The Holy Spirit

By Pastor Tom Anderson

Who is the Holy Spirit? What does the Holy Spirit do? How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit? What are the gifts of the Holy Spirit? What is the fruit of the Holy Spirit? What is my ministry in God’s church? Where and how can I best serve in the mission of Jesus?

These questions will be answered in Class 301 “Discovering my ministry” The Class will be offered on 5 consecutive Sunday nights beginning April 16 at 6 PM. This is one of our core classes for making disciples of Jesus Christ here at Thrive. I invite you to put it on your calendar and plan on joining us!

Our textbook for the class is a book titled, The Holy Spirit: Activating God’s Power in Your Life by Billy Graham.(288 pp; Thomas Nelson: Nashville) $15 on Amazon.

The Holy Spirit has a long history in the Bible. He was there before creation (Genesis 1:2) He inspired Moses and all the prophets (Numbers 11:29) Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit into every believer. (John 7:38-39) Yet for all of this, many Christians seem unaware and uninformed about the ministry of the Holy Spirit. This is not good for our mission because it’s the Holy Spirit who equips and empowers us for the disciple-making mission of the Church. The Holy Spirit also empowers us to rise above our temptations and live godly and righteous lives. He transforms us in heart and character.

Every Christian should be in ministry. The Christian life is far more than watching a worship service online. It’s joining the team and helping to move the ball down the field. What are your spiritual gifts for ministry? What education and experience do you have? What are some things you are passionate about? Our gifts, our experiences, our passions–these are all clues to the place of service that God has for us. Someone has said, “Where your gifts and the needs of the world around us intersect–that is your ministry calling.”

In this class we’ll discuss the Biblical teaching on the Holy Spirit. We will earnestly seek the Holy Spirit in prayer together. We’ll study the gifts of the Holy Spirit and take an inventory that will help us to identify our own gifts. We’ll spend time reflecting on our place of service in the church and we’ll make plans to place each participant into a ministry they can thrive in. I’m looking forward to offering this experience to everyone! Sign up information will appear in just a few weeks. Mark your calendars now!