WHERE THE SPIRIT OF GOD
IS AT WORK

John 3:1-13

"There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher from God; for no one can do these signs that You do you unless God is with him."
Jesus answered and said to Him, "Most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"
Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God."
"That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'
"The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born the Spirit."
Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"
Jesus answered and said to Him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?
"Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.
"If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
"No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven."

Message:

We are studying, I believe to be, the most important conversation ever recorded in human history! What Jesus said to Nicodemus has to do with the most important asset we possess...our eternal soul.
Jesus said:
"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matt. 16:26)

Jesus warned:
"Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man which built his house upon the sand:
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." (Matt. 7:24-27)

THE ONLY HOUSE WHOSE FOUNDATIONS ARE FIRM CAN WITHSTAND THE STORM: AND ONLY A LIFE WHOSE FOUNDATIONS ARE SURE, BUILT UPON OBEDIENCE TO THE WORDS OF CHRIST, CAN STAND THE TEST OF TIME AND ETERNITY.

The foundation of our Christian faith and our relationship to God by trusting in Christ is the subject of the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus...it is rock upon which a genuine and eternal fellowship with Almighty God is established. Thus, it is imperative we understand what Jesus was saying to the searching heart of this religious leader of Israel.

Nicodemus wrestles intellectually with the response of Christ to his inquiry...being born again...being born of water and the Spirit...concepts he can hardly grasp!

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His response...HOW CAN THESE THINGS BE?

We have learned in previous studies that when Jesus talked about being born again, He was speaking of a spiritual miracle wherein a human being is transformed from a sinner to a child of God...the result of a divine action taken by God who places the gift of faith in an unregenerate heart...then plants the seed of the Word in that faith, which results in a divine birth and the person becomes a new creation in Christ! TO BE BORN AGAIN MEANS TO BE SPIRITUALLY BORN FROM ABOVE WHEREIN GOD TAKES THE INITIATIVE TO PLACE HIS DIVINE LIVE WITHIN OUR HEARTS.

We have also learned that to be "born of water and the Spirit" is to experience the divine action of the Word of God in our hearts and souls...a work of the Holy Spirit of God wherein the life-changing power of the Word of God cleanses, prepares and purifies our souls.

The word "WATER" as it is used in verse 5 refers to the WORD OF GOD.
The WORD is ever the instrument used by God in regeneration. In every passage where the instrument of the New Birth is described, it is always the WORD OF GOD that is mentioned.

In 1 Corinthians 4:14, we find the apostle saying: "I have begotten you through the gospel."
Again, we are told, "Of his own will begat He us with the word of truth." (James 1:18)

Peter declares, "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever" (1 Peter 1:23).

"That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." (Ephesians 5:26, 27)

"For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart."

Jesus said to Nicodemus...
It is the powerful and effective Word of God under the operating power of the Holy Spirit that brings a man or woman to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

FAITH COMETH BY HEARING AND HEARING BY THE WORD OF GOD! (Romans 10:17)

Now we come to verse 6 in our text:
"That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit."

To show the necessity of this change, the Savior directs the attention of Nicodemus to the natural condition of man. By THAT WHICH IS BORN OF THE FLESH he evidently intends man as he is by nature, in the circumstances of his natural birth. Perhaps, also, he alludes to the question asked by Nicodemus, whether a man could be born when he is old. Jesus tells him that if this could be, it would not answer any valuable purpose; he would still have the same propensities and passions. As the parents are wholly corrupt by nature, so their children will be the same. The word FLESH here is used as meaning CORRUPT, DEFILED, SINFUL. The FLESH in the Scriptures is often used to denote the sinful propensities and passions of our nature, as those propensities are supposed to have their seat in the animal nature.

In the field of genetics, this law is true...likes produce likes.

Genesis 1:24-25
Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth the living creatures according to its kind; cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth, each according to its kind, and it was so.

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And God made the beast of the earth, according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good."

