Fruitful Living
The ministries of the Holy Spirit
• The Savior was raised from the dead by 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
We continue our study on the ministries of the Holy Spirit. Please enjoy and share it with others!
A. HIS MINISTRY CONCERNING THE DEVIL
The Holy Spirit now acts as a divine dam, holding back and limiting the full power of Satan and of sin.
- As stated by Isaiah
From the west, people will fear the name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere His glory. For He will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the Lord drives along. – Isaiah 59:19
- As stated by Paul
For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.
But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. – 2 Thessalonians 2:7-14.
B. HIS MINISTRY CONCERNING THE SAVIOUR
From his bodily conception to his final ascension, the Lord Jesus Christ was led by the Holy Spirit.
1. The Saviour was begotten by the Holy Spirit.
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. – Luke 1:35.
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. – Matthew 1:18-20
2. The Saviour was anointed by the Holy Spirit.
As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him. – Matthew 3:16.
The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, – Luke 4:18
How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how He went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with Him. – Acts 10:38
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” – Hebrews 1:9.
3. The Saviour was sealed by the Holy Spirit
Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” – John 6:27.
The seal here demonstrated the Son’s identification with both Father and Spirit. It also spoke of his genuineness, value, and authority.
4. The Saviour was led by the Holy Spirit.
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. – Matthew 4:1
5. The Saviour was empowered by the Holy Spirit.
But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. – Matthew 12:28
According to Philippians 2:5-8, Christ abstained from using, in an independent way, His divine attributes (His omnipresence, omniscience, etc.) while on earth, but chose rather to depend completely upon the Holy Spirit for strength and guidance.
6. The Saviour was filled by the Holy Spirit
For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. – John 3:34
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, – Luke 4:1.
The words ‘filled’ and ‘full’ refer simply to control. Thus, the Saviour was totally controlled by the Holy Spirit while on this earth.
7. The Saviour sorrowed in the Holy Spirit
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. – John 11:33
8. The Saviour rejoiced in the Holy Spirit.
At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. – Luke 10:21
9. The Saviour offered Himself at Calvary through the Holy Spirit
How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death,[a] so that we may serve the living God! – Hebrews 9:14
10. The Saviour was raised from the dead by the Holy Spirit
And who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. – Romans 1:4
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. – 1 Peter 3:18
11. The Saviour commanded His disciples after His resurrection through the Holy Spirit
until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. – Acts 1:2.
- The Saviour will someday return and raise the dead in Christ
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because ofhis Spirit who lives in you. – Romans 8:11.
The point of this particular section of our study should be painfully obvious. If the sinless Son of God found it necessary to depend totally upon the Holy Spirit to form every word and guide every step, how much more is this absolutely vital for us.
Culled from Willmington’s Guide to the Bible
Stay blessed!
By Dr. Joyce Aryee, the author
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B. Instead, walk in righteousness and true holiness … (20–24)
- This is how you learned Christ
• As you heard Him and were taught by Him (through His apostles, of course – Matt. 28:19–20)
• In Whom is the truth – John 8:31; 14:6 - For you were taught to “put off” the “old man”
• That is, your “former conduct,” how you behaved before you were saved – Col. 3:5–9
• Putting off the old man is needed because it is never content, but grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts (like addictive drugs, you always need more). - And to “be renewed in the spirit of your mind”
• Which is the key to true “transformation” – Rom. 12:1–2
• You renew your mind only as you “set your mind on things above” – Col. 3:1–2 - And to “put on the new man”
• A new man “which was created according to God” – Col. 3:10
• A new man, “in righteousness and true holiness” – Col. 3:12–17
In giving the admonition “No longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles,” Paul has made it clear that it involves both a “putting off” and a “putting on.” That is, our “Walking in Truth and Holiness” is not just a bunch of “Thou Shalt Not’s,” there are also some “Thou Shalt’s.”
To illustrate further the difference between the “old man” (how the rest of the Gentiles walk) and the “new man” (how Christians are to walk), we find Paul making…
II. The Application – (25–32)
Case in point: lying… (25)
• The “old man” thinks nothing of lying.
• The “new man” puts away lying, and in its place speaks truth with his neighbor (especially to those who are members of the same body).
Case in point: anger… (26–27)
• The “old man” gets angry and lets it linger, or get out of control.
• The “new man” may get angry, but does not…
• Let it linger (“do not let the sun go down on your wrath”)
• Allow it to prompt sinful behavior (“nor give place to the devil”).
Case in point: stealing (28)
• The “old man” is willing to steal.
• The “new man” not only stops stealing, but works so he can help others in need!
Case in point: corrupt communication… (29)
• The “old man” doesn’t worry or care what comes out of his mouth.
• The “new man” not only avoids “corrupt communication,” but seeks to speak that which is uplifting to those who hear.
Summary… (30–32)
Why be concerned about putting off the “old man” and putting on the “new man?”
