The Attributes of the Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit Baptism

While reading through the books of John, Acts and Romans recently, the Holy Spirit began to point out to me the numerous times his name was mentioned in various ways. First of all, I noticed that the work of the Holy Spirit is mentioned 24 times in the book of Acts alone which seemed significant. Luke, who is the author of Acts, tells us that Jesus' last words to the church were, “Wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” And then, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:4-5 and 8, NIV). The work of the Holy Spirit has always been one of my favorite topics and I wrote a paper on this subject when in graduate school. So here I am re-visiting it now as we learn about His attributes.

Jesus' last words to the early church were a command to WAIT before they attempted to take the gospel message all over the earth. When the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost 50 days after Jesus' resurrection, the apostles “were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Later the apostle Peter stood up to explain what had just happened to the crowd that had gathered in the street outside the upper room. He quoted Joel who prophesied that God had promised to pour out the Holy Spirit in the last days on all people, that WE would prophesy, see visions and dreams, that WE would see signs and wonders and that everyone who called upon the Name of the Lord would be saved. (Acts 2:17-21). Therefore, God's instructions to the church through Jesus, Joel and Peter were: to WAIT, to RECEIVE God's promise, to be FILLED with the Holy Spirit, to speak in other tongues, to be filled with power, to be enabled to prophesy, see visions, dreams, wonders, signs and THEN everyone who called on the Name of Jesus would be saved. (Note. The word “saved” in the Greek means delivered from sin, not the current understanding of allowed to go to heaven.)

The word “baptized” used in the scripture above means immersed in a chemical fluid until the material is saturated with it permanently. Through out history hanks of fibers or strips of cloth are dipped into large vats of hot, chemical dye and allowed to soak for hours until the desired color is reached. The color you want to achieve depends on the particular chemical used and how long it soaks. Believers need to SOAK in God's Spirit to the point that we are saturated with his holy attributes. Of course, soaking in the Holy Spirit for Christians has to become a lifestyle, not just a one time event. This means quality time in the Word, prayer and worship before the Lord asking Him to permeate our body, soul and spirit removing all the darkness and replacing it with His light.

Most of today's modern churches and it's believers have not waited to be filled with the Holy Spirit before trying to make disciples for Christ and live for Christ. We have become a weak, powerless, anemic excuse for another world religion. No wonder the world does not want anything we have to offer. For the most part, the power of God is missing from our services and programs. People come and go through the revolving church doors without being brought under the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, like in the days of Acts, or being set free from their spiritual bondages. The people of God have not been enabled to do the works of God, nor experience the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit to heal and deliver us.

Holy Spirit Potential

How do we enter into this great potential for truth and power? First of all, by expressing genuine sorrow for how we've ignored, neglected, disobeyed, stifled and/or grieved the Holy Spirit when He tried to abide in us. Believers are suppose to be His temple, a place where He can tabernacle with us, but if we do all these things He will not stay where He is not wanted. When we invite Christ to live in us, we receive a measure of the Holy Spirit in order to begin the process of regeneration and sanctification. But the scriptures make it plain we need to be FILLED with the Holy Spirit. This is not just a one time experience, which Jesus called the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but a daily, continual, on-going filling with the Spirit of God in order to live the Christian life God commands us to live and that we need to deliver the gospel message to the world around us.

Think about those helium balloons we buy to celebrate a birthday or anniversary. They float in the air really nice for about a week and then gradually loose their ability to stay aloft. That's us, Christians! We may get off to a great start with our spiritual walk with the Lord, but then we loose our divine enablement to walk in the Spirit. We leak down! Another analogy is that of a motorized vehicle, we use up our battery power and can't function in the fruit and gifts of the Spirit. The farmer's tractor which has a dead battery can not accomplish much work in the field. It may look good on the outside, but it's lifeless on the inside. It's useless to the farmer who is dependent on this essential machinery to prepare the soil and bring in the harvest.

You may ask how have I come to these foregoing conclusions? 30 years of being in the ministry and trying to help thousands of God's people overcome childhood issues, struggles with addictions, besetting sins, spiritual bondage, conflict in marriages and families, church divisions and church splits- all of which immensely grieves the Spirit of God. The church has made a good faith effort at preaching the gospel message, that Christ died for our sins so we could be saved and not go to hell. But they have done a poor job of getting the people filled with the Holy Spirit so we could experience sanctification and do the works of God. The divorce rate for Christians is the same as the world--50%. Research also says that 50% of our nation's pastors drop out of ministry and find work elsewhere due to disillusionment, depression or burnout. 

