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Volume. XXV, No. 49 25th Anniversary Greetings (2)Dear Rev Ok Man Ki, Pastor David Weng and the Session at Hope BP Church Adelaide.
We send you are warmest greetings from Melbourne, rejoicing with you as we co-labour for our Lord.
On this your anniversary, be assured that we are praying for God\'s richest blessings on your ministry in Adelaide.
The " Fellowship in the Gospel" we have together is truly a source of great joy and encouragement to us too.
May our gracious Lord give the leadership much wisdom and strength as you face the challenges that lie ahead. And may the congregation "grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and saviour", as God adds to the church the number of those being saved.
Please accept a little love gift from us which will arrive next week by mail.
"Surely I come quickly ... Even so, come Lord Jesus" Rev 22:20
From Rev Dr Patrick Tan and Session at Ebenezer B-P Church, Melbourne ********** Rev (Dr) Timothy Okman Ki, Session & Church Members,
Greetings in the Precious name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
The Session and members of Covenant Bible-Presbyterian Church rejoice with you and your Session and members on this blessed commemoration of the church’s 25th Thanksgiving Anniversary.
We praise and thank God that He has raised Hope B-P Church to stand as a beacon of light and grounded in the Word of God.
Enclosed is a love gift for this occasion.
May God continue to bless Hope B-P Church from strength to strength, united in His love and truth.
Yours in Christ, Dn Johnson Lim Clerk of Session, on behalf of Session and members of Covenant Bible-Presbyterian Church, Perth ********** Dear Pastor David Weng, The Session, and all at Hope BPC, Greetings in the Lord\'s Precious Name!
I would like to take this opportunity to send my warm prayers, best wishes and congratulations to all at Hope BPC on your 25th Anniversary. Certainly, the Lord has been leading all of you to greater heights in service for Him. May He continually bless you all richly in the years ahead till the Lord returns. It is wonderful to hear that Hope BPC is a Mission-minded church, and I trust that God will truly bless your endeavours for His Glory. May you all continue to labour in love for Him. May His Grace continually be upon you all. Truly, God is Good.
1 Corinthians 15:58; Numbers 6:24-26
With fond memories, "In all thy ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." - Proverbs 3:6
********** The Person of The Holy Spirit (Part-1)
Introduction:
The doctrine of the Holy Spirit is so vital and relevant for every Christian. Since the church began, Christian understanding of the Holy Spirit, His Person, and work has ebbed and flowed. There are two general categories concerning the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. The first is the Person of the Holy Spirit which seeks to determine from the Scriptures the identity and nature of the Holy Spirit. The second general category is the work of the Holy Spirit which seeks to discover from the Scriptures what the Holy Spirit has done, is doing, and will do. Unfortunately, throughout the history of the church, the doctrines related to the Holy Spirit have either been grossly distorted or neglected. As a result many Christians aren’t sure what to believe about the Holy Spirit and often guess at what might be true. While Liberal Christianity has denied the Holy Spirit and His work, Christian cult groups have denied Him as a Person or His deity, and Charismatic churches have often derailed, distorted, and obsessed on certain doctrines of the Holy Spirit. There is a need for us today to have a correct and Biblical based understanding of the Person of the Holy Spirit for us to live victoriously and abundantly in Jesus Christ, our Lord, God and Saviour. One great theologian said, "Until our minds are intent on the Spirit, Christ is in a manner unemployed…." Well said. This was said by the French theologian and pastor John Calvin. What Calvin was saying is that the Holy Spirit does not really teach us the things of Christ until our mind is focused on Him (ie. the Holy Spirit). Rev. Charles Spurgeon also said, “No man ever learns anything aright, unless he is taught of the Spirit. No man can know Jesus Christ unless he is taught of God. There is no doctrine of the Bible which can be safely, thoroughly, and truly learned, except by the agency of the one authoritative Teacher.” Does what Spurgeon said have any Biblical basis? Sure it does. In John 14:26, our Lord said that the Holy Spirit will "bring to your remembrance all that I said to you" and in John 15:26 "He will testify about Me (Jesus)." In other words, the Holy Spirit is working not when our mind is intent on Him, but when it is intent on Jesus Christ and His forgiveness of sins. Therefore, we must accurately understand the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit. This will not only help us to guard against false teachings and heresies derived from a series of false understandings of the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit, but it will also enable us to live victoriously and abundantly in God’s Word! Let us consider the Person of the Holy Spirit first.
The Personality of the Holy Spirit
Members of the “Watchtower Society” who call themselves "Jehovah\'s Witnesses" deny that the Holy Spirit is a Person and also deny His Deity. So do other cult groups like “Christian Scientists,” “Mormons,” “Christodelphians” and “Unification Church” or “Moonies” who also deny the deity of the Holy Spirit. Yet some of us may be surprised to learn that there are people who profess to be Christians but flatly deny the personality of the Spirit and regard Him only as a “force” or an influence of God. Nothing can be further from the truth. What does the Bible say about the Holy Spirit?
1. The Holy Spirit is a Person (John 14:16-17; 15:26; Rom 8:11; 1 Cor 3:16).
When we say that Holy Spirit is a Person, we don’t mean that He is a “human being,” though this may be a common modern day understanding of the word, “person.” But the word “person” when employed by theologians in relation to the doctrine of the Holy Spirit means that He is a living entity, endowed with understanding and will, being an intelligent and willing agent of whom personal properties are predicated. And what are some of Holy Spirit’s personal properties?
2. He Calls People into the Ministry (Acts 13:1-2)
Acts 13:2 says, “…As they (prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Paul and others) ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.” Here we are told that the Holy Spirit was the one who called Barnabas and Saul of Tarsus or Apostle Paul for the first missionary journey. A “force” certainly does not call people into ministry. This proves that the Holy Spirit is a Person.
3. The Holy Spirit Leads (Rom 8:14)
Rom 8:14 says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” The context of this verse speaks of an individual being led by God’s Spirit of God unto Salvation. And the Scripture also speaks of Holy Spirit’s leading a person to a particular direction. Luke 4:1 says, “And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.” Acts chapter 16 also speaks of how the Spirit forbade Paul and Timothy from going into Asia. Acts 16:6-7 says, “6 Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, 7 After they (Paul and Timothy) were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.” If the Holy Spirit was simply a “force,” how could he forbid Paul and Barnabas from going to Asia? Therefore, the Holy Spirit must be a Personal entity.
4. The Holy Spirit Speaks (Acts 8:29; 10:19,20; 11:12; 13:2, 21:11; 1 Tim 4:1; Heb 3:7)
Acts 8:29 says, “Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.” Acts 10:19 also says, “While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him…” (cf. Acts 11:12; Act 13:2; 21:11; 1 Tim 4:1; Heb 3:7). There is no doubt that the Holy Spirit spoke to His people in times past in an audible voice or through dreams and visions. (Heb 1:1) That was because the written Word of God had not been completed yet. Today the Holy Spirit ordinarily speaks to us through the written, infallible and inerrant Word of God which is complete and absolute and perfectly sufficient. Therefore, we should not demand that God must reveal to us His will through dreams, visions, signs and wonders as ordinary means of revelation today. We should read the Bible everyday, pray hard and seek wisdom and illumination from the Holy Spirit, and He will guide and reveal His will unto us.
Pastor Weng
(The Personality of The Holy Spirit continues next week).
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