Fruitful Living

The ministries of the Holy Spirit

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise – Ephesians 2:11

INTRODUCTION

Last week we studied two of the various ministries of the Holy Spirit.

His Ministry concerning the universe.
His ministry concerning the scriptures.

We continue our study on the ministries of the Holy Spirit. Please enjoy and share it with others!

1. HIS MINISTRY CONCERNING ISRAEL

He came upon Israel’s leaders. No less than sixteen Old Testament individuals are said to have experienced the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Upon Joseph

So Pharaoh asked his officials, “Can we find anyone else like this man so obviously filled with the spirit of God?” – Genesis 41:38.

Upon Moses

I will come down and talk to you there. I will take some of the Spirit that is upon you, and I will put the Spirit upon them also. They will bear the burden of the people along with you, so you will not have to carry it alone. – Numbers 11:17

Upon Joshua

The Lord replied, “Take Joshua son of Nun, who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him. – Numbers 27:18.

Upon Othniel

The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge. He went to war against King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram, and the Lord gave Othniel victory over him. – Judges 3:10.

Upon Gideon

Then the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon with power. He blew a ram’s horn as a call to arms, and the men of the clan of Abiezer came to him. – Judges 6:34.

Upon Jephthah

At that time the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he went throughout the land of Gilead and Manasseh, including Mizpah in Gilead, and from there he led an army against the Ammonites. – Judges 11:29.

Upon Samson

Then the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of everything and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. Burning with anger, he returned to his father’s home. – Judges 14:19.

Upon Saul: After he was anointed king by Samuel and Just before his victory at Jabesh-gilead.

i) When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying. – 1 Samuel 10:10.

ii) When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he burned with anger. – 1 Samuel 11:6

Upon David

Unlike Saul’s case, we are never told that the Holy Spirit departed from David. However, on one occasion David was afraid he might indeed withdraw himself. ‘So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.’ – 1 Samuel 16:13.

Upon Elijah

I don’t know where the Spirit of the Lord may carry you when I leave you. If I go and tell Ahab and he doesn’t find you, he will kill me. Yet I your servant have worshiped the Lord since my youth. – 1 Kings 18:12.

Upon Elisha

The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, “The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.” And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him. – 2 Kings 2:15.

Upon Ezekiel

As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard Him speaking to me. – Ezekiel 2:2

Upon Daniel

I said, “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and no mystery is too difficult for you. Here is my dream; interpret it for me. – Daniel 4:9.

Upon Micah

But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might, – Micah 3:8

Upon Azariah the prophet

The Spirit of God came on Azariah son of Oded. – 2 Chronicles 15:1

Upon Zachariah the High Priest

Then the Spirit of God came on Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you.’” – 2 Chronicles 24:20

2. He came upon Israel’s elders

Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied—but did not do so again. – Numbers 11:25

He came upon Israel’s tabernacle

Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. – Exodus 40:34

He came upon Israel’s Temple

When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord. – 1 Kings 8:10.

He led Israel through the desert

You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst. – Nehemiah 9:20

He will come upon Israel during the tribulation

Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel. – Revelation 7:2-4

7. He will come upon Israel during the millennium

Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’” – Ezekiel 37:13-14.

Culled from Willmington’s Guide to the Bible

Stay blessed!

For further enquiries please contact us on Tel Nos. 0268130615 or 0243588467

Email: saltnlightministries@gmail.com

Website: saltandlightgh.org

By Dr. Joyce Aryee, the author

Fruitful Living

Environmental degradation in contemporary times (Part 3)

Unfortunately, some anti-social human activities today often breach these Islamic principles :

• Illegal mining (Galamsey) leads to water pollution and destroys fertile lands.

• Improper sand mining causes land degradation and deforestation.

• Unauthorised tree felling endangers ecosystems and biodiversity.

• Encroachment on wetlands and water ways leads to urban flooding and ecological imbalance.

These destructive practices violate the ethical duty of humans as stewards of the earth and

contradict both Islamic law and state regulations.

Key International

Environmental Protocols

• Ramsar Convention on Wetlands – Adopted in 1971, Iran

• United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) – Adopted in 1982, Jamaica

• Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer – Adopted in 1987

• Convention on Biological Diversity – Opened for signature at the Rio Earth Summit, 1992

• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – Adopted in 1992

• Kyoto Protocol – Adopted in 1997, Japan

• Paris Agreement on Climate Change – Adopted in 2015

These protocols aim to promote sustainable environmental practices, mitigate climate change, and preserve natural habitats. Islam’s emphasis on balance, responsibility, and justice aligns with the goals of these agreements.

Provisions in the 1992

Constitution of Ghana

The 1992 Constitution of Ghana upholds environmental protection:

• Article 36(9): “The State shall take appropriate measures needed to protect and

safeguard the national environment for posterity.”

• Article 41(k): “It shall be the duty of every citizen to protect and safeguard the

environment.”

These provisions demonstrate that environmental responsibility is a constitutional duty for both state and citizens.

National Legal Statutes on

Environmental Protection

Ghana has enacted various environmental laws, including:

• Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1994 (Act 490).

This law established the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the main state

institution responsible for protecting and improving Ghana’s environment.

The EPA monitors pollution, regulates industrial activities, issues environmental permits, and

ensures that development projects undergo Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA)

before approval.

Purpose: To control pollution and ensure sustainable environmental practices in industries, agriculture, and urban development.

Fruitful Living

Renewing our minds (Part 1)

When someone accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, “he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” – 2 Corinthians 5:17. That is why Apostle Paul advises us in Romans 12:2 (our key text) “do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world.” But it doesn’t end there.

A MIND TRANSFORMED

Nature abhors vacuums so when something is taken away from a space and that space is not quickly refilled, other things will start creeping in to fill up the space. The Bible gives an illustration of what happens when a vacuum is created in the life of a believer: “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, `I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”- Matthew 12:43-45.

A believer’s Christian experience is supposed to move from the initial phase of justification by faith in Christ, to daily sanctification for holy living, to glorification at Jesus’ second coming, and to eventual restoration to the pre-fall harmony between God and man. Knowing that the heart of a believer cannot be left empty after clearing it of the worldly things, Paul gives the prescription for daily sanctification with which to fill the vacuum: “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

WHAT KIND OF

TRANSFORMATION?

Transformation is defined as “a thorough or dramatic change in form or appearance or a metamorphosis during the life cycle of an animal.” We find these kinds of transformation happening all the time around us. Examples include a baby that we see twenty years later as an adult, a cancer survivor who has regained lost weight, a new mother we saw last when she was eight months pregnant.

I have seen many actors and actresses in real life whose faces do not look as flawless at close range as they do on TV. I now know that the credit for their on-screen transformation often belongs to makeup. Similarly, a smelly room can be transformed with air freshener, people with the right clothing, and a gloomy room with the right colours and objects.

No doubt all of these examples of transformation look good, but they are all external and non-lasting forms of transformation. They are definitely not the kind of transformation Paul has in mind as capable of filling the vacuum left by non-conformity with the world’s pattern. He says, “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” The right kind of transformation that he’s talking about here is not the one that comes from make-up slathered on, or having a particular dress on, or the right colors thrown here and there. It is the kind that comes “by the renewing of the mind.” What then is the state of the human mind that it needs to be thus renewed?