Holy Spirit Lifestyle

When I began to write this article today, it seemed important to begin with an introduction of the importance of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Christians need to understand that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is NOT an option for the body of Christ, as many have believed it to be. How can we experience regeneration, sanctification and equipping by the Holy Spirit if we have not invited Him to live fully inside us, to be our Counselor, our Teacher, our Comforter, our Convictor of sin? We can't! It's impossible! We have not been enabled by His power and His truth working from-- within us. We may know about the Holy Spirit, and even speak in tongues, but He does not fully abide in us guiding us into all truth and holiness. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not an end in itself, but the beginning of a holy lifestyle dedicated to serving our loving Father and His Son Jesus Christ.

One more thing to add. The baptism of the Holy Spirit does not guarantee we'll be free from suffering or pain, nor is it a panacea for all our problems. In fact, just the opposite may happen for a time while the Spirit of God is busy getting our temple cleaned out so He can live there. We are to be holy vessels for His service and conduits of His supernatural, agape love.

Holy Spirit Attributes

Today the Divine Teacher who lives within enabled me to discover 23 attributes mentioned in the Word which we can have abiding in us-- if we are continually being filled with the Holy Spirit and are obedient to His instructions. These are listed as attributes of the Holy Spirit himself, but we can attain them as well. If someone finds more, please let me know so I can add them to the list. For now I am just going to list them along with one or two scripture references. Given enough time, one could do a larger study on each attribute and how it effects our life in Christ. They are merely listed in the order in which they came to mind this morning and subject to revision in the future.

1. Spirit of Truth- John 14:15, 16:13
2. Teacher- John 14:16
3. Counselor- John 14:15, 26; John 15:26
4. Comforter- II Cor. 1:4
5. Peace- Rom. 8:6, 14:17
6. Holiness- Rom. 1:4
7. Power- Acts 1:8
8. Convicts of sin- John 16:8
9. Wisdom- Proverbs 8
10. Spirit of Life- Rom. 8:2, 6, 11
11. Gifts of the Spirit- Rom. 6:12, Eph. 4:11, Acts 2:4
12. Fruit of the Spirit- Gal. 5:22
13. Sanctifies- John 17:17
14. Worship- John 4:23-25
15. Grace- Heb. 10:29
16. Guide- John 16:13
17. Circumcises our heart- Rom. 2:29
18. Indwells- Acts 2:4, 5:18, Rom. 8:11, Eph. 2:22
19. Righteousness- Rom. 14:17
20. Joy- Rom. 14:17
21. Love- Rom. 5: 5-8
22. Sonship- Rom. 8:15
23. Intercession- Rom. 8:26-27

As mentioned earlier in the book of Joel and Acts 2:17-33, the Holy Spirit has been poured out upon the earth to enable us to be the people of God and to do greater works for God than even Jesus did (John 14:12-14). We are His ambassadors, His change agents in the earth whose purpose is not just to die and go to heaven, but to usher in the kingdom of God here on earth! Scriptures also tell us that during the millennium reign of Christ, we will rule and reign with Him judging the people who have not come to know God. How can we accomplish this supernatural responsibility unless we have first achieved a higher level of sanctification and equipping through the power of the Holy Spirit- in this life? This life we are experiencing right now-- is our proving ground. This life is our testing ground. This life is our training ground for how we will live throughout eternity. Now is the time for maturing as sons of God and preparing to rule and reign with Jesus Christ.

Salvation, Sanctification, Sonship

Let me summarize the process of becoming children of God for you. Here is the big picture, plain and simple. When we have acknowledged that Jesus Christ died for our sins, we invite Him to live His life in and through us. Then we begin the process of being born again and growing as new creatures in Christ. The Holy Spirit living in us becomes our counselor and leads us along the straight and narrow path of righteousness and holiness before God. We become joint-heirs with Christ as we mature in the faith and the knowledge of God's will and ways. We are given gifts and callings in order to advance the kingdom of God and His purposes in the earth.

