Life in the Spirit! Experiencing the Fullness of Christ
Follow the path of biblical learning and learn how the Holy Spirit enables you to live a rich Christian life!
Section 1: Christian Beginnings (1-5)
Life and Belief
God’s Spirit powerfully works in the believer before, during and after salvation.
1) The Path of the Spirit (Gal 5:25)
Contemplate a moment on how you learned about the Holy Spirit in your own life. Answer for yourself, “What more would you want to learn about the Spirit?”
Christians need not only regularly experience the presence of the Holy Spirit but to constantly rely on Him for their lives and service like Jesus. But how are we to understand the Spirit of God?
2) The Network of the Spirit (1 Co 2:10-16)
Write down a definition of spirituality. For many, spirituality means connected to whatever is out there (Eph 2:2), but for the believer, spirituality means a whole different thing! This passage gives us powerful insights on how we fit into the spirit world.
3) The Conviction of the Spirit (John 16:7-11)
Reflect on when you were first aware that the Spirit of God was working in your heart. The Spirit actively works in the world of unbelievers, carrying out the work of conviction, warning, reproof, refutation, and chiding.
4) The Birth of the Spirit (John 3:3-8)
List at least three things that happen at birth. Use these as illustrations to help you think through spiritual birth which this lesson focuses on. The Creator of the world has hidden important teaching into the natural experience of birth to pass on insight into spiritual life.
5) The Assurance of the Spirit (Rom 8:14-17)
Think of the last time the Holy Spirit assured you of something? What was it? How did He do it? What kind of assuring does the Holy Spirit do in this set of verses? The Holy Spirit takes a special part in assuring the believer of his or her salvation for He Himself develops this confidence that we belong to God’s spiritual family.
Section 2: Christian Growth (6-10)
Strength & Dedication
The Spirit wonderfully takes the young believer and builds him and her up to be a strong growing follower of Christ.
6) The Leading of the Spirit (Gal 5:18)
How does the Holy Spirit specifically work in believers after salvation? What should they expect? How does He guide them? Seeking God’s will is an ongoing special interest topic for believers. God through the Holy Spirit gets involved in minute aspects of decision making.
7) The Sanctification of the Spirit (1 Pe 1:1-2)
One of the most mysterious aspects of being a believer is the way that Christians are set apart for God. The Holy Spirit’s presence becomes a large part of that process. The Holy Spirit lives in us with a determined purpose to conform us to God’s holiness, empowering us to succeed in God’s purposes for our lives.
8) The Warfare of the Spirit (Gal 5:16-24)
Believers don’t face any problems with the Holy Spirit, right? Wrong! Learn about the warfare that wages within the Christian believer. The good thing is that the Holy Spirit helps you always win! The Spirit of God is uncomfortable with any sin in our lives and seeks to show us how to combat sin’s influence and enjoy living in the fullness of God’s holiness.
Assignment to prepare=> Consider what two biggest battles you face in your spiritual struggle for holiness? Why do you sometimes win? Why do you sometimes lose? How does the Holy Spirit fit in?
9) The Filling of the Spirit (Eph 5:17-20)
Jesus was filled with the Spirit, but can we be? How does this work out practically in our lives? How does being filled relate to speaking in tongues?
Prepare for class by taking two glasses. Fill one halfway and the other to the brim. Think about your own life. Which glass best depicts your life? Why?
10) The Instruction of the Spirit (John 16:13)
The greater our confidence in the Holy Spirit being all wise and attentive to our daily needs, the more we will seek His wisdom and knowledge!
Prepare for class by thinking on how many areas of life that the Holy Spirit inputs knowledge, faith, and wisdom into your life.
Section 3: Christian Service (11-14)
Faith & Filling
We often go about in life without any clear life purpose, but the Holy Spirit reveals His special purposes for us to serve God and others from our new birth onwards.
11) The Word of the Spirit (2 Pe 1:19-21)
God personally guides us through the Holy Spirit but also in combination with the Word of God that came through the direction of the Holy Spirit.
Prepare for class by attentively and prayerfully reading God’s Word, noting down two to three thoughts that come to your mind from the passage. You might need to read it several times.
12) The Sending of the Spirit (Acts 13:1-4)
The Spirit of God is on a mission, strong enough to lead millions of believers over the ages across the world to complete the grand redemptive plan set in motion before time began. What part do you have in this plan?
13) The Gifts of the Spirit #1 (1 Cor 12:8-11)
Spiritual gifts are God’s diverse means to uniquely pour out His grace to each genuine believer in Christ, empowering them so that they have special opportunities to extend God’s grace to others.
14) The Gifts of the Spirit #2 (1 Co 12:1-6)
The Holy Spirit uses His gifts to help us uniquely serve God and others, but why is there so much controversy about spiritual gifts? Why are some so hesitant about approaching the topic of spiritual gifts?
Section 4: Christian Doctrine (15-18)
Questions & Theology
There are many more difficult questions about the Holy Spirit that we sometimes wonder about. We attempt to answer some of them here.“If I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you” (Jn 16:7)
15) The Anointing of the Spirit (John 7:37-39)
We know that Jesus was anointed by the Spirit, but so are Christians. The anointing of the Spirit given to believers largely defines their persons. Let’s see what this anointing is.
16) Special Experiences of the Spirit
There are two looming problems facing the church: (1) Why is the church so dead? And (2) Why are not more Christians filled with God’s Spirit? So what is your answer?
17) The Person of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26)
The church typically focuses more on the Spirit’s function and gifts rather than who He is–His person. Let’s see who He really is, what He likes and dislikes, and how to be intimate with the Lord through the Spirit.