THE NATIONAL HOLY SPIRIT CONFERENCE
Theme: THE MYSTERY AND MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Topic: THE MYSTERY OF THE PERSON AND MINISTRY
OF THE HOLY SPIRIT VIS-À-VIS JESUS CHRIST
(1st – 4th September 1993)

SYNOPSIS
Faith in Christ unlocks the Holy Spirit’s mystery, enabling believers to partner with Him
to glorify Jesus in the Church’s mission.

PREAMBLE
Blessed be the Name of the LORD MOST HIGH GOD for this glorious occasion of
conference, under the banner of the Lord JESUS CHRIST on the search of the scriptures
for the unfolding of the mystery behind the Ministry of the Spirit of God in the Church and
the world.
The Bible says the Spirit of God is a SPIRIT OF TRUTH who has come to endue with power,
to teach truth and reveal the mysteries of God unto the Church in her mission in the
world.
It is always a joy to wait at the feet of the Holy Spirit as He unfolds the mysteries of our
inheritance in Jesus Christ, which God had ordained before the world begun.
For example, the Holy Spirit led the Apostle Paul to write to the church at Ephesus:
“To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should
preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, And to make all people
see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been
hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ, To the intent that now the
manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and
powers in the heavenly places, According to the eternal purpose which He
accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
(Eph. 3: 8-11)
The revelation of the fellowship of mystery hid in Christ is ordained for the Church. But it
is the Spirit of God who reveals the mysteries and manifold wisdom of God to the Church.
It is always a joy therefore to sit at the feet of the Holy Spirit to learn of the sacred things
and mysteries of God.
To talk then of the Mystery of the Holy Spirit Himself and how He does His work is to
launch into the deeps of the Nature, Wisdom and Power of God.
Fundamentally, as the Holy Spirit Himself reveals in Eph. 1: 17-19, the unfolding of the
mystery behind mysteries, that is to say, the receiving of the Spirit of Wisdom and
Revelation of the Knowledge of God is that of God the Father Himself. Only He can give
us light, understanding and power to comprehend not only the Way by which HE the
Supreme Being Works but also how we mortals, albeit redeemed, can Walk in the
heavenly realms.
Now as children of God, we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in
Christ, we have access to the fullness of the graces of God. We have access to the spirit,
mind, wisdom and power of God, above all, access to the Father.
My task in this opening talk is to lead us all into a dip into the depths of the mysteries of
God. It is obvious that this cannot be done by human power or wisdom. We all need to
humble ourselves before the High Potentate with a willing heart and a yielded spirit and
mind.
Please pray for me as we go along, so God will give me utterance as He reveals His
mysteries unto us.
But as I said yesterday in the Keynote Address, the key to the Mysteries of God is Belief in
the scriptures and Trust in God through Faith in Jesus Christ. I pray therefore that we will
all adjust our spirits and minds towards Jesus Christ and the Scriptures.
The Bible says Christ Jesus is The Power of God and the Wisdom of God, who is made
unto the believers, wisdom and righteousness, sanctification and redemption. The
scripture on the other hand describes the Gospel as The Power of God unto Salvation to
all who Believe (1st Cor. 1: 24, 30; Rom. 1: 16-17)
Faith in Jesus Christ is not only needed to understand and accept the mysteries of God,
but also to enter and engage in the Divine Supernatural realms of the operations of the
Holy Spirit.
INTRODUCTION
The topic for our discussion this morning is The Mystery of the Person and Ministry of the
Holy Spirit vis-à-vis Jesus Christ. We believe that the topic pre-supposes the drawing up
of a kind of line between the Ministry of the Holy Spirit as against that of Jesus Christ.
Such a proposition seems to take the Trinitarian stance as against Unitarian theology.
However, whatever theology one adopts the essential issue under discussion is the
specific ministry of the Holy Spirit. The objective here we believe is to clarify and/or
exemplify the specific roles of the Holy Spirit in relation to Jesus Christ, Head of the
Church.
