Question: "What is the ?

" Answer: The Holy Spirit is referred to as the “deposit,” “seal,”

and “earnest” in the hearts of Christians (2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30).
The Holy Spirit is God’s seal on His people, His claim on us as His very own. The Greek
word translated “earnest” in these passages is arrhabōn which means “a pledge,” that is, part
of the purchase money or property given in advance as security for the rest. The gift of the
Spirit to believers is a down payment on our heavenly inheritance, which Christ has promised
us and secured for us at the cross. It is because the Spirit has sealed us that we are assured of
our salvation. No one can break the seal of God. The Holy Spirit is given to believers as a
“first installment” to assure us that our full inheritance as children of God will be delivered.
The Holy Spirit is given to us to confirm to us that we belong to God who grants to us His
Spirit as a gift, just as grace and faith are gifts (Ephesians 2:8-9). Through the gift of the
Spirit, God renews and sanctifies us. He produces in our hearts those feelings, hopes, and
desires which are evidence that we are accepted by God, that we are regarded as His adopted
children, that our hope is genuine, and that our redemption and salvation are sure in the same
way that a seal guarantees a will or an agreement. God grants to us His Holy Spirit as the
certain pledge that we are His forever and shall be saved in the last day. The proof of the
Spirit’s presence is His operations on the heart which produce repentance, the fruit of the
Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), conformity to God’s commands and will, a passion for prayer and
praise, and love for His people. These things are the evidences that the Holy Spirit has
renewed the heart and that the Christian is sealed for the day of redemption.

Question: "What is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit?" Answer: The indwelling of the Holy
Spirit is the action by which God takes up permanent residence in the body of a believer in
Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, the Spirit would come and go from the saints, empowering
them for service but not necessarily remaining with them (see Judges 15:14; 1 Chronicles
12:18; Psalm 51:11; Ezekiel 11:5). Jesus revealed to His disciples the new role the Spirit of
Truth would play in their lives: “He lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:17). The
apostle Paul wrote, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is
in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you are bought with
a price; therefore, glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). These verses are telling
us that the believer in Jesus Christ has the third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, living
in him. When an individual accepts Christ as personal Savior, the Holy Spirit gives the
believer the life of God, eternal life, which is really His very nature (Titus 3:5; 2 Peter 1:4),
and the Holy Spirit comes to live within him spiritually. The fact that the believer’s body is
likened to a temple where the Holy Spirit lives helps us understand what the indwelling of
the Holy Spirit is all about. When a person becomes a Christian, the Holy Spirit takes up
residence in his life. Life in Jesus Christ is different because the Spirit of God is now within.
He is there to empower us, equip us for ministry, and function through the gifts He has given
us. The Holy Spirit is our Helper and Advocate. He protects and encourages us. He also
guarantees our inheritance in Jesus Christ. “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit
that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with
Christ” (Rom. 8:16–17). The Spirit of God is our securing force, our guarantee. The sealing
of which Paul speaks here refers to an official mark of identification that was placed on a
letter, contract, or other important document. The seal usually was made from hot wax, which
was placed on the document and then impressed with a signet ring. The document was
thereby officially identified with and under the authority of the person to whom the signet
belonged. That is the idea behind our being sealed in Him [Christ] with the Holy Spirit of
promise. The seal of God’s Spirit in the believer signifies four primary things: security,
authenticity, ownership, and authority.

The Baptism is an enduement of power and is the door or entrance to operating in the Gifts
of the Spirit. The Baptism of the Spirit enables the believer to walk in greater victory in their
Christian life, to live a life where healings, miracles and the supernatural is a common part
of life, and to enter into deeper levels in God in worship, the Word and communion with the
Holy Spirit. Luke 4:18-19 [" The Spirit of the LORD] [is] [upon Me,] [ Because He has
anointed Me] [To preach the gospel to] [the] [poor;] [He has sent Me] [to heal the
brokenhearted,] [To proclaim liberty to] [the] [captives] [And recovery of sight to] [the]
[blind,] [To] [set at liberty those who are] [oppressed;] [To proclaim the acceptable year of
the LORD."] Acts 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with
power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God
was with Him. The Bible speaks of the “anointing” of the Holy Spirit. What does this mean?
Who has been “anointed” with the Spirit? The Bible has the following things to say. John
Said All Believers Have Been Anointed with the Holy Spirit the Apostle John told his readers
that they all had been anointed with the Holy Spirit. He explained it in this way. But you have
been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. But the anointing that you
received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as
his anointing teaches you about everything–and is true and is no lie, just as it has taught you–
abide in him (1 John 2:20, 27 ESV). Those who have believed in Jesus Christ have received
this anointing. Paul Refers to the Anointing of the Holy Spirit The only other reference in the
New Testament to the anointing of the Spirit for the believer is found in the writings of the
Apostle Paul. He wrote the following to the Corinthians. And it is God who establishes us
with you in Christ, and has anointed us (2 Corinthians 1:21 ESV). Paul wrote that each
believer had received the anointing of the Spirit. Jesus Himself Was Anointed with the Holy
Spirit We also find that Jesus Himself was anointed with the Spirit. When He began His
public ministry, Jesus read a passage from Isaiah. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because
he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the
captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free (Luke 4:18 NRSV)
Jesus claimed that this prediction was fulfilled by Him. Luke records Him doing the
following after reading this passage. Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant
and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by
saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:20, 21 TNIV). The
anointed of the Spirit was upon Jesus. Furthermore, this anointing was upon Him during His
entire earthly ministry. Later Peter would tell the people about Jesus’ anointing. He explained
it in this manner. How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power,
who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was
with Him (Acts 10:38 NKJV). In this context the anointing of Jesus was for the work of the
ministry. The Meaning of the Anointing What is the “anointing?” Some see the anointing of
the Spirit as another way of saying the believer has already received the Holy Spirit while
others think it is a special ministry that the Spirit of God has in the life of each believer.
Observations about the Anointing of the Holy Spirit From these verses, we can observe the
following about the anointing of the Spirit.
1. God Does the Anointing It is God who anoints the believer with His Holy Spirit. We do
not anoint ourselves. Thus, it is entirely a work of God.

