Topic: THE SPIRIT AND THE WORD [Church of God Mission International] CGMI ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL 22 JANUARY 2023
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CGMI ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL
SUNDAY 22ND JANUARY, 2023
HYMNS: S. S. & S. 20I “Spirit Divine attend our Prayer”
TOPIC: THE SPIRIT AND THE WORD
TEXT: Gen 1:2-4,Hebrews 1:1, Jeremiah 31:31-34,Ezekiel 36:24-27;2Corinthians 3:16-18.
CENTRAL THOUGHT:
The Spirit illuminates the Word in the life of the believer
INTRODUCTION:
As we study the Scriptures, it does not take a keen reader long to realize the intricate relationship between the Spirit of God and the Word of God in the actualization of God’s purposes in our individual lives, time and eternity.In Genesis 1:2-4 we see the two in action at creation.The Holy Spirit hovers over the surface of the earth,interacting with it and preparing it to make it receptive and obedient to God’s word. When God said, “Let there be light,”the Holy Spirit brought this to reality and “there was light”.We receive more light on this process in John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word and the word was with God and the word was God…. He created everything there is.Nothing exists that he didn’t make. Similarly,speaking about the eternal son of God, the Word of God, Paul states…. Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation.Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth.He made the things we can see and the things we cannot see,kingdoms,rulers, authorities.Everything has been created through him and for him”(Colossians 1:15-17). It is important that we understand the close interaction between the Holy spirit and the Word of God so that we can co-operate with the Lord in actualizing His purposes for our lives.
This is the focus of this study.
LESSON OBJECTIVES:
The objectives of this lesson are to:
- understand the role of the Spirit and the Word in the old covenant;
- understand the role of the Spirit and the Word in the new covenant;
- understand how the Spirit and the Word work together to produce salvation and spiritual growth; and
- understand how we can maximize the ministry of the Spirit and the Word in our lives and ministry. BIBLE TRUTH:
Q1: WHAT WAS THE ROLE OF THE SPIRIT AND THE WORD IN THE OLD COVENANT?
The scripture testify of Jesus Christ that He “is the same yesterday, today and forever ” (Hebrews 13:8). The same applies to the ministry of the Spirit and the Word throughout history. In the Old Testament, God spoke to the people through the Prophets (Hebrews 1:1) who were moved by the Holy Spirit and manifested diverse revelational gifts such as prophesy, Word of wisdom and word of knowledge. This manifested through dreams, visions and God spoke face to face to Moses. The ultimate ministry of the Prophets was to bring God’s word to His people. As captured in details in Deuteronomy 28, God’s relationship with His people was governed by how they treated God’s word. They were promised blessings for
obedience to God’s word (Deut 28:1-14) and curses for their disobedience. Some Christians may feel that the eternal son of God, the Word of God was not revealed to the Old Testament saints. This is far from the truth. By revelation,Paul states”…and all of them drank the same miraculous water. For they drank from the miraculous rock that travelled with them and that rock was Christ” (1Corinthians 10:4).
Q2: WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE SPIRIT AND THE WORD IN THE NEW COVENANT? ( Jeremiah 31:31-34, Ezekiel 36:24-27)
The old covenant was doomed to failure because despite its good intentions, the sinful nature of man made it
impossible for anyone to fulfil its requirements. In Jeremiah 31:33 and Ezekiel 36:26-27, the Lord carefully laid out His plans for a better covenant which we are privileged to enjoy currently. We note the central roles of the Spirit and the Word in actualizing this.These promises concerning the new covenant are realized at the point of salvation. The Spirit of God convicts the sinner of righteousness, Sin and judgement and produces genuine repentance in the heart. At the point of salvation, old things pass away. In the place of the heart of stone, the spirit that delights in evil, God gives us a new heart and a new spirit made in His image. He places His Spirit in our hearts to write His word on them and to move and empower us to do His will.
Q3: WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE SPIRIT AND THE WORD IN THE GROWTH OF THE BELIEVER? (2 Peter 3:17-18)
The believer is repeatedly encouraged in Scriptures to grow into the full stature of Christ in all aspects of life and godliness.He must early in his/her Christian life be filled and be continually filled with the Holy spirit (Acts1:8,Ephesians 6:17-18). The new believer is urged to keep away from sin and like new-born babies’ hunger for the sincere milk of God’s word and let His word dwell richly in him (1Peter 2:1-3,Colossians 3:16).In 2 Corinthians 3:16-18, the Scriptures illustrate how the Spirit and the Word work together to produce inward change and growth in the believer. As the believer studies God’s word, he/she is shown the image of Christ or what God desires by the Holy Spirit. As the believers see Christ, they reflectively see how different they are from what God desires for them.They are empowered by the
indwelling Holy Spirit and changed into that likeness from glory to glory. This process continues repeatedly throughout our whole lives.
Q4: WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES TO BENEFITING FROM THE MINISTRY OF THE SPIRIT AND THE WORD?
The barriers amongst others include the following:
*Not throwing off the sinful nature and the old way of life (Eph 4:21-29)
*Lack of hunger for righteousness and God’s word (Psalms 42:1, Matthew 5:6) Ignorance of God’s word (Colossians 3:16)
*Grieving the Holy Spirit (Eph 4:30-31)
*Not being full of the Holy Spirit (Eph 6:17-18)
Q5: WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE SPIRIT AND THE WORD IN IDENTIFYING OUR AREAS OF CHRISTIAN SERVICE AND FULFILLING THEM? Matthew 9:38;Acts 1:8; Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11.
In Joel 2:28-29, God reveals His plan for the last days. We can summarize that God does not discriminate between nations, sexes, age groups and social class in the administration of His Spirit on believers in Christ.As children grow up, their areas of gifting,talents,strengths and weaknesses manifest. The same applies in the Christian faith. As we daily live in obedience to God’s word, we will begin to notice areas of service that give us great joy, fulfilment and that we accomplish with ease. As we seek God’s face and apply ourselves to the available areas of service, we will begin to note the manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit in our lives.Do not let persons who think they are special or esteem themselves more highly than others to look down on you or define you to fit into their narratives. Every part of the human body has a function and as we grow more in Christ, we will understand the areas of service the Holy Spirit, the Lord of the harvest,wants us to function in. The Spirit will guide us daily to fulfil our ministry and by knowledge of God’s word, we will learn how best to please Him in life and ministry.
DAILY LIVING APPLICATION:
The Ministry of the Holy Spirit and the Word work closely to bring about God’s purposes in the believer’s life. Understanding how this works, God expects us to submit daily to the Holy Spirit as He leads us through His word. We must constantly approach God’s throne to obtain mercy and find grace at the point of need daily so that we can please Him in every area of our lives (Hebrews 4:16).
MEMORY VERSE: 2Corinthians 3:18
“But we all, with open faces beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even by the Spirit of the Lord.”
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