In this paper, we assume the Trinity stance in the ONE-NESS of the Godhead (Col. 2:9;
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nd Cor. 13: 14) and the implied or inherent distribution of functions in ministry between
and among the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit (John 6: 44; 5: 17; 1st Pet. 1:2)
For example, apart from the specific roles of the Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit in
the calling, salvation and redemption of man, as depicted in 1st Pet. 1:2, the scriptures
reveal specific callings and graces upon men direct and distinct from each of the Triune
God.
While the Father is responsible for the general appointment of Prophets, Kings, Priests
and Leaders, and also graces such as Giving, Mercy and supernatural TEACHING ability,
the Holy Spirit has special graces which bestows upon the children of God such as are
enumerated in 1st Cor. 12: 8-11, 28. The Son is also said to be behind the Gifts of men to
facilitates and equip the Body of the church (Eph. 4: 11; 1st Cor. 12: 28).
Notwithstanding these specific roles, it must be observed that just as at the creation of
man the Father is recorded as saying, LET US make man in our image, after our likeness,
the co-operative work of the Triune God in the dispensation of graces upon those who
find favour with God has continued through time. The Father predestines and calls, the
Holy Spirit sanctifies through the Gospel of Truth and Faith, the Son opens the door of the
Divine Nature (John 1: 12-13, 16; Gal. 4: 4-6) and the Holy Spirit again seals (Eph. 1: 13)
and fills and imparts the Divine power and anointing of Himself into and upon the
redeemed (Acts 1:8; Rom. 5:5)
It may be appreciated therefore that the premise of the special mystery of the Holy Spirit
and His distinctive ministry vis-à-vis Jesus Christ.
Therefore, let us first consider the issue of the Mystery behind the Person and Ministry of
the Holy Spirit, then undertake a brief introduction to the Ministry of the Holy Spirit,
before finally taking up the place of the Holy Spirit vis-à-vis Jesus Christ in the Divine
system open to men.
THE MYSTERY OF THE PERSON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
As we all know, the Bible opens in Genesis Chapter 1 with a categorical statement
about the Spirit of God;
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form,
and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering
over the face of the waters.” (Gen. 1: 1-2)
Similarly, the Bible closed with another categorical statement about the Holy Spirit.
“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come! And let him who hears say Come! And let him
who thirst come. And whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.” (Rev. 22: 17)
In these two statements the Bible ascribes not merely motion but also a mind and
conscious action to the Spirit of God. In fact, in the book of Job written years before
Genesis, the Bible ascribed creative power and wisdom to the Spirit of God
“The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” (Job 33:4)
It would seem that the gathering and molding of clay into human form was the work of
the Holy Spirit, whilst the Breadth of life came directly from the Father. Yet the life force
or spirit in man has been revealed in John 1: 1-4 as The Word, Jesus Christ.
That is to say, although the Bible talks freely of the Spirit of God and reveals Him as Divine
Spirit, co-worker with the Father, Son and Jesus Christ, the Bible does not give any clue
as to His Specific Form or Shape, except that He Is Spirit. The only Person of the Triune
God that has assumed an identification shape or form in God’s dealing with man in the
scripture is The Son, who is the Word that became flesh (John 1:14; 1st Tim. 3: 16-17)
The Word or the Son is also understood to be the Tree of Life in Genesis 2:9 and Rev. 22:
14. Thus, except that the Son, the Word become flesh and dwelt among us, He would
have remained Spirit, as truly HE was, and is and ever shall be, and out of the ken of open
identification by any mortal being, except as by self-revelation.
Thus, the hidden mystery of THE PERSON of THE HOLY SPIRIT lies in HIS BEING A SPIRIT,
but with Divine Nature, Character, Wisdom and Power as The Father, and The Son.
That is to say, the Holy Spirit, whether we consider Him in a Trinitarian or Unitarian sense
is a Divine Person with Will, Mind, Feeling, Power and Abilities as Jesus Christ would have
us know in John Chapters 14, 15 and 16, and Acts 1:8. The Holy Spirit Himself revealed
His feelings when He made the Apostle Paul to write,
“Grieve Not the Spirit” (Eph. 4: 30).
