Father, Son & ...?

I just finished up Systematic Theology I. This was a great class, The last topic I wrote on was the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is an interesting and intense topic to discuss. I believe the church today has three stances on the understanding of the Holy Spirit. The first one is known as the "charismatic movement" where the church embraces the Spirit as an alive being that enables the speaking of tongues, healing and many different styles of worship. The other extreme aspect is seen in many evangelical churches where the Spirit is downplayed to the point of being ignored nor taught or talked about. The third is where most churches fall in that the Spirit is acknowledged as part of the Trinity however it is seen as a grey area, the doctrine is weak and not taught well enough for members to stand firm in their faith. All these aspects shaped my view of the Holy Spirit until I was able to sit and really study the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. I believe the Holy Spirit grieves how he is being portrayed and downplayed in the minds and lives of Christians in the western evangelical church today.

Without going to much into my paper; I want to challenge you - What is your view of the Holy Spirit? Do you call him "it"? Do you think he has personality? A couple of things that stood out to me after the study of the Holy Spirit, I have downplayed him in my life. It is often stated, "Without Christ I would still be lost", how true of a statement. I would also put the Holy Spirit into the same realm. Without the Spirit I would not have been able to understand the Holy Scriptures to the point of salvation. I would not be able to work out my salvation through the process known as sanctification. I would not be free to evangelize knowing that he does the real work!! (all we do is present the gospel clearly) As well I would not be able to worship God through serving by the use of my gifts, music, or prayer. We live in the era of the Holy Spirit; thus he must be obeyed, loved, and adorned along with the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ.