Sage Voice

The Way of Life of the Holy Spirit If the Holy Spirit is indeed a person, then he must have a way of life, a living conduit by which he expresses his nature and character, and models the way of life of God's children. The way of life of the Holy Spirit is summarized in the fruit of the Spirit.  The Fruit of the Holy Spirit The word "fruit" denotes the end result or end product of a reproductive process involving many steps and stages. In relation to the Holy Spirit, fruit conjures the image of intimacy with the Holy Spirit not necessarily involving sexuality but sensitivity to him. Thus, a Christian who is awake and alert, or sensitive to the Holy Spirit tends to produce the fruit of the Spirit, in other words, the spiritual fruit resulting from intimacy with the Holy Spirit. Words that are synonymous with intimacy include fellowship, union, communion, partnership, sharing, connection, association, interaction, engagement, communication and conversation. ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:2...

Perceiving the Holy Spirit  Paul sent a revelation to the Galatian church, saying, "walk by the Spirit and you will n ot gratify the desires of the flesh." (5:16) In the same revelation he added that "since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (5:25) This serves to reiterate that except we understand the person of the Holy Spirit, his nature and way of life, we will never be able to keep in step with him so as to express his life. Christianity is the expression of the life of the Spirit through faith manifesting itself by love. To be able to express the life of the Spirit, you have to be awake and alert, thus, sensitive to the Spirit. Spirituality, therefore, is sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and to spiritual values.  The Person of the Holy Spirit •The Holy Spirit is God The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity. Christians believe and affirm, in keeping with the Shema of the Jews, that "the LORD our God, the LORD is one....

Introduction This message might sound controversial to Christians who have not made it a habit to investigate Scripture before making decisions on spiritual matters. While I do not deny that this message might cause the heart to quake a little bit, I also bear witness that this message will drive the genuine believer to go on his knees to seek spiritual understanding, and to feast on the Scriptures as one hungry for truth. I would like to state, however, that if your mind is not open to verities of the Spirit, do not read further! Tithe in the Old Testament Tithe literally means the tenth part. When you give tithe, you give the tenth part (1/10 or 10%) of your income as offering to God, received on his behalf by his priest. The first time we hear about tithe in the Bible is in Genesis 14:20 when after defeating four kings in a fierce battle, and carrying away the booty, Abraham was met, offered bread and wine, and blessed by Melchizedek who happened to be king of Salem and priest of Go...

KNOWLEDGE, WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING The Bible reveals a close relationship among knowledge, wisdom and understanding.  Proverbs 9:10 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Colossians 1:9 "For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives." Even though these terms are closely related as seen in the Bible, they do not mean the same thing.  KNOWLEDGE Knowledge refers to information gained through revelation, reasoning, experience, or acquaintance. Knowledge is consciousness of the fact, or awareness of the truth. Knowledge can exist without wisdom, but wisdom cannot exist without knowledge. One can be knowledgeable but not wise. Knowledge is knowing how to use a gun; wisdom is knowing when to use it and when to keep it holstered.  God wants you t...

ILLUMINATION Illumination comes from the verb "illumine" which means to light up. Illumination in the spiritual sense is "turning on the light" of understanding in some area of the word of God. Illumination concerns understanding and applying knowledge of the truth of God's word.  Biblical illumination is the process by which the Holy Spirit helps a believer to understand the truth of God's word. The Spirit dwells in you and works within you to help you understand the truth of God's word. The Spirit dwells in you, and lights up the word of God for you to clearly see, know and understand the truth so that you will practicalise it in your living.  Illumination involves how the Spirit of God helps you to understand the truth of God's word. John 16:13-14 points it out clearly, "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is ye...

INSPIRATION Refers to the extraordinary or supernatural divine influence graciously granted to those who wrote the Holy Scriptures, rendering their writings infallible. 2Timothy 3:16 says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."  The word translated "inspiration" is "theopneustos" and is a far cry from the dictionary meaning of the "act of an elevating or stimulating influence upon the intellect, emotions or creativity." "Theopneustos" literally means "breathed into by God" and this refers to the whole (not part) of the Scriptures. This is true of all the "sacred writings", not in the sense of their being works of genius or of supernatural insight, but as "theopneustic", that is, "God-breathed", in such a sense that the writers were supernaturally guided to express exactly what God intended them ...