Hi Everyone,

Our current subject on Saturday night is the Holy Spirit and how He transforms our lives.  I said in my email a couple of weeks ago that I've been on a spiritual journey to identify and deepen my relationship with the Holy Spirit and that I was inviting all of you to join me on this journey.  Since I wanted it to be a journey, I decided in the first session (on July 14th) that we would start by finding out where each of us are in our journey and then go from there.  We did this by having everyone write down what they would like to learn about the Holy Spirit or to write down what questions they may have.  The response was amazing.  The comments and questions were so good, and so important in defining our relationship with the Holy Spirit that we've decided to amend the series and start by answering these questions/comments.  Each week we will take a specific topic on the Holy Spirit and the questions we collected concerning that topic.  We will then discuss the topic and try to find some answers together.  Below are a list of the topics (from the questions we've received along with some of my own) that we will be discussing.  As you read each topic, see what questions or comments you may have. 

• The Person and Purpose of the Holy Spirit.  Who is the Holy Spirit?  Why is our understanding of Him so important?  Why is He with us, and what is He trying to achieve?  Should we pray to the Holy Spirit?  How do we sometimes treat the Holy Spirit like "white magic"?
• Communion with the Holy Spirit.  How does the Holy Spirit speak to us?  How can we tell when it is Him or when it is just our own desires, or worse yet the voice of the Enemy?  Is He always with us?  Why is he silent sometimes?  Why do we sometimes feel alone?  What does it mean to "walk in the Spirit"?  What does it mean to grieve, quench, or blaspheme the Holy Spirit?  How do we deepen our relationship with Him?
• The Work of the Holy Spirit.  Does the Holy Spirit make people do things?  What are the gifts of the Holy Spirit?  What is the fruit of the Spirit?  How are they different?  How does the Holy Spirit work with us to produce the character and works of Christ in our lives?
• The Baptism of the Holy Spirit.  What is it?  Is it real?  What does it mean to experience it?  What if we don't experience it?  Doesn't everyone have the Holy Spirit?  How is this different from salvation?  Are tongues required in order to experience the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?
• The Holy Spirit and Our Spiritual Pathways.  How has God uniquely created each of us in the way we relate to him?  How does our pathway affect the way we deepen our relationship with Him?  Shouldn't everyone relate to God the same way?  When are differences OK and when are they not?
• Spiritual Disciplines.  What are they?  Why are they called "disciplines"?  Are they required?  Why should we do them?  What if we don't do them?  Which ones should I do?  Aren't these just fancy words for legalism and man-made religion?  Does it really have any thing to do with me being more like Christ?
• How do we avoid legalism?  In our pursuit to walk with the Holy Spirit how do we keep from being legalistic, mean, intolerant, and critical like so many "spiritual" Christians?  When is something legalistic and when is something really a necessity?  How can we be certain that we really have a relationship with the Holy Spirit and are not just practicing a religion we've been taught?

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