LESSON#1: FILLING THE CHURCH WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT



Christ is seated at the right hand of God as the head of the church. The church is the body of Christ and Christ fills all the members of His body. Paul the apostle wrote, “And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” (Ephesians 1:22-23) How does Christ fill the church? By pouring out the Holy Spirit on her. In his sermon on the day of Pentecost, Simon Peter said, “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.” (Acts 2:33)


LESSON#2: A LAMB WITH THE SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD



Before becoming the head of the church at the right hand of God in heaven, Christ was the Lamb of God slain on the cross of Calvary. He laid down His life and died as the perfect sin offering and sacrifice for the whole world. Therefore, He has the fullness of the Holy Spirit in His life which are the seven Spirits of God. John the apostle wrote, “And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.” (Revelation 5:6)


LESSON#3: THE SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD AND THE SEVEN ELEMENTS



Christ has the seven Spirits of God in His life. What are they? Isaiah the prophet wrote, “The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.” (Isaiah 11:2) These seven Spirits of God are also connected to the seven elements in nature: Water, fire, soil, wind, light, air, and lightning. These seven elements in nature are the pictures of the seven elements of the Holy Spirit by which Christ works in His church.


LESSON#4: WATER



The first element of the Holy Spirit is water. Water cleanses as well as refreshes the heart. Sin, committed either knowingly or ignorantly, causes our heart to be unclean. The things of this world can easily make our hearts dry. Therefore, we always need the water of the Holy Spirit to be washed from the uncleanness and to be refreshed from the dryness of our heart so that we can always draw near to the holy God. Paul the apostle wrote, “that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word.” (Ephesians 5:26) and, “so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” (Acts 3:19)


LESSON#5: FIRE



The second element of the Holy Spirit is fire. Fire burns evil and consumes wickedness in the heart. It also warms the heart as well as fills it with zeal. Isaiah the prophet wrote, “When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning.” (Isaiah 4:4) and, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.” (John 2:17) We always need the fire of the Holy Spirit to be witnesses of Christ.


LESSON#6: SOIL



The third element of the Holy Spirit is soil. Soil is the basic element for plant growth. A plant needs much soil to grow. Without depth of earth, a plant cannot have a (strong) root. Jesus said, “Some (seed) fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.” (Mark 4:5) Soil deepens the heart so that the word of God that is sown into it can have a deep root. Our heart always needs the soil of the Holy Spirit to be a good ground for the growth of the word of God in our lives. Jesus said, “But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” (Mark 4:20)


LESSON#7: WIND



The fourth element of the Holy Spirit is wind. Jesus said, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8) The wind of the Holy Spirit blows in our heart to move us so that we always go to preach the gospel and bring souls into the kingdom of God. If we just lie down or sit still for a long time, our body will become paralyzed. Likewise, if we as the church just stay and do not go, we will become spiritually paralyzed because the church is the body of Christ. Moreover, we need to move fast like the wind because we are in a spiritual warfare. We cannot move slowly when we are in battle.


LESSON#8: LIGHT



The fifth element of the Holy Spirit is light. In the beginning the earth was filled with darkness. Then, the light of the Holy Spirit came to illuminate the earth. Moses the prophet wrote, “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.” (Genesis 1:2-3) In the same way, the Holy Spirit uses the word of God to enlighten our heart and guide us in our way. The psalmist wrote, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105) As we walk according to the word of God, we will become the light of the world that shines before men, and they will see our good works and glorify God in heaven (Matthew 5:14,16).


LESSON#9: AIR



The sixth element of the Holy Spirit is air. Air represents breath. Our body needs air to breathe. Without air we will die. Not only that, we need clean and fresh air. If we breathe in polluted air, our body will be sick. The Holy Spirit is the breathing air for the church. As the body of Christ, we cannot live without the Holy Spirit. We always need the air of the Holy Spirit to be spiritually alive and healthy. Job the righteous man wrote, “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” (Job 33:4)


LESSON #10: THUNDER



The seventh element of the Holy Spirit is thunder. Thunder is very loud and it comes suddenly. Its sound awakes people and makes them tremble. God’s voice resounds like thunder. Job the righteous man wrote, “At this also my heart trembles, and leaps from its place. Hear attentively the thunder of His voice, and the rumbling that comes from His mouth.” (Job 37:1-2) We always need to hear the thundering voice of the Holy Spirit in our heart to keep ourselves spiritually awake, to be warned of the things to come, and to walk in the fear of God, especially in these last days. John the apostle wrote,  “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” (Revelation 14:6-7)


LESSON #11: KEEPING OURSELVES FROM FALLING AWAY



Paul the apostle wrote, “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come.” (2 Timothy 3:1) We are living in these perilous times and the church is falling away (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Spiritual drought has come to the church; believers have lost their first love for God and love the world instead, are indifferent to the word of God, do not want to go to preach the gospel, lost in darkness, and are dying and sleeping spiritually. We must always have the seven elements of the Holy Spirit working in our lives so that we will go on to perfection and not fall away in these last days.