Then finally, one day when Jesus returns those Christians who have lived the crucified life, who have been victorious overcomers of sin, Satan and the world; and who have submitted to the control of the Holy Spirit-- will rule with Him as sons and daughters of God, servants of the Most High. We will be given newly resurrected bodies and new assignments on the earth. The old will have passed away and God's new world order will have come to the earth. Jesus Christ, the true Messiah, will be acclaimed the world over as “King of Kings and Lord of Lords”. The holy city, the new Jerusalem will come down from heaven prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be established in this glorious place, the true, everlasting church of God. His Name will be on our foreheads and we will worship the Lord of all creation with the multitude of heavenly hosts for the rest of eternity (Rev. 21:2).

Warning! Ruling and reining comes at a great price to our selfish agendas in this lifetime. Only IF we have washed our robes in the blood of Christ, IF we have been filled to overflowing with the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit and IF the tree of life, Jesus Christ has been manifest in us, THEN we will be eternally saved and allowed to enter the city of God. So it seems that being baptized in the Holy Spirit is essential for life in Christ today and for our future destiny tomorrow. Being filled with the Spirit of Christ is therefore not an option, but an imperative command by the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Without it, we will fall short of seeing the glory of God manifest in the earth, fulfilling our destiny in Christ and being allowed to enter the New Jerusalem.

Accomplishing the Goal
This article all began as a discussion on the attributes of the Holy Spirit and how if we allow Him to lead and control us, we can have those same attributes developed in us over time. Let us look back over the list mentioned above. Now let us ask ourselves if we have all the power, love, grace, truth, wisdom, spiritual gifts and fruit, righteousness, peace and joy of the Holy Spirit (to name just a few) that we need in our character and personality. Are we missing some of these attributes? Are we doing pretty good with some on the list and falling short on others? Ask the Holy Spirit to help you rate yourself honestly on your progress. It is His job to convict us of sin, to lead us into all truth, to empower us, to equip us and prepare us for ruling and reigning as the bride of Christ without spot or wrinkle.

Since we all fall short of God's ultimate glory and grace for various reasons, we need to take action now. His mercies toward us are new every morning and we can begin again. Therefore, humble yourself before God and He will exalt you in due time. Here's three easy steps to consider if you have been born-again and accepted Christ as your Savior. 1. Ask Jesus to baptize you now with his Holy Spirit, if you've never done that according to the teaching in the book of Acts. 2. Ask Jesus to fill you with power from on high once again-- if it's been a long time since you prayed that prayer. 3. Put this personal request on your prayer list and ask DAILY to be filled to overflowing with His love and power. Make being Spirit-filled and under the control of the Holy Spirit a goal you work toward every day.

Finally, don't keep the good news to yourself. Share your life changing experience with others and encourage them to do the same. You will be blessed above and beyond all you could ever hope for or expect from your Father God. Like Jesus told his disciples on his last day on earth, “WAIT for the gift my Father promised.” “Receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and will be my witnesses in Jerusalem...and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1).

One more comment about receiving the Holy Spirit. You don't necessarily need someone praying with you to receive. Derek Prince, a tremendous Bible teacher and writer, tells how he received while lying on his bunk one night in his Army barracks during WWII. When the Spirit came in he was literally thrown out onto the floor where he continued praying and praising God in tongues for hours. It is scriptural, however, to ask someone to pray with you and lay hands on you to receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14-25). That way another Spirit-filled believer can agree with you in prayer and impart the Spirit of Holiness to you. It's just like using battery cables to get your dead tractor battery hooked up to another vehicle full of power! As members of the body of Christ, we are in this thing together. Let us not fail to call upon others for this enabling when we need it.

An excellent resource for “tarrying” time in God's Presence is found at www.soaking.net. Andre & Kimberly Lefebvre from Alberta, Canada, have developed a ministry designed to provide encouragement and comfort to listeners through soaking music, timely words, prophetic art and more. 

  

If this message has been meaningful to you, please leave a comment or send me an email. I will be glad to talk and pray with anyone needing personal assistance with the very important goal of being baptized in the Holy Spirit. May God fill you with His grace and peace today as you seek to do His will and walk in His ways.