In the same way, God tells us that which comes out of the natural man can produce only that which is natural to man and which is sinful as a result. Sinners produce sinners!

THE FLESH...sometimes the reference is to the "old man" or our "old nature." At times it is the "heart." We are said to be "cardinal", fleshly, soulish. The FLESH is sometimes called the "natural man."

Whatever the term used, however, the teaching is that the fleshly or natural man cannot please, obey or even understand God.

That is why in verse 7, Jesus repeats: "Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’" It is possible that Nicodemus in some way still expressed a doubt of the doctrine, and Jesus took occasion in the following verse, in very striking manner, to illustrate it. Without doubt, Nicodemus was startled. The emphatic statements of Christ staggered him. The vital importance and imperative necessity of the new birth were points which had never exercised his conscience or engaged his serious attention.

"Marvel not," said Christ. It was as though the Lord had said, "Nicodemus, what I have said to you should be obvious. If a man is a sinner, if because of sin he is blind to the things of God, if no amount of religious cultivation can change the essential nature of man, then it is patent that his deepest need is to be born again. Marvel not: it is a self-evident truth! There is nothing to marvel at in this: it is axiomatic! So, in like manner, a man must have a spiritual nature before he can enter the spiritual world: a man must have God's own nature before he can enter God's kingdom.

In verse 8, Jesus speaks of the work of the Holy Spirit in the act of regeneration and redemption.
"The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whether it goeth; so is every one that is born of the Spirit."

The interpretation of this verse is complicated by the fact that the word which has been uniformly translated "spirit" in its occurrences hitherto in this chapter has more than one meaning. In Greek (as, for that matter, in several other languages) the one word may mean "spirit" or "breath" or "wind." The spirit of a man is that immaterial principle of life within him. It was a matter of observation for men in early days that when the breath ceases the life ceases also. What more natural, then, than to apply the same word to both? And, since wind is nothing more than a lot of breath moving in a hurry, it was equally natural to use the word for the wind.

The word used here might then mean "wind" or it might mean "Spirit". Since the term was used earlier in the chapter we would expect the meaning to be unchanged. This would give the meaning "Spirit" here as earlier. The passage then would mean that man cannot predict the movements of the Spirit. The Spirit breaths where He wills. And just as man cannot comprehend the Spirit neither can he comprehend him that is born of the Spirit.

Nicodemus had objected to the doctrine because he did not understand how it could be. Jesus shows him that he ought not to reject it on that account, for he constantly believed things quite as difficult. It might appear incomprehensible, but it was to be judged of by its effects. As in the case of the wind, the effects were seen. The sound was heard, important changes were produced by it, trees and clouds moved, yet the wind is not seen, nor do we know whence it comes: nor by what laws it is governed; so it is with the operations of the Spirit of God!

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We see the changes produced. Man just now sinful become holy; the thoughtless become serious; the licentious become pure; the vicious, moral, the moral religious; the prayerless, prayerful; the rebellious and obstinate, meek and mild, and gentle. When we see such changes, we ought no more to doubt that they are produced by some cause-by some mighty agent, than when we see the trees moved, or the waters of the ocean piled on heaps, or feel the cooling effects of a summer breeze. In those cases we attribute it to the wind, though we see it not, and though we do not understand its operations.

Every one that is born of the Spirit is, in some respects, like the effects of the wind. You see it not, you cannot discern its laws, but you see its effects, and you know therefore that it does exist and operate. We have observed that God has power over the most hardened sinner to change him, and he has power over the loftiest oak, to bring it down by a sweeping blast. There may be great variety in the modes of the operation of the Spirit. As the wind sometimes sweeps with a tempest, and prostrates all before it, and sometimes breathes upon us in a mild evening zephyr, so it is with the operations of the Spirit. The sinner sometimes trembles and is prostrate before the truth, and sometimes is sweetly and gently drawn to the cross of Jesus.

Nicodemus’ objection was, that he could not see this change, or perceive how it could be. Jesus tells him that he should not reject a doctrine merely because he could not understand it. Neither could the wind be seen, but its effects are well known, and no one doubted the existence or the power of the agent.

One of the great Bible teachers of the past (A. W. Pink) writes in his commentary these words:
"The wind bloweth where it pleaseth...so is every one that is born of the Spirit." THIS DESCRIBES THE SOVEREIGNTY OF HIS ACTIONS. The wind is an element altogether beyond the control of man...so is this Spirit of God! He sovereignly moved in a city, community or church in divine power and conviction that brings sinners to their knees in repentance. History is filled with times of great spiritual awakenings...the work of the Holy Spirit...sometimes the result of much prayer and fastings...other times His work is unexplainable!

Every genuine revival or spiritual awakening is clearly stamped with the hallmark of divine sovereignty, and in no way is this more clearly seen than in the time factor...that movement in time when the eternal work of the Holy Spirit begins to move on a heart or church or a city!

It was true in the prophecies of ancient Israel

Ezekiel 37
"The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley and it was full of bones.
Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.
And he said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"
So I answered, "O Lord God, You know."
Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!
‘Thus says the Lord God to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live.
"I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord." So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone.
Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.

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WHERE THE SPIRIT OF GOD
IS AT WORK

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(Ezekiel 37 continued)
"Also he said to me, Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, "Thus says the Lord God: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live."
So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves or cutoff.
Therefore prophesy and say to them. "Thus says the Lord God: Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves.
I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it, says the Lord."

HERE IS A BEAUTIFUL OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECY CONCERNING THE NATION OF ISRAEL, BUT IT HAS WITHIN IT, WONDERFUL SPIRITUAL TRUTHS THAT ARE UNIVERSAL.

It is the Spirit of God, in His own time, that moves across the spiritual death that has resulted from sin, breathes His Spirit into man and man is given divine life! We were dead in our trespasses and sins and the Spirit of God brought us life!

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved). (Ephesians 2:1-5)

GOD IS SOVEREIGN, AND HIS SOVEREIGNTY IS REVEALED NOT ONLY IN THE TIMING OF EVERY SPIRITUAL AWAKENING, BUT IN THE MANNER AND MEASURE OF THE SPIRIT’S WORKINGS. This is true in great spiritual revivals and awakenings in history.

It has been said of the Welsh Revival, "The outpouring of the Spirit came dramatically with precision, in the second week of November, 1904, on the same day-both in the north and in the south." Undoubtedly there were those in both regions who had met the conditions and were ready for God to work, but we cannot account for this strange coordination apart from that divine strategy which lies behind the sovereignty of God in His ways and His timing!

Many of us are praying for our family, our mate, our children, that God's Spirit would begin to prepare their hearts for salvation. We pray and pray and pray. We only know that God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But it is in His timing that hearts begin to soften, ears begin to listen, and the spirit of man becomes hungry for the things of God...this is the sovereign work of the Spirit acting in His own time and way! THE WIND BLOWETH WHERE IT LISTETH!

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In the 1859 Revival that spread to many parts of the British Isles, there was an immediate movement in some places when Christians met to pray and fulfill God's conditions. In other parts, however, although it would appear that the preparation of heart and burden of prayer were quite as real, the believers were kept waiting for one or even two years. THE SPIRIT BLOWETH WHERE AND WHEN IT LISTETH!

And...
His sovereign action may be sudden! It can be observed in a study of the great movements of the Spirit of God in human history that His works are sudden and unexpected. As to Christians being taken by surprise, Charles Finney, a great evangelist of the past, often noticed it and remarked, "They would wake up all of a sudden, like a man just rubbing his eyes open, and running around the room pushing things over, and wondering where all this excitement came from. But though few knew it, you may be sure there had been somebody on the watch-tower, constant in prayer till the blessing came."

Is that not so in our praying for those we love around us...when the Spirit begins to work, often the response is sudden, joyous, and wonderful!

