With their obedient cooperation, He … So he does things that are against God’s rules. No, the secular world evangelizes the Church, and she adapts and embraces the loves and ambitions of the world. The Holy Ghost does not minister in Christ’s body to knock people down, but rather to pick them up. Does the world need a washing of heart-felt repentance today? I grew up in a Baptist Church and like most Baptist churches we didn’t talk much about the Holy Spirit. Following that sermon, in the concluding passage (Acts 2:36-40), we see the model: “You have sinned!” His hearers were “cut to the heart,” and cried out to know what they should do. St. Peter, newly filled with the Holy Spirit in power and truth, demonstrated the model very well in his post-Pentecost sermon to the people of Jerusalem. We need the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit and the Local Church Jesus is the Lord of his church, and the Spirit of God can work vibrantly among his people. I taught an 8 week long Bible study at a charismatic church a year or two ago and it was a wonderful experience. A correct understanding of the Holy Spirit is essential for spiritual growth and this can only come from a careful examination of Scripture. Why We Need the Holy Spirit Are there solutions to the many problems that are rife all around the earth today? Here are three reasons why you should pick up your Bible and maybe a good theology book and seriously study the Holy Spirit. America's foremost pastoral publication. He can give you strength, help, comfort and guidance. (All the people who listened, including the tax collectors, and who were baptized with the baptism of John, acknowledged the righteousness of God; but the Pharisees and scholars of the law, who were not baptized by him, rejected the plan of God for themselves) (Lk 7:27-30). Playing down the role and the person of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in our churches is not a good idea. I am by no means speaking of what is happening in the hyper Charismatic churches. The Church Without the Holy Spirit The greatest need of this hour is a new Biblical baptism in the Holy Ghost. She has sinned, and she takes it lightly. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. Merry Christmas! The Work of the Holy Spirit in the Individual. Conclusion Great post! Family catechesis precedes, accompanies, and enriches other forms of instruction in the faith. If we see no need to turn from the old—if the old is good, or good enough—then, we are content with ourselves as we are, and we have no hunger for the Good, for the abundant life that Jesus came to give us. So, why does the Church need the Holy Spirit so much in our time? Barb, I haven’t read Francis Chan’s book on the Holy Spirit, but I know he’s a good author so I might have to check it out. Look at your faith, and weigh it on the scales of God’s intention for you! You can have communion with God, and always be in tune with His voice. The Counterfeit Revival by Hank Hanegraaff is a classic book the covers some of the false teaching that is often taught in the charismatic movement. In Acts Chapter 4, Peter and John were entering the temple to pray when they passed by the crippled beggar. He is a constant companion. Learning about the author can often help us gain a better understanding of what he wrote. Don’t get me wrong we knew he was there but we did not want to appear like our charismatic friends who often mistook great music and powerful emotions as the moving of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4) The knowledge of God is one of the most important aspects of the Christian life. I found it very helpful in preparation for teaching. Concerning righteousness: The Righteous One has ascended to the Father, and unless the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, be a living Presence in her—God in her—she is empty. Parents have the mission of teaching their children to pray, and to discover, their vocation as children of God. The Holy Spirit is the One who puts love in our hearts: love for Christ, love for Christ’s kingdom, love for the lost. Galatians 5:16-26. Grief is a different emotion. We need the Holy Spirit because we live in darkness; we need the Holy Spirit because we are called to be the light of the world. Business as usual is not an option; a radical, zealous return to him is needed. Dan, I am hoping to follow this post up with a couple more about the Holy Spirit, so stay tuned! It was the power of the Holy Ghost within them that transformed these disciples from fear to having the boldness to speak to the beggar these words, “in the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and … The death and resurrection of Christ brought the Holy Spirit, the indweller of the church, and its members. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches: Education in the faith by the parents should begin in the child’s earliest years. And thus, sin is so rarely addressed from the pulpit (the only source for catechesis for most Catholics today); and thus, so many Catholics have become desensitized to sin, and numbed to the call to holiness. Look at your sacramental life! The purpose of preaching and teaching is not to make friends, preserve comfort, and keep parishioners content with the status quo. Look at your moral life! By Baptism at infancy, they insure that their children receive an infusion of God, the Holy Trinity, into their little souls, with holy sanctifying grace as infants, so that these much-loved children can be nurtured, fed, and can receive divine truths, in age-appropriate ways, all through their childhood years. […] been published on-line, at the website of Homiletic & Pastoral Review, as an article titled The Church Needs the Holy Spirit! Most Catholics, if they were to think about these presumptions carefully, would right away acknowledge that the presumption is false. (1) This realization led Cardinal Newman to declare that "Holy Church in her sacraments . If the Holy Spirit is God then we should do everything we can to know who the Holy Spirit is and how he works in our life. He is the author of several books in Catholic spirituality, which are described on his website, www.renewthechurch.com. The first is seen when a person becomes born-again. Thus, they can grow in grace and faith through their whole lives, as is pleasing to God. Most might say that using the plural pronouns so presumptuously is not exactly false, so much as merely a rhetorical device. Do we not all have the Holy Spirit already? There is an interesting pattern found in the Old and the New Testaments. His work, his bitter fruit, is judged and condemned. Why the Holy Spirit's Power is Needed for Church Renewal. … But harm is done. It is the role of the Holy Spirit to enkindle within us the grace we need in order to know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and to know the Father as our Father. Those who reject the baptism of repentance, reject the purpose and the way of God. All rights reserved. The Autonomy of the Holy Spirit. Never Say This to a Preacher After His Sermon! He has called, and is calling us to holiness, and all that we need in order to respond is awaiting us, in the Holy Spirit, now! When such Catholic families are immersed in a secular, godless, materialistic culture of death—modern America—the result only worsens: the Church cannot evangelize the culture—she hardly knows her left hand from her right. Have you read the Forgotten God by Francis Chan? Maybe when you were younger, you thought that surely if mankind works long enough and hard enough, solutions could be found for any problem. This hope doesn’t put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Sin is judged. That person tries to do whatever things will make him happy. We all are, after all, baptized and sacramentalized, are we not? Concerning judgment: Satan himself, the evil one in whom abides only lies and deceit and death—he is the ruler of this world—he is forever judged and condemned by the Lord. What You Need to Know about the Holy Spirit,Michael Horton - Read more about spiritual life growth, Christian living, and faith. A former teacher, engineer, Protestant minister, and missionary, he has earned graduate degrees in Catholic theology and ministry, Protestant ministry, and physics. God, through the power of the Holy Spirit He has put into His children (after their repentance and baptism), is forming in His people His holy, righteous character. We have a choice. 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