Course The Intimacy with the Holy Spirit course is a core course required by the Master’s of Biblical Studies Program at Central Bible College International, Punta Gorda, FL. The academic studies of this course are designed to acquaint, define, expose, and cause the student to hunger for communion with the Holy Spirit. This course requires five modules of coursework to be accomplished, along with reading the book by Rick Renner titled, The Dynamic Duo: The Holy Spirit and You.
A test is administered at the end of the coursework and a 3000-word paper with this course as its subject is the final requirement. As part of module 2 and module 3 a DVD set by John Bevere called, Intimacy with the Holy Spirit is required listening. The coursework is self-study, lecture, and the DVD set combined. The course, Intimacy With the Holy Spirit, is in my opinion one of the most essential courses for any biblical study much less a requirement for a minister of the gospel. The study of the Holy Spirit is probably one of the most neglected opportunities in Christian maturation.
Many churches do not teach on or about the Holy Spirit from the pulpit, the classroom, or during any discipleship course. My heart is much like that of Moses; I do not want to dwell where the Spirit of God is not. I want the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, and direct me throughout life. In my opinion, the Holy Spirit is probably the most mysterious member of the Trinity. Many people do not know, recognized, or acknowledge the workings of the Holy Spirit. In the history of the Church, the Holy Spirit, ant the teaching of the Holy Spirit has been mis-used and abused to manipulate or coerce people all in the name of the Holy Spirit.
The enemy has manipulated and falsely duplicated the workings of the Holy Spirit which have served only to confuse and mislead many God-fearing and loving people. Many of the teachings of the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the inter-workings of the Holy Spirit have been the source of great controversy. The controversies have been the spark that has caused division and disruption within the Church. Many denominations have drawn the line in the sand concerning theologies that support their doctrines of the Holy Spirit causing church splits and fractures within the Body of Christ.
This can only grieve the Holy Spirit. This paper is not going to deal with each of the controversial issues of the Holy Spirit, but rather focus on what this course teaches, how I can apply it in my life, and how others can apply it to theirs. The course begins by working through the worksheet pages asking questions from the Bible concerning the Holy Spirit. It is almost an inductive worksheet to extract what scripture teaches concerning the Holy Spirit. The worksheets ask questions such as “What does the Bible say about the Holy Spirit’s personality or the characteristics ascribed to the Holy Spirit.
These are the very characteristics of God himself as displayed by the Holy Spirit such as the Holy Spirit loves (Romans 15:30) or He is grieved (Ephesians 4:30). The study also points out such things like the Holy Spirit can be vexed or resisted. These attributes and characteristics begin to show us the attitude of the Holy Spirit and how He is the very essence of God Himself. Throughout the study the student is taught the Holy Spirit is not some impersonal entity, but the Holy Spirit desires, but more than just desires, the Holy Spirit envies to have a personal and intimate relationship with every believer.
This is pointed out also in the book, The Dynamic Duo: The Holy Spirit and You, by Rick Renner. Dr. Renner points out that the Holy Spirit yearns after our relationship with Him. The coursework also points out from scripture that the Holy Spirit is also deity (Acts 5:3-4). The Holy Spirit is the God of Heaven and Earth. He is co-equal, co-eternal with the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. He is not an IT or an object but the very Spirit of the living God! There are many names attributed to the Holy Spirit such as Comforter, Spirit of Peace, sanctifier, revealer, and Spirit of Life.
These attributes are also pointed out in the book by Rick Renner. Throughout scripture there are also many symbols that are attributed to the Holy Spirit both in the Old and New Testaments. The Holy Spirit is described as the Oil (Luke 4: 14-18), as the Dove (when Jesus was baptized) Matthew 10:16. The Living Water also describes the Holy Spirit in John 4:4. In addition, there are many works accomplished by the Holy Spirit both historically and currently. The Holy Spirit was part of creation as well as the source of the prophecy as told by the prophets of the Old Testament.
Probably the greatest work of the Holy Spirit was the inspiration of scripture, the very word of God, through men. The Holy Spirit works in our lives everyday. He first of all gives life to our spirit when we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior (Eph 1: 13,14). The Holy Spirit also seals us unto the day of redemption when we are saved (Eph 4:30) The Holy Spirit is the agent of the Trinity that works in our lives to work out our salvation, walk in holiness, and by which we are baptized by Christ.
The Holy Spirit baptizes us into the family of God when we are saved but Christ is the one that baptizes us in the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1: 8). The program of study also gives teaching and insight into the intimacy of the Holy Spirit and how it is attained. To have fellowship and communion with God through His Holy Spirit we must learn to be still in Christ. We must accomplish two things to bring us to a point of intimacy. As taught in the coursework, we must Remove external distractions and We must learn to quiet our innermost being.
As the coursework indicate, we have two great hindrances to intimacy;
- External distractions
- Internal Chaos.
These hindrances will remain until we conquer them but only through the power of the Holy Spirit. Another area of the Holy Spirit, which can be contentious among many Christians, is the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us that a spiritual gift is given every believer. That gift can become dormant if not “stirred up” as mentioned in 2 Timothy 1:6-7.