God's methods have not changed down the centuries: it may be a tiny cloud arising out of the sea; such insignificant tokens are all that is needed for the listening ear or the watchful eye. "I have declared the former things from of old; yea, they went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them: suddenly I did them, and they came to pass." (Isaiah 48:3)

The effect of the sudden working of the Spirit in revival is very striking in the conviction of sinners. Often without any preparation concern or even thought for spiritual things, a sinner will be suddenly seized with overwhelming conviction of sin. "But God shall shoot at them; with an arrow suddenly shall they be wounded...and all men shall fear; and they shall declare the work of God, and shall wisely consider of His doing." (Psalm 64:7).

Describing the course of the Ulster ’59 Revival at Ballymena and elsewhere, John Shearer writes of some who were suddenly pierced as by a sharp sword, and their agonized cry for help was heard in the streets and in the fields. Here, for example, is a farmer returning from market in Ballymena. His mind is holy intent upon the day’s bargain. He pauses, takes out some money, and begins to count it. Suddenly an awful Presence envelops him. In a moment is only thought is that he is a sinner standing on the brink of help. His silver is scattered, and he falls upon the dust of the highway, crying out for God's mercy. SUCH IS THE SOVEREIGN SUDDENNESS OF THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD.

Ah! The Wind of God bloweth where it listeth and when it listeth and how it listeth!

THE WIND OF GOD...THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT...IS IRRESISTIBLE! When the wind blows in the fullness of its power, it sweeps everything before it. Those who have looked upon the effects of a tornado just after it has passed know something of the mighty force of the wind. Ah! It is so with the work of the Holy Spirit. When He comes in the fullness of His power, He breaks down men's prejudices, subdues his rebellious will, overcomes all opposition!

The God of the Old Testament saints and prophets was the God of spiritual awakening and revival. In chapter 63 of his prophecy Isaiah, recalling how God's people had rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit (verse 10), longs for a manifestation of His Zeal and mighty acts (vs. 15).

He looks upon the downtrodden sanctuary and cries out, OH, THAT THOU WOULDEST REND THE HEAVENS, THAT THOU WOULDEST COME DOWN, THAT THE MOUNTAINS MIGHT FLOW DOWN AT THY PRESENCE...TO MAKE THY NAME KNOWN TO THINE ADVERSARIES, THAT THE NATIONS MAY TREMBLE AT THY PRESENCE! WHEN THOU DIDST TERRIBLE THINGS WHICH WE LOOKED NOT FOR, THOU CAMEST DOWN..." (Isaiah 64:1-3)

Towards the close of Judah’s history as an independent kingdom there came to the throne the boy, Josiah. The temporary eclipse of the nation in captivity for its sin was not to be deferred much longer, and in fact began in

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The reign of his son, Jehoahaz. Nevertheless through the obedience to God of this young king there took place a powerful revival which pulsated through every vein of the nation. The Word of the Lord ran and was glorified. Sin and idolatry were purged from the land (2 Kings 23:4-20). The Passover was kept as it had never been kept since the time of Samuel (2 Chronicles 35:18), and all the days of Josiah the people departed not from following the Lord (2 Chronicles 34:33). Josiah had fulfilled the conditions and God had kept His promise: "Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest His words against this place...and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before Me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord" (2 Chronicles 34:27).

When we speak of the irresistible influence and power of the Holy Spirit upon the soul of man, I think of the conversion of Paul.

"Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
As the journey he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.
Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"
And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads."
So he, trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" Then the Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."
And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.
Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. (Acts 9)
Paul, the powerful, prideful, hate-filled persecutor of the Church was transformed into the mighty apostle of the Gospel of Christ...changed by the work of the Holy Spirit in his life and heart!
"For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly then they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." (1 Corinthians 15:9-11)
The irresistible power of the Holy Spirit was exceedingly evident on the Day of Pentecost!
"When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 2:1-4)

MIGHTY! The coming of the Spirit is said to be as a "rushing MIGHTY WIND." The Word MIGHTY means violence, and suggests vital activity; and the word RUSHING denotes that which carries or bears. Thus there is power suggested in each of the three words, namely power to breathe, power to move, and power to bring. The coming of the Spirit in power is strikingly demonstrated and suggested in this passage, and throughout Chapter 2.

