What is the relationship between the holy spirit and church today?

Answer 1

The relationship between each church and the Holy Spirit is one that is determined by that church and its congregation itself. Each protestant denomination, and often each individual church, forges and fosters its own relationship with the Holy Spirit and interpretations pertaining thereto.

Answer 2

He works through people, he is our helper. He is the unseen. We are the church and he lives in us, so we can minister to those. His role is a very big one. :) The holy spirit is Jesus in us and to the people who would like to develope a church. The Holy Spirit is one and the same with God. You could say, then, that there would be no church without the Holy Spirit, hence, no development of the church without the Holy Spirit.

When the development of the church is spoken of, though, it is often in the sense of how man, civilisations, and cultures developed various traditions, practices, and doctrines to express and guide their faith. This seems to be the view point from which the question is asked.

The Holy Spirit is spoken of in depth in the New Testament in the books of Acts, Romans, Ephesians, and Corinthians. We see in these writings events where the Holy Spirit lived within people who came to faith in Jesus Christ (the expression "God in us" is often heard). The Holy Spirit functioned at times as God's voice to the individual giving instructions or clarity to events. At other times the Holy Spirit touched the soul bringing peace or conviction of a cause. The Holy Spirit also gave certain special gifts to people. These gifts are described as such things as healing illnesses, the ability to prophesise, to take power of evil spirits, to speak in tongues, and other things. The best source is to read the account in The Bible.

Going back to the development of the church, different groups through history have taken differring views as to how the Holy Spirit works in the lives of believers in the times they lived in. Libraries have been filled with books on this topic, but suffice it to say, there are roughly three schools of thought on the topic:

1. The Holy Spirit is today active in the lives of believers and can bestow the gifts noted in the Bible to different believers. This premise is accepted as one aspect of a life of faith, neither a singular prioirty on one hand nor simply a nominal belief on the other.

2. The Holy Spirit bestows gifts as they are described in the Bible on all believers; and faith is evidenced by the pratice of these gifts. For example, some groups hold that speaking in tongues is evidence that the Holy Spirit is dwelling in a person who comes to faith in Jesus and without this sign faith is not certain.

3. The gifts described in the Bible were given only for that moment in history as evidence to convince man that God was moving in a new way. The Holy Spirit is still present in the lives of believers, but no longer acts through extraordinary gifts.

Although this is a simplification, it is a framework for understanding. Cultures have formed around some groups of believers which hold strongly to one viewpoint leading them to exclude or discount believers who subscribe to other viewpoints. That is human nature. Other groups have followed a different path and may place a higher value on other aspects of faith found in the Bible that leave them open to collaboration with believers of other viewpoints. I have deliberately avoided using jargon because it oversimplifies situations and needlessly polarises a discussion. The three schools of thought above contain believers from all backgrounds and political orientaion from left, right, or center.

Answer 3

Roman Catholic AnswerOur Blessed Lord sent the Holy Spirit to be with the Church and to guide It until the end of the world. The Holy Spirit has been doing that for over twenty centuries and continues to do it. He is operative in all the sacraments and in each of us when we pray or do the will of God in anything. He is the heart and soul of the Church.

Answer 4

I would say that there are many "Holy Spirits" or ideas of the Holy Spirit that can dwell in you or I. I can not list them all, and some churches demand that members show a sign of
having the Holy Spirit like having a sort of seizure of mystical mumbling and even want you to roll on the floor with them and cry or hug or sing or dance. The Holy Spirit seems to have two main attributes and they are: 1. A person of God who emanates from God, and is called a separate being, when is actually fully united with God and never deviates like
you or I. 2. A person of spirit from God into the vessel that is "attitude clean" and kind and
wanting God in spirit and eventually wanting to unite with God again by the guidance
of the Holy Spirit. It is said the Holy Spirit can descend like a dove, and most persons say this is like a gentle glide or common feeling and the feeling is just comfort and eventually
joy, or sudden joy for some and not overly excited and peaceful for other more intellectual members of the church or to various religions differently according to expectations and individual personalities as God made most of us different and similar in different ways.
The Holy Spirit frees the church from dependence on the personality of the one leader
and authorizes all to share the pure unity with God both independently and in group
joy just the same.

Answer 5

The Church of God that Jesus is Head over, was begun on the 1st Pentecost when the Holy Spirit of God descended upon the Apostles and crowd. Like Jesus was begotten by the Father, they in the crowd were also begotten by His Holy Spirit. Some today are being called by the Father now (John 6:44;65) to become 'firstfruits' and doing God's work in preparation to the Millenial rule.

The Holy Spirit is not a separate person or being, but is rather the power and the means by which God transmits His will, influence and presence.

Rather than describing the Holy Spirit as a distinct person or entity, the Bible most often refers to it as, and connects it with, God's divine power (Zechariah 4:6; Micah 3:8). Jewish scholars, examining the references to it in the Old Testament Scriptures, have never defined the Holy Spirit as anything but the power of God.

In the New Testament, Paul referred to it as the spirit of power, love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). Informing Mary that Jesus would be supernaturally conceived in her womb, an angel told her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you . . . ," and he defined this as "the power of the Highest," which "will overshadow you" (Luke 1:35).

Through the working of the power of God's Spirit, humans may be led to repentance and understanding and then following baptism and the laying on of hands be transformed and empowered to live by God's Word.

The Apostle Paul comments on Gods' work (obviously through His Spirit) of leading one to repentance.

Romans 2:4 "Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

Notice the comment of Jesus concerning the working of God's Spirit with the apostles before the Day of Pentecost and the special giving of the Holy Spirit, "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you." (John 14:17) Jesus went on to explain how the Holy Spirit will be working even more powerfully after they have received power from on high. (Luke 24:49) Further, in John 14:26, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."

The apostle Peter understood some significant truths before the special indwelling of God's Sprit given on the Day of Pentecost. "Simon Peter answered and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' Jesus answered and said to him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven'" (Matthew 16:16-17).

Answer 6

According to Scriptures, the temple of the Holy Spirit is not a building, but the body of the believers.

The word church also never refers to a building but to a group or a body of believers, and also to the body of Christ. - Ephesians 2:21,22 "In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit."

See also Romans 12:4,5 and 1Corinthians 12:12-14;

Answer 7

The Holy Spirit is God's presence with us people on Earth. The church tries to help people realize this through preaching and surmons led every Sunday at mass.

Answer 8

In the name of the father the son and the holy spirit is the blessed trinity which is pretty much the holy spirit the persons in one