What the Holy Spirit Does Not Orchestrate

This article is an extension of the previous article titled The Purpose and Functions of the Holy Spirit. I purposely decided not to mention the points discussed here in my previous article because I did not want to distract my audience from the lessons of the previous article.

If you’re paying attention in our days, you will notice there are lots of ungodly acts happening around us which are being associated with the Holy Spirit or His anointing. But the sad thing is that there are no biblical precedence for those claims. In this lesson, I will be discussing some of those things.

Maturity, especially in the knowledge and application of the truth, is NOT an option for the believers. It is a requirement! This is the only thing that can save us from the deception and the “cunning craftiness” of men. The Bible eludes to this in Ephesians 4:14-15:

Ephesians 4:14-15 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

The Holy Spirit is not responsible for the ridiculous things happening in many so-called churches today such as:

• barking and screaming like animals,
• rolling or falling over chairs and tables,
• laughing uncontrollably,
• hitting your head on the walls,
• asking people to slap their heads 7 or 21 times,
• pushing people in their forehead while they fall off their feet
• making money appear in peoples’ wallets and purses,
• speaking to God on phones,
• making people eat grass or drink poisonous substances,
• throwing dust and sand in the air,
• running around in a circle,
• turning around in prayer facing North, South, West and East,
• and all the other magical, mystical and ritualistic things happening in some gatherings today.

Some even claim today that the Holy Spirit makes them speak random words that do not say or means anything. They call it the gift of tongues. But we do not have to look far to know that what they practice today as tongues is difference from that which we read about in the Bible.

The truth is that every spoken words must have “significance”, that is, meaning, at least to someone; otherwise it is pointless and produces no edification, no exhortation, and no comfort.

1 Corinthians 14:10 There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification.

In an effort to give this unbiblical practice some approval, some have suggested a different kind of the gift of tongues from the one in the New Testament. Again, there is no biblical support for such claims. The nature and purpose of the biblical gift of tongue in the New Testament is clear, it was for witnessing.

For instance, as a result of the miracle of tongues, 3,000 people believed and were saved on the Day of Pentecost. People heard and understood what they were saying. As a result of the miracle of tongues in Cornelius’s house, the Jews learned that Christ was serious about His mission to unite the Jews and the Gentiles in “one Body”.

Moreover, some so-called ministers today think that their ministry is to make people rich by collecting from them the little that they have. John MacArthur says concerning them that they are:

“Promising unregenerate sinners the things their hearts already desire, and then baptizing those carnal lusts in Christian language as if they represent the good news of Jesus Christ.” John MacArthur, Strange Fire.

Obviously, these false teachers do not realize that Christianity is not about accumulating riches and worldly possessions. That is not what Christ died for. But what’s sad about these ungodly acts is that the perpetrators always claim that God told them to do it.

Christianity is all about living for Christ and allowing Him to live in and through you!

The Bible is clear about what the Spirit’s mission is in the lives of the believers. To be concise, He is there to form Christ in us. To conform us to the image of Christ.

In Ephesians 4:10-13, the Bible discusses the gifts given to the Church, the Body of Christ, by the Holy Spirit. We read the purpose and end result of those gifts from verse 12:

Ephesians 4:12-13 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

See also:

Colossians 1:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

He is the one who inspired the Bible (2 Peter 1:21), He teaches us the things of God (John 14:26), He also helps us obey the truth (1 Peter 1:22). The purpose of all these is that in the end, Christ will “be formed in” us.  For more on the functions of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the believers, please click here.

This gifts of the Holy Spirit is for the edification of the Body of Christ. They are neither given for self promotion, as a means to accumulate the things of this world, nor to fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

He is the one who inspired the Bible (2 Peter 1:21), He teaches us the things of God (John 14:26), He also helps us obey the truth (1 Peter 1:22). The purpose of all these is that in the end, Christ will “be formed in” us.

The True Christian Life

Christianity is about coming to Christ for salvation from the penalty of sins, the Holy Spirit coming into you and comforting you to the image of Christ. In the end, the believer becomes holy and blameless in the presence of God for all eternity.

Ephesians 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

In the life of a true believer, the gifts and the power of the Holy Spirit manifest in terms of spiritual maturity, the fruits of the Spirit, and Christ living through the believer. The proper way for the Christians to manifest the gift of the Holy Spirit is by the noticeable spiritual growth and maturity taking place in their lives.

Galatians 2:19-20 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. 20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Thank you for reading!