And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. You have not lied to man but to God. When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. Labs Without this preliminary ministry, the work of efficacious grace would be impossible. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. Even so no one knows the things of God except [by] the Spirit of God" (1 Corinthians 2:11 1 Corinthians 2:11 For what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. unsaved man walks after the flesh his spirit is dead. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, Look at us. And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. So it is God by His Spirit that restrains the development of lawlessness.2. Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols. Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him. By the wife; literally, in the wife.The bond is still holy; its holiness rests in the believing wife or husband. Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead. Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, We shall hear you again concerning this. So Paul went out of their midst. I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses. Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. And the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. (Continued from the January-March Number, 1941), [Authors Note: In previous articles the Person of the Holy Spirit, His work in the Old Testament, and His relation to the Person and work of Christ have been considered. I encourage us all to stay focused and sober in our assessment of current events, prophecy, and the realities of the present time and to pray without ceasing as we serve the Lord and hold the line. So he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship, and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah.read more.Then the Spirit said to Philip, Go up and join this chariot. Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, Do you understand what you are reading? And he said, Well, how could I, unless someone guides me? And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. To them the realm of common grace is purely a discovery of the human intelligence proceeding from natural causes. F And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new teaching is which you are proclaiming? Introduction. For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. The indwelling Holy Spirit opens to the yielded Christian the storehouses of truth in the Word of God. 2 Timothy 4:6 "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.". For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. And they were saying to one another, Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb? And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled backit was very large. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. #motivationalspeech #motivationalquotes #motivational #motivationalvideo #motivation #inspiration #inspirational #inspirationalquotes #highvaluemale #highval. Is there a scripture of God casting our sins in a sea of forgetfulness? As Charles Hodge summarizes the Lutheran position, This divine efficacy is inherent in, and inseparable from the Word.4 The chief difficulty with this view is the obvious fact that many unsaved men are completely unaffected by hearing or reading the Bible. While the Word of God is not necessarily related to the general works of God in restraining sin, in providence, and in acts of sovereignty, the revelation of the truth of the Gospel comes only through the Word of God. But Peter and the apostles answered, We must obey God rather than men. What does scripture mean-Man and wife same pocketbook? And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people. A person who does not have the Spirit does not accept the truths that come from the Spirit of God. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? And he said, Who are you, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. The work of the Holy Spirit in restraining sin as found in the Old Testament continues in the present age. Satan is nowhere given universal power over the world, though his influence is inestimable. 13. The Bible gives an illustration of the spirit of man. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org, How will they preach unless they are sent? The fall of Adam was full of tremendous consequences. The unsaved need to know that sin was judged in the cross, and for those who trust in Christ there is deliverance from judgment upon sin and deliverance from condemnation. The spirit of an unsaved man is aware and knows about the things of man (man's thoughts and interests and activities) but he is totally insensitive and blind when it comes to the things of God (God's thoughts and ways and works)--see 1 Corinthians 2:11,14,16 and Isaiah 55:8-9. It is founded on a desperate need for enablement to understand the Gospel. The person without the Spirit doesnt accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For less than $5/mo. It is important that we understand what the Spirit seeks to accomplish in the lives of unbelievers so that we can cooperate with His agenda and thus be used by Him in the lives of non-Christians. While the unsaved may be led to understand the Gospel sufficiently to act intelligently upon it, common grace does not have any certain effect upon the will and does not issue certainly into salvation. The unsaved need to know that sin was judged in the cross, and for those who trust in Christ there is deliverance from judgment upon sin and deliverance from condemnation. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. Try Bible Gateway Plus free today! R For a beastly man perceiveth not those things that be of the Spirit of God; for it is folly to him, and he may not understand, for it is examined ghostly [for it is examined. Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. And I will grant wonders in the sky aboveAnd signs on the earth below,Blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke. 5:23 ). The unsaved must see Christ as judged and executed for them, and their judgment for sin as already past. For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. The subject of the passage is the coming day of the Lord in which the man of sin will be revealed (2 Thess 2:3). A devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. Common grace also falls far short of the Christians experience of illumination. Y The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. And I answered, O Lord GOD , thou knowest. In flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. And again, back of human government is God Who instituted it (Gen 9:5, 6; Rom 13:1-7) and controls it (Ps 75:5-7). Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. C Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. I am the good shepherd. While Isaiah 59:19 is not as clear a reference, it infers a similar ministry of the Holy Spirit. The church corporately has done much to influence the world, even though it has failed to measure up to Biblical standards itself. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. The wicked generation of Noahs day was opposed in its mad course by the striving of the Spirit (Gen 6:3). Now the natural person does not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God, for to him it is foolishness, and he cannot understand it, because it is judged spiritually. The judgments which followed rejection of His striving against sin (Isa 63:10-11) had their effect. Ministering To The Unsaved. Without this ministry, the world would be an impossible situation for the Christian, and Gospel preaching would be fruitless. This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead., Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, We shall hear you again concerning this.. These three parts constitute the man. And now why do you wait? For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. The work of the Holy Spirit for the unsaved world constitutes another proof that God is a God of infinite grace and condescension, working in those who are the objects of His righteous judgment, striving to bring them to the knowledge of Christ as Savior. He rejects it, denies it, and disputes it. They will receive the greater condemnation.. Abstain from every form of evil. Denney, Findlay, Alford, Moffatt, hold that this refers to law and order, especially as embodied in the Roman Empire. 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, 1st Corinthians 12:3. - Is sanctified; literally, has been sanctified, the status has been rendered (so to speak) theoretically clean. But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife's knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet. New American Standard Bible Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. Searching all the innermost parts of his being. If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. The work of the Holy Spirit in restraining the world from sin is found in every age, except during the period of unprecedented sinfulness during the great tribulation, when it is Gods purpose to demonstrate for the first time what unrestrained sin is. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. While these elements may not be always seen clearly, they form the principles which combine to bring the unsaved into the knowledge necessary to place saving faith in Christ. The Godhead To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; How will they preach unless they are sent? We begin now the study of the present work of the Spirit, in this article discussing the work of the Holy Spirit in relation to the unsaved world. NCV A person who does not have the Spirit does not accept the truths that come from the Spirit of God. As a token of this, Satan, as the prince of this world, is mentioned as already condemned. Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation? Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman. But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. Everyone will stand before God in judgment. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. While the restraining hand of the Holy Spirit is little realized by the church at large, His protection and power shield the Christian from the impossible task of living in a world in which sin is unrestrained. He is considered perhaps the world's foremost interpreter of biblical prophecy.John is perhaps best known for his bestselling work on Bible prophecy, Armageddon More. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. And also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him. While the ministry of the Holy Spirit is ever primarily directed toward the Christian, it is evident that He is working in the world as well, bringing to pass the will of the Father and the Son. He does not grasp God's Word, he misunderstands and misconstrues it. This took discernment. Pastor John, how are we to . So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. Less extreme than the deists is the Pelagian viewpoint, holding that man is inherently able to understand the truth and make his own decisions in relation to it. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing. Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved fellow worker and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? W Needless to say, the subjects included in the ministry of the Holy Spirit to the unsaved should constitute an important part of effective Gospel preaching. As the Word is preached, the Holy Spirit attends with power to make it known to those who naturally are blind to the truth and unable to comprehend it. What prevents me from being baptized? [And Philip said, If you believe with all your heart, you may. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.] And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him. 7. Departure means "The act of going away; a moving from or leaving a place". That person thinks they are foolish and cannot understand them, because they can only be judged to be true by the Spirit. In fact it can be said that the whole Bible is evangelistic, because it focuses on the salvation that Christ vicariously provided. Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. The experience of many Christians bears witness to the possibility of understanding the issues of saving faith and at the same time being rebellious against God and unwilling to accept Christ for some time before the decision for Christ is finally made. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. We could get a parrot to say "Jesus is the Lord" and he might say it over and over, but it would not be a sign that our parrot is speaking by the Holy . And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. Unless otherwise indicated, all content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. 12 Bible Verses about Ministering To The Unsaved. A third revelation is given the unsaved by the Holy Spirit concerning the relation of the cross to judgment and Satan. 4 There is one body and one . For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself., And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, Be saved from this perverse generation!. Want the Verse of the Day sent to your inbox? For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet, Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christthis Jesus whom you crucified., Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brethren, what shall we do?. Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? Will God forgive me for losing hope and the will to live? P Nor can he perceive them, because they are spiritually examined. Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. And to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels. For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. But a natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. Human governments, ordained of God, are a means to divine ends. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. A popular view of this passage is that human government is this restraining force. For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says:The Lord said to my Lord,Sit at My right hand, Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet. Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christthis Jesus whom you crucified. Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brethren, what shall we do? Peter said to them, Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. TopicalBible (Series to be continued in the July-September Number, 1941). The striving of the Holy Spirit against sin in Noahs period is definitely stated (Gen 6:3). 12:8 ). Q. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. The love, joy, peace, and other fruit of the Spirit are never found in those who have merely experienced common grace. The unbeliever does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. comprehend very imperfectly the nature of this imputed righteousness. So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Many an unsaved judge has told many a young drug addict standing in his courtroom, "You must change your ways or you will . Z. The entire work of the Holy Spirit on behalf of the unsaved world is sometimes given the terminology common grace, including in its scope the restraining work of the Holy Spirit in addition to the work of revealing the Gospel. Serving Wholeheartedly. As Dr. Thiessen writes: But who is the one that restraineth? But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. When properly paired with the Spirit, the soul, or mind, of a person can grasp and understand spiritual truth. The natural man is an unsaved man, who views excess indulgence in the desires of the flesh to be a good thing. In this course, you'll get four lessons on the following topics: Being Hospitable to Jesus. While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? The Scriptures represent him as being cast into the earth and venting his fury during those tragic days (Rev 12:9). Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, In humiliation His judgment was taken away, The eunuch answered Philip and said, Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? According to the passage, the man of sin will not be revealed until the one who restrains is removed. But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza. (This is a desert road.). Genuine salvation is never found except among those who have heard the Word of God. The spirit of a man can endure his sickness,But as for a broken spirit who can bear it? What Does the Bible Say About the Prince of Darkness? The Bible call him an unbeliever, a sinner and an unregenerate person. The Gift of Showing Mercy . Apart from this work of the Holy Spirit, God would continue to be unrevealed to a lost race; the death of Christ would be inapplicable to men; and the purpose of God to save the elect would be impossible of fulfillment. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. Man, as created by God, and living on earth in mortal flesh, is a triune being, composed of "spirit and soul and body" (1 Thess. Interpreters of Scripture have not all agreed on the identity of the one restraining lawlessness. There is one body and one Spiritjust as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call one Lord, one faith, one baptism, For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. In Mk 3:29 Jesus says that "whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin" (cf. He may be, and is, in the language of Scripture, identified with either, according to the line of truth being revealed. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? The ministry of the Holy Spirit to the unsaved follows three specific lines, then. The ministry of the Holy Spirit in relation to the unsaved world falls into two categories which are not necessarily independent. Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exulted;Moreover my flesh also will live in hope; Because You will not abandon my soul to Hades,Nor allow Your Holy One to undergo decay. So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. He is unable to understand them because they can be discerned only in a spiritual way. American King James Version ). And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Paul was speaking about Simon who wanted to buy the gift of the Holy Spirit. And they were all together in Solomon's Portico. Jesus answered him, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.. It should therefore be expected that the Holy Spirit should have a special ministry to the unsaved world in every age, particularly in the age of grace during which the Holy Spirit is resident in the world in the Church. Common grace must be sharply distinguished from any work of God which is efficacious in bringing the unsaved to salvation. Just as it is written, . The sun will be turned into darknessAnd the moon into blood,Before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come. Visit the Bible online to search for words if you dont know the specific passage yourre looking for. J A third revelation is given the unsaved by the Holy Spirit concerning the relation of the cross to judgment and Satan. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. For David says of Him,I saw the Lord always in my presence;For He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken. And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. The Bible, wherever it has gone, has produced its attendant effect not only on those who believed it but also indirectly has influenced the thought and action of the unsaved world. He is incapable of grasping them because they are. So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, And they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. Christ addressed this issue in John 16:8-11, during His Upper Room Discourse . The importance of this doctrine, therefore, justifies a careful study. But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he kept preaching the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. N Verse Concepts. been overemphasized by the church, these sacraments do reveal in symbol the Gospel message, and the Lords Supper in particular is to be observed because it shows the Lords death till he come (1 Cor 11:26). But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.