God the Holy Spirit, Mentor's Guide, MG14

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G O D T H E H O L Y S P I R I T

What Does it Mean to Know Someone?

If someone said that they knew you well, how would they describe you? (Make a short list of some things they might say). As you look at your list, how many of these things describe who you are (for example, cheerful, patient, friendly, Asian, male, etc.) and how many of these describe what you do (for example, fixes cars, plays basketball, works at Wal-Mart, watches lots of movies)? How do these two different kinds of description give insight into who you really are? In theology, we describe God in two ways: his person (who he is, meaning his character, virtues, and attributes) and his work (what he does). When we talk about the person and work of God the Holy Spirit, each of these tells us something important about him. In the next two lessons, we will be concentrating on knowing about the work of the Holy Spirit. Knowing what he does tells us something important about who he is. As we prepare to start this lesson, make a quick list that describes as many works of the Holy Spirit as you can think of in one minute. The Spirit of God is the one who draws all believers everywhere into unity. The Apostle Paul, in fact, tells us to “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4.3). But mention the “baptism in the Holy Spirit” and Christians very often start fighting with each other over what it means, when it occurs, and what shows that it has happened to a person. Given your own tradition, experience, and reading of the Scriptures, how would you answer the question, “What is the ‘baptism in the Holy Spirit’?” and “Has it been easy to work together with Christian brothers and sisters who have a different definition from yours? Why or why not?” Baptism in the Holy Spirit

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