The Spirit within

Thought

Greg Clarke | Phillip Jensen | 21 July, 1992

So far in our series on the Holy Spirit, we have looked at the Old Testament promise of the Spirit and at its fulfilment in Jesus, the Spirit-filled man who pours out this gift on his people. In this final article, we examine what it means to have the Spirit dwelling ‘within us’. We usually think of this in completely individual terms, but, as we shall see, the Bible presents a slightly different perspective.

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The Spirit-filled man

Thought

Greg Clarke | Phillip Jensen | 23 June, 1992

(Read the first article in this series.)

It is said that the proper study of mankind is man, but is the proper study of spirituality the spirit? Well, yes and no. How can you study a spirit? Eastern mysticism tells us to start the enquiry inside ourselves, whereas western materialism warns us to abandon the quest. But Luke’s writings show us that we needn’t seek a path to spiritual enlightenment; the proper study of mankind and the spirit-filled man is Jesus.

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Inspired aspirations

Thought

Greg Clarke | Phillip Jensen | 9 June, 1992

Have you ever felt sorry for Nicodemus? He ventured out in the dark to talk with Jesus in the hope that the man he called ‘Rabbi’ could answer a few pressing religious questions. He found Jesus, who guessed the perplexed man’s questions before they were asked and then left him more confused than ever. We can imagine Nicodemus trudging home, shaking his head, muttering to himself: “Re-born? Born of the Spirit? And what’s the wind got to do with it?”

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Does their worm really die?

Thought

Greg Clarke | James Pietsch | 23 April, 1991

Hell isn’t something many of us like to ponder in our spare hours. However, sometimes its horror is hard to get out of our heads. Concern for the dreadful fate of the unsaved, or a simple fear of our own destiny can, at times, be overwhelming. The topic of hell and punishment has arisen with considerable frequency in the last six months. Dr James Packer chose to speak on this in his public lecture at Enfield. At the second Katoomba Youth Convention weekend in January, question time was filled with inquiries about this very issue. Although unmentionable in most secular circles, Christians sense a need to understand this aspect of eschatology.

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