Spirit and Body: Introduction to the Series

When the risen Christ ascended to the Father, He did not leave His followers on their own. He promised them “another Helper,” the Holy Spirit, who would abide with them forever (John 14:16). At Pentecost that promise was fulfilled. The Spirit came upon a small gathering of believers in Jerusalem, and the church was born. From that day on, the life of the church has never been separate from the life of the Spirit. Without the Spirit there is no body. There is only an organization.

God is Community
Love
Care
One Anothers
Fellow-σύν
One Body-Mind-Unity
Body Life – Passages
Pictures of the Church
Abide

The studies in this series explore that connection. The New Testament describes the church as the body of Christ, a living organism with many members joined to one Head. It also makes clear that the Spirit is the one who gives that body its life. “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:13). The Spirit brings each believer into the body, places each member where God intends, gives gifts “for the profit of all,” and binds the members together in love. He is the source of the church’s unity, the power behind its service, and the presence that makes it a dwelling place of God.

These studies follow several related themes from Scripture:

• the Spirit’s work in creating and uniting the body;
• the gifts He distributes and the purpose for which they are given;
• the fruit He produces in the lives of believers;
• the fellowship He creates among people who would otherwise have little in common;
• the way He guides, corrects, and strengthens a congregation.

Other studies turn to the individual believer: what it means to walk by the Spirit, to keep in step with Him, and to serve as a needed member of the body rather than a spectator.

Each study works carefully from the biblical text. Key passages are quoted in full, and key words are examined in the original languages and explained in plain terms. Each study then draws out implications for a local church. Questions for reflection and discussion help readers move from understanding to practice, both personally and together as a congregation.

The goal of the series is not simply to learn more about the Holy Spirit. It is to depend on Him more fully. A congregation that understands the Spirit’s work will pray differently, serve differently, and treat one another differently. It will see its unity as a gift to guard, its gifts as gifts held in trust, and its members as people the Spirit has placed with care.

These studies are offered with the hope that each reader will hear afresh what the Spirit is saying to the churches.