When Christians act like the “old man,” it grieves the Holy Spirit.
By the Holy Spirit we were sealed for the day of redemption – Eph. 1:13–14.
Therefore, we ought to put away those things befitting the “old man” (bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking, malice).
And in its place we need to put on those things befitting the “new man” (being kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another just as God forgives us in Christ).
Conclusion
What a contrast there would be if all those in the church truly carried out the admonition to “Walk in Truth and Holiness!” The church would stand out like “a city that is set on a hill” – Matt. 5:14–16.
And the world, though it now has “their understanding darkened,” would be more likely to come to see the truth that is in Jesus.
But what hope is there if the church is more like the world than the “holy temple” it is to be?
Brethren, are we “grieving the Holy Spirit of God?” – Ephesians 4:30
While the increasing worldliness in our society naturally concerns us…
Let us be careful not to react with attitudes that reveal our old characteristics when we were in the world.
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By Rev. Dr Joyce Aryee,
the author
Fruitful Living
Sanitation, hygiene, the morality ofpublic space: Reclaiming Ghana’s civicvirtue through faith, policy (Final Part)
A. The role of religious leaders and counsellors
Religious leaders wield immense influence in shaping public values. Every mosque, church, and shrine should integrate environmental stewardship into its doctrine. Islam views the earth as a masjid—a place of prostration (Sahih Bukhari, 335). Polluting it is akin to defiling a sacred space. Monthly khutbahs should focus on amanah and tahārah, connecting spiritual purity to environmental discipline.
As a counsellor, I affirm that behavioural reform requires both moral teaching and psychological reinforcement. When believers internalise that cleaning a drain is an act of ʿibādah (worship), they transform routine labour into sacred service. The Prophet (peace be upon him) taught: “Removing harmful things from the path is a branch of faith.” (Sahih Muslim, 35). This hadith perfectly captures the theology of civic virtue.
B. Individual and community pledge
Moral renewal begins with personal accountability. Every household must adopt responsible waste practices—segregating recyclables, composting, and cooperating with collection services. Citizens must also exercise al-amr bi-l-maʿrūf wan-nahy ʿani-l-munkar (enjoining good and forbidding evil) by correcting neighbours who litter or misuse public spaces, with gentleness and wisdom (Qur’an 16:125).
Communities should establish local sanitation committees under mosque and church leadership, creating faith-driven accountability structures. Supporting local enforcement, rather than resisting it, must be seen as a contribution to maslahah—the public interest that the Sharia seeks to protect.
This collective moral reawakening must integrate faith, governance, and citizenship into one moral project: cleanliness as worship, sanitation as patriotism.
C. Conclusion: Cleanliness, dignity, and the Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah
Ghana’s destiny as a great nation is inseparable from the cleanliness of its environment and the conscience of its citizens. The choked gutters, polluted rivers, and scattered waste are not only environmental failures but spiritual wounds upon our collective soul. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Allah is pure and accepts only what is pure.” (Sahih Muslim, 1015). A nation that aspires to divine favour must first reflect divine purity in its public spaces.
To achieve this, we must view sanitation through the lens of the Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah—the higher objectives of Islamic law—which aim to preserve life (ḥifẓ al-nafs), faith (ḥifẓ al-dīn), intellect (ḥifẓ al-ʿaql), wealth (ḥifẓ al-māl), and posterity (ḥifẓ al-nasl). Clean environments are essential for all five objectives:
• Preservation of Life (ḥifẓ al-nafs): Proper sanitation prevents disease and death. Protecting human health is a divine imperative. Allah says, “And do not throw yourselves with your own hands into destruction.” (Qur’an 2:195).
• Preservation of Faith (ḥifẓ al-dīn): Islam equates purity with faith. An unclean environment obstructs worship and spiritual growth, violating the believer’s covenant of cleanliness.
• Preservation of Intellect (ḥifẓ al-ʿaql): Healthy surroundings promote clarity of thought, while pollution and disease diminish cognitive vitality and learning.
• Preservation of Wealth (ḥifẓ al-māl): Waste management safeguards public funds, prevents costly health crises, and preserves natural resources.
• Preservation of Posterity (ḥifẓ al-nasl): Environmental care ensures a habitable planet for future generations, fulfilling our amanah to the unborn.
By aligning sanitation with these higher objectives, we transform a civic duty into a sacred mission. Achieving the Maqāṣid requires cooperation between policy and piety—laws enforced justly, education grounded in values, and citizens inspired by faith.
Let every believer remember that a clean street is a silent dhikr (remembrance of Allah), a purified drain is a fulfilled amanah, and a healthy neighbour is a protected trust. When our gutters run clear and our air smells fresh, it will signify not merely progress but piety—proof that Ghana has reclaimed its moral and civic virtue under the gaze of the Almighty Allah.
Thank you.
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