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The Convicting Work of the Holy Spirit
THE
POWER
OF A MOTHER’S
PRAYERS
Earlier, I mentioned the term sinner-believer. I use
that term to include the movement of the Holy Spirit in the life of the
sinner, who has been elected to salvation before the foundation of the
world, and then experiences the ministry of the Holy Spirit from the
point of being drawn to salvation, and beyond.
This understanding is important as we consider the
convicting work of the Holy Spirit. We get a glimpse of this ministry
through the words of Jesus, the Christ:
But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage
that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to
you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes,
will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and
judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and
concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no
longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of
this world has been judged.
(John 16:7–11)
These are the words of our Lord and Savior, Jesus,
the Christ. They were given during His midnight discourse, just prior to
entering Gethsemane. Our Lord spoke these words to his sorrowing
disciples about the Holy Spirit (Willmington’s Guide to the Bible).
In these words, Jesus first promises his disciples
the Helper, when He has to go away. Jesus had come to die. He had not
come to stay on this earth. Therefore, He would soon be embarking on the
last leg of His journey here on earth, which was to die for the sins of
the world. He would have to leave His disciples, through death, and go
back to the Father. He knew that their hearts would be broken, so He
told them that it was to their advantage that He go away. His going away
would mean the sending and the arriving of the Helper.
Helper 3875 parakletos "called to one’s aid" (NASB
Greek & Hebrew Dictionary).
The word is translated "Comforter," in the KJV. "This
old word (Demosthenes) . . . was used for a legal assistant, pleader,
advocate, one who pleads another’s cause" (A. T. Robertson’s Word
Pictures). The word is derived from the concept of one who is called to
stand back-to-back with you in a war or battle and help you fight the
battle. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is that of Helper, Comforter,
Advocate or Lawyer, and/or Intecessor.
From Denomination to
Reformation:
An Introduction to Biblecostalism™
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