do His will.

The Evidence of the Spirit: Love

Just to finish, I would like to say this. Chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians, of course, is that beautiful chapter on love. Love in no way stands contrary to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, because in 1 Corinthians 14:1 it says:

"Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts." -- 1 Corinthians 14:1

There has been a lot of talk about speaking in tongues as being the evidence of the baptism with the Holy Spirit. In the Acts of the Apostles, people did speak in tongues, and it was the evidence -- but nobody expected them to do it. Really and truly, it is only the initial evidence if nobody expects it to happen. You can also fake speaking in tongues. So for me, tongues is not really the evidence of the baptism with the Holy Spirit.

The real evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit is this: you will have a fervent love for the Lord Jesus Christ, a fervent love for the people of God, for the body of Christ, and a fervent love for the Scriptures. Beyond that, there is a love for the lost. But the real evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit is seen by your love for Christ, your love for His people, and your love for His Word. That is something that cannot be faked.

This is why I believe this wonderful chapter on love is right here in the middle -- between 1 Corinthians 12 and 1 Corinthians 14 -- because the evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit is love for Christ, love for one another within the body of Christ, and love for the Scriptures.

It says, "Follow after love, but desire spiritual gifts" -- not so that man can be glorified, but so that the body of Christ can be built up, so that Jesus can be glorified through His church. That is the whole purpose of the Holy Spirit ministering through the body of Christ: so that Jesus will be glorified through the church.

The Lord bless you, and I hope you got something from this message. Praise the Lord, and God bless.