Five Operations of the Holy Spirit

There are at least five operations by which the Holy Spirit sanctifies (sets apart as holy to God) the members of the Body of Christ, and there are at least five end products of these operations.

The five operations are as follows:

Assigning, directing, and empowering gifts and ministries.

Demolishing the guilt, tendencies and effects of sin.

Creating The Nature of Christ in us.

Giving comfort, guidance and strength in every detail of discipleship, including prayer and Scripture reading.

Inspiring us to keep on pressing toward Christ.

The five end products of the five operations are as follows:

Our ability to impart Christ to people at all levels of spiritual maturity.

The establishment of the testimony of God as the basis for His judgment of His creatures.

The creation of the Wife of the Lamb.

The creation of the Temple of God.

The imposition of Christ's rule on the peoples of the earth through judgment. The fifth end product will occur at the coming of Christ from Heaven and is associated with the third area of redemption—that of our complete victory as the servant of the Lord.

It can be seen from the above list of operations and end products that the sanctifying that takes place in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle leads directly into the Most Holy Place—the area of the throne of Christ, of the Day of the Lord, of setting up the Kingdom of God on the earth.

The construction of the Tabernacle portrays this progression in symbolic form. The Holy Place led directly into the Most Holy Place, both rooms having the same floor, the same ceiling, the same upright boards on the north and south sides. Also, the same high priest who ministered daily in the Holy Place ministered annually in the Most Holy Place during the Day of Atonement.

The more one studies the construction of the Tabernacle building, the more one can come to the conclusion that the thousand-year Kingdom Age will be a continuation of the Church age, with many aspects of our Christian discipleship being carried forward without significant change.

Nevertheless, the two large sections of the ceiling were clasped together over the veil, bringing to our attention that there is a line of demarcation between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. The fact that the veil was rent when Christ died on Calvary does not mean there no longer is a Most Holy Place. Rather it signifies that we now have access to the fullness of the glory of the Father and that Christ is the means of our access.

One of the major problems of our time is that people who have received the Holy Spirit of God have settled back to wait for the appearing of Christ from Heaven. While it is true that we are to wait for the Lord's appearing from Heaven, the attitude of passively waiting without seeking the Lord earnestly is not of God and will result in the stunting of the growth of the believer, if not his falling away to destruction.

But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition [destruction]; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. (Hebrews 10:39)

We always must be pressing on. Toward what or whom are we pressing on? We are pressing forward to the knowledge of Christ. We are pressing on to a more holy place in Christ. The process of redemption delivers us from every vestige of satanic influence and creates the Nature of Christ in us.

The Holy Place leads into the Most Holy Place. We need always to keep in mind that there is a purpose for the long drawn-out sanctifying (setting apart to God) process that continues in us night and day. If we come to realize that all God's dealings have a specific end in view we will not become impatient with ourselves, with each other, or with God. Rather, we will endure steadfastly until God is satisfied with His operations in us and upon us. The end will be glorious if we do not give up.

We have named five operations by which the Holy Spirit sanctifies the members of the Body of Christ and five end products of the five operations. Let us now take a closer look at each of these five operations and see if we can gain additional insight into the second death and resurrection of the plan of redemption. The second resurrection, according to the model we are employing, is life lived in the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit of God.

The Holy Spirit gives gifts and ministries. The first of the five sanctifying operations of the Holy Spirit is the assigning, directing, and empowering of gifts and ministries. The Holy Spirit gives the gifts and ministries and then must direct and empower them so they will accomplish the purposes for which they were given.

As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. (Acts 13:2)

Although the Holy Spirit is prominent in the work of the ministry (notice above verse), the whole Godhead is involved in the edifying of the Body of Christ. Observe this fact in the following passage:

Five Operations of the Holy Spirit Part 2

Back to Three Deaths and Three Resurrections: Vol 2