2. The Anointing Remains Forever This “anointing” of the Holy Spirit remains forever with
the believer. It never leaves those who receive it.

3. The Purpose of the Anointing Is to Teach Us The purpose of this anointing of the Holy
Spirit is that the believer might be taught of God. He anoints us to teach us His truths so that
we can please Him by doing the work of the ministry.

4. He Helps in Understanding the Word of God We find that the Holy Spirit anoints the
believer in spiritual discernment and the understanding of the Word of God. In fact, Jesus
promised that the Holy Spirit would be the Teacher of those who believed in Him. On the
night of His betrayal, Jesus said. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send
in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said
to you (John 14:26 ESV). The Holy Spirit was promised to teach Jesus disciples as well as
bring back all of His words to their remembrance. Jesus also said the Spirit, as their Teacher,
would guide them into “all truth.” He also gave His disciples this promise. When the Spirit
of truth comes, he will guide.

Have You Noticed the People Whom God Has Called to Help You? HUPERETAS Ministry
of Helps Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the
mysteries of God. — 1 Corinthians 4:1 When I was first starting to study New Testament
Greek many years ago, I pulled out my Greek New Testament one day and flipped it over to
First Corinthians 4:1. There I discovered that the Greek word for “ministers” was the word
huperetas — the Greek word that was used to depict the very lowest class of criminals. I
knew Paul must have had a reason for selecting this word to describe “ministers,” but it made
me wonder. The huperetas of ancient times were the criminals assigned to live the rest of
their lives in the bottom galleys of huge ships. In those galleys, they became the engines that
moved the ships through the seas. As
I pondered this, I could see so many
reasons why Paul used this word to
describe those of us who are serving
in the Kingdom of God! For instance,
a great number of these criminals
were held in the bottom galleys of
ships. They were seated and chained
to a bench along with other criminals
— and together they shared common
chains, held a common oar, and
worked the same number of hours.
They all had to provide equal labor to
the task. Their entire lives became a group effort. They became inseparable from the other
men who were on the bench with them. As I reflected on this, I thought of how God never
calls you to do a big job all by yourself. He will call others at the same time to assist you.
When you say yes to the will of God — when you jump into the middle of your assigned task
and surrender your time, money, talents, and ideas to the Lord — you will discover that others
will be right there by your side to help you with the task. You’re not the only one God has
been speaking to! The ships on which the huperetas served were so huge that it would have
been impossible for one servant to move an entire ship by himself. It required the strength
and effort of many servants working together in order to move those huge ships. In the same
way, you cannot accomplish what God has called you to do all alone! Look around you! Look
at the people God has placed around you to help you fulfill your dream. Don’t ignore them,
thinking you can do it alone. If your vision from the Lord is big, it will require others to
become involved in what you are doing. I wouldn’t be able to do what God has told me to do
if I had to do it by myself. The vision is too big and demanding. That’s why God didn’t stop
after He called me. He also called others to stand with me, pray with me, and stay for the
long haul, working beside me “on the under-rowers’ bench.” Their call is just as real as my
call. They will answer for their part just as I will answer for mine. And when rewards are
given, they will be rewarded for how they helped “row the boat” and keep this ministry
moving forward to reach millions of souls

My Prayer for Today Lord, I thank You for the life-changing truths I just read! I want to take
my place in Your plan for my life — and I want to give 100 percent of my attention and
strength to see it come to pass in my life. With all my heart, I tell You that I want to follow
You and to do whatever is required to see that vision come to pass in my life. And thank You
for calling others to come alongside to help me move this vision along a little faster!