Seven ones of Ephesians 4: One Spirit

Ephesians 4:3-6

3. Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5. One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6. One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
7. The Body of Christ and the One Spirit

Last week we studied the body of Christ. Today we are studying the one Spirit…the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has a definite work in the body of Christ.

A. The Body of Christ is subject to One (and only one) Spirit. We are placed or baptized into the church by the Holy Spirit.

1Co:12:3,13: 3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. 13For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

Eph:2:18: For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

2. We are not only placed into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit, but we are also kept secure by him. He dwells in us. Eph:1:13-14 13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14: Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. 1Co:6:19: What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

3.We are not only placed into the body by the Holy Spirit and kept by him, but he also gives us the gifts of the Spirit.

1Co:12:4,7-11: 4Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 7: But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.8: For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9: To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10: To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

B. Jesus introduces us to the Holy Spirit as our Comforter and the Spirit of truth, or our Counselor.

John 14:16-17 16. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;17. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

John 16:7-11 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8: And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9: Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10: Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11: Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

John 16:13-15 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14: He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 15: All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Jesus sent “another comforter”: (“allos parakletos”) Jn 14:16 Greek “allos” another of the same kind. So the Holy Spirit is a person who is a “comforter, helper, advocate”. Used of the Holy Spirit 5 times in John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7; 14:16. When we combine this with the fact that Jesus said the Holy Spirit was another helper, Gr “allos”, “another of the same kind”, the personality of the Holy Spirit is reinforced even stronger. In Acts 9:31 Christians were “walking in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit.” The word, “Comfort” [parakleses] is the verb form of the noun parakletos.

Comforter, helper, advocate: “parakletos” The word means, “lit., called to one’s side, i.e., to one’s aid, is primarily a verbal adjective, and suggests the capability or adaptability for giving aid. It was used in a court of justice to denote a legal assistant, counsel for the defence, an advocate; then, generally, one who pleads another’s cause, an intercessor, advocate”

If you are born again, the Holy Spirit is always in you as a Comforter to help and comfort you in any need. If you depend upon Him to comfort you, He will do it. You’ll have comfort from within. People won’t be able to understand how you can be so composed and at peace in times of trouble. But you’ll know why. Thank God, the Comforter lives within you!

Second, the Holy Spirit is your Counselor. He’ll counsel with you. And the Scriptures say “He will lead you into all truth.” (John 16:13)

C. The Holy Spirit is a divine person, like the Father

1. The Holy Spirit is outright called God:

Acts 5:3-4 3: But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4: Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

Mt 12:28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.; Lk 11:20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.

2. The Holy Spirit shares qualities that only God possesses:

1. Eternal like the Father: Heb 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
2. Omnipresent like the Father: Ps 139:7-10 :7: Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 8: If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. 9: If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 10: Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
3. Omniscient like the Father: 1 Cor 2:10-11 10: But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11: For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.12: Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13: Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 1Jo:2:20: But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

3. The Holy Spirit is divine in power:

1. To create: Ps 104:30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.
2. To work miracles: 1 Cor 12:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
3. To inspire prophets: 2 Pe 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

4. Many divine titles & names applied to the Holy Spirit show He is a person:

1. The Spirit of Life John:6:63: It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.Romans:8:2: For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
2. The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah Isaiah 61:1-3 1: The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2: To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3: To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
3. The Spirit of Holiness Romans 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
4. The Holy Spirit of Promise Eph 1:13-14 13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14: Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
5. The Spirit of Jesus Christ Phil 1:19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
6. The Spirit of Liberty 2Corinthians:3:17: Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
7. The Spirit of Judgment and burning Isaiah 4:4 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning
8. The Spirit of His Son Gal 4:6And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
9. The Spirit of Glory 1 Pet 4:14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
10. The Spirit of God, and of Christ Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
11. The Spirit of Grace Heb 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
12. The Spirit of Wisdom and Knowledge,of Jehovah, of Knowledge and the Fear of the Lord Isa 11:2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
13. The Spirit of Supplication Zec:12:10: And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
14. Zec:12:10: And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
15. Romans:8:10-11 10: And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11: But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you
16. 2Co:3:6: Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

1. We can fellowship with the Holy Spirit because he is in us.

2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. The grace (favor and spiritual blessing) of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the presence and fellowship (the communion and sharing together and participation) in the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

The Greek word for fellowship here is koinonia. It literally means communion, communication, distribution, joint participation, intimacy.

Romans 8:9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

Philippians 2:1-2 Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.

As we fellowship with the Holy Spirit, he gives us joy, love, and compassion for others. The only way to have true fellowship with other Christians is to first of all fellowship with the Holy Spirit. When we fellowship with the Holy Spirit it will change us. It will bring us into the glory realm. It is very important to spend time fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit.

2Co:3:18: But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

One way to fellowship with the Holy Spirit is to pray in tongues. The Holy Spirit will help us to pray the perfect prayer when we pray in tongues. He knows the mind of God, the will of God, and he will pray through us the perfect will of God.

Ro:8:26-27 26: Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27: And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

The term here “helpeth” means to take hold of together with. The Holy Spirit wants to take our infirmities or weaknesses, and help us by taking the problem with us to solve it. He will tell us the will of God. If you are wondering what the will of God is for your life, spend time praying in tongues, and he will reveal it to you. The term “groanings that cannot be uttered” means that you will be praying in a language that is not your own. When we pray in tongues we yoke up with the Holy Spirit. Because he is far stronger and bigger than us, he actually carries the entire load as we walk beside him.

Take time today to fellowship with the Holy Spirit. He is a real personality, and he lives in you. He wants to fellowship with you and help you to know God’s will for your life.