The Fellowship of the Holy Spirit

 

The word ‘fellowship’ comes from the Greek word ‘koinonia’ which means three things. It means union, partnership and sharing. We must all learn the ‘koinonia’ of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 13:14). The word ‘koinonia’ has been used in reference to union in the Lord’s Supper, which is called the communion (koinonia) of the blood and the body of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 10:16). The same root word ‘koinoneo’ has been used in reference to James and John being fishing partners (koinoneo) with Simon (Luke 5:10). Paul speaks about sharing and making a contribution (koinonia) to the needs of the saints (Romans 15:26).

 We should learn the secret of union, partnership and sharing with the Holy Spirit. Union speaks about a development of the consciousness of His abiding presence in our hearts. Partnership with the Holy Spirit means taking Him as our Senior Partner in life, ministry and business. He sits as the Chairman of the board. He gives the ideas and He makes the final decision. Sharing speaks of intimacy with the Holy Spirit; a total dependence upon Him for all of our needs.

Even though the Holy Spirit is invisible, we should live our lives as if He is present physically. He is the One whom Jesus has sent to take the place of His physical absence (John 14:15-18). He is our Helper (parakletos - the One who is called to be beside us). He teaches us all things and brings the Word of God to our remembrance (John 14:26). If we cannot hear His voice, how can we hear His teachings?

 

Differentiating Revelation from Perception

The works of the Holy Spirit upon this earth are sevenfold. They are as follows:

1. To give new birth to those who accept Jesus Christ (John 3:5-8).

2. To empower a believer through the baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8).

 3. To enable believers to communicate to God (Acts 2:4; Romans 8:26, 27).

 4. To equip believers to function in the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:7-11).

5. To anoint believers to stand in the nine ministries of believers and in the fivefold office (Acts 13:2; 20:28).

6. To perfect the fruit of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers (Galatians 5:16-18, 22-25).

 7. To reveal the Word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father (John 16:13-15). The eighth and last work of the Holy Spirit at the end of the church age will be to take us all home in the great rapture of the church (Romans 8:11). All the above points are covered in different volumes of this Foundational Truths Series. We will, therefore, look into the point of revelation since it is in line with discerning the voice of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the instrument behind all revelations that we receive in this life. The difference between perception by the human spirit and revelation by the Holy Spirit is as the difference between the physical sense of touch and the physical sense of sight. It takes us a long time to identify an object by feeling whereas it takes us a few seconds to identify an object by sight. We can grow in our perception as our spirit man grows and is trained (Hebrews 5:14). Our spiritual judgment improves proportionally to the improvement of our perception. We need to grow more and more in perception (Philippians 1:9).

Spiritual revelation by the Holy Spirit is eternal and unchanging. He never contradicts Himself nor changes what He says. His revelations are final. Of course, they will always be in line with the written Word of God for the Word of God was a revelation from Him in the first place (1 Peter 1:11,12;2 Timothy 3:16). Paul said that he neither received the gospel from man nor was he taught it but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:12). In the gospel of John, Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will reveal all things from Him. We can, therefore, be assured that it was the Holy Spirit who had brought Paul this revelation (John 16:13-15).

In all his years of ministry, Paul neither changed one jot nor one tittle of the revelation that was given to him by the Holy Spirit. He even said that if he or another person or even an angel were to preach contradictory to the gospel that he preached, the person should be accursed (Galatians 1:7, 8). Many people who claim that the Holy Spirit spoke to them but keep changing their so-called revelations are only perceiving dimly through their human spirits (1 Corinthians 13:12).

 We should learn the difference between the voice of the human spirit and the voice of the Holy Spirit so that we can function in the anointing upon. Every time the Holy Spirit speaks, He imparts an anointing upon. His authoritative voice is firm but gentle. Most of the time, it is the human spirit who leads us but from time to time, the Holy Spirit will speak instruction and direction into our lives and ministries. Blessed is the man who hears the voice of the Holy Spirit. Every move of God in church history has been headed by men who have heard the voice of the Holy Spirit and taken heed. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to the church (Revelations 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). Great are the rewards of those who hear and obey.