There was power in utterance, for they "all began

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to speak." Cowardice fled before the incoming tide of the Spirit's courage.

As Peter preached his sermon, there was the power of conviction, for the hearers who listened to the Spirit were "pricked in their hearts." The consciences of the people were pricked through and through to their awakening and consciousness of the needed salvation.

The coming of the Spirit is described not only as a "mighty wind" but a RUSHING one. The word signifies to bear one's self along as the wind, and then to bear everything before it. The ship as it is DRIVEN before the wind is the very illustration which the Spirit uses in speaking of the prophecy which "came" to the holy men who were MOVED by the Spirit in the giving of the Scriptures (Acts 27:15, 2 Peter 1:21). WHEN HE COMES IN THE RUSHING OF HIS POWER, WHO CAN STAND BEFORE HIS SWAY. Saints are melted, consciences are quickened, feelings are stirred, bitternesses are expelled, wrongs are righted, restitutions are made, love is alert, faith is great, hope is buoyant, prayer is real, zeal is fervent, service is willing, humility is patent, temper is sweet, holiness is seen, testimony is effectual, and God is glorified!

WHEN WE CONSIDER ANOTHER CHARACTERISTIC OF THE WIND, WE NOTE THAT IT IS IRREGULAR.

By this, I mean, it sometimes move so softly it scarcely rustles a leaf; at other times it blows so loudly that its roar can be heard miles away. So it is in the matter of the work of the Holy Spirit. With some, the Holy Spirit works so gently His work is imperceptible to onlookers; with others, His action is so powerful, so radical, revolutionary His operations are apparent in many. Sometimes, the wind is only local in its reach; at other times, it is widespread in its scope. So it is with the Holy Spirit. Today, He acts on one to two souls; tomorrow, He may, as at Pentecost-"prick in the heart" a whole multitude. But whether He works on few or many, He consults not man; He acts as He pleases!

THE WIND IS INVISIBLE! It is one of the very few things in nature that is invisible. We can see the rain, the snow, the lightning’s flash, but not so the wind. The invisibility of any given thing does not do away with its actuality. Men may deny its substantiality, but the effects of the wind are none the less substantial.

The Hebrew and Greek words which are used of the Spirit, namely, RUACH and PNEUMA, in their crude meaning, signify WIND. In the New Testament, the word PNEUMA is used 385 times! Wind cannot express all the Spirit is, for before there was any wind, we read, "The Spirit of God moved upon the waters." Although the Spirit cannot be diagnosed or seen, he is nonetheless real.

Christ tells us "the world cannot receive" the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Truth, "because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him"; but contrast this with what He says to His own, "But ye know Him" (John 16:17). The word KNOW signifies a true and personal relationship between the person knowing and the person known, hence, it is more than knowing ABOUT, it is a personal acquaintance with. WHEN THE SPIRIT IS RECEIVED, HE IS PERCEIVED. To know Him is to be swayed by His truth, inspired in His love, kept in His grace, led by His hand, sustained by His presence, cheered by His promises, and used in His service.

Although we cannot see the Spirit, believers know His working in them. A man once said to a Christian that he did not believe that there was a Holy Spirit, simply because he had never seen Him. He did not believe in anything he had not seen; and he put the following questions to the Christian: "Have you ever seen, tasted, smelt,...the Holy Spirit? "No" answered the Christian. "Have you ever felt the Holy Spirit? YES! answered the Christian. Then the Christian asked the unbeliever..."Have you ever seen or tasted pain? "No," answered the sinner. "Have you ever felt pain? "Yes" answered the sinner. The Christian replied, "I have never seen, nor smelt the Holy Spirit, but I have felt His presence and power in my life and heart and I know He is real!