Now as a Divine Person, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, with creative power,
authority, will, knowledge, abilities and dexterity, He was able to reveal Himself as dove
to John the Baptist (Matt. 3: 16-17; John 1: 33-34) as wind yet settled in a multiple form
as tongues of fire on the Church assembled on the Day of Pentecost.
He did not just come to settle like He did at the baptism of Jesus Christ, He came with
explosion, inspired, stirred and activated, the church assembled, praying and waiting
with no doubt expectant hearts, spirits and minds, and spoke directly through them, 120
souls, in different languages simultaneously.
This of course proves His Divinity. But perhaps you may say that Jesus Christ was the
operator and not the Spirit of God as such.
However, Jesus Himself ascribed personality and power to the Holy Spirit. He knew the
languages of all people assembled in Jerusalem and caused the Gospel preached
directly to all.
In this regard, the Pentecost Day experience can be said to be The Open and Public
Revelation of the Holy Spirit and introduction to His ministry with the church.
First, the Pentecost Day event was the first open Holy Spirit Baptism Service. Jesus Christ
of course was the Minister in Charge in the Presence of the Father.
Second, it was the first open Mass Evangelistic Crusade undertaken directly by the Holy
Spirit with men.
The preaching was the first mass prophetic preaching and in unknown tongues, that is to
say, it was the first mass open prophetic- tongue speaking preaching campaign, with
telling effect.
It was Divine Power explosion, as the Apostles and laity exploded in the Presence and
Anointing Power of the Holy Spirit.
It was the foretaste of things to come. The noise generated mockery, as the Spirit of God
and tongues-speaking always do. The important thing however is that the tasks were
performed and yielded the desired results – men spoke as the Spirit gave utterance, men
were convicted of sin, righteousness and judgement and souls were saved.
Where the Spirit of God is in ministry with His people, the result always is the wonderful
works of God. Such was the case in the Ministry of Jesus Christ. This also is what He
promised the Church:
“Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak
to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the
works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the
sake of the works themselves, most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the
works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to
My Father.” (John 14: 10-12)
“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for I do not go
away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when
He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement.”
(John 16: 7-8)
Thus, we can say that the mystery of the identity and manifestation of the Holy Spirit rests
entirely upon the simple truth of His Being A Divine Person, capable of manifesting
Himself in diverse ways, animate and inanimate, in any shape, form or manner in time
and space -as dove or as fire, as rain, dew or running water, as wind or oil, and also in
and/or through men.
He can take full control over the mind and faculties of truly yielded human vessels; He
can take whales and donkeys to teach unyielding prophets the lessons of obedience and
the way of peace.
THE MYSTERY OF HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH MAN IN SERVICE
This brings us to the mystery of His relationship with man in service.
In introducing the mystery of the Holy Spirit yesterday, we drew attention to the mystery
of the way the Holy Spirit comes to rest upon men and impart His Divine graces, gifts or
powers upon men for the effectual working out of Divine purposes.
This is the major area of mystery. However, if we accept that the Holy Spirit is a DivineSpirit-Person with Will, Mind and Supernatural powers, then it will not be different to
accept His dexterity, intellectuality at least.
The Pentecost Day experience in this connection was the beginning of a new era in God’s
redemptive and restoration plan. The time had come when GOD will come and inhabit
men, transfuse Divine Power into the spirit and mind system of man, and walk in, through
and with men in a standing and continuous relationship in the worship of Himself, in the
meeting of human needs, in man’s confrontation with nature and the devil, and in the
subjection of Satan and its powers under God, through men at the feet of Jesus Christ.
This was the vision and purpose of God when He caused Joel to prophesy:
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons
and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men
shall see visions; And also, on My menservants and on My maidservants. I will pour out
My Spirit in those days. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood
and fire and pillars of smoke.” (Joel 2: 28-30)
Please note the operative words:
• It shall come to pass afterwards
• That I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh
(I will pour out myself in effect……)
• And I will show wonders. Works of wonders in……….
• That whosoever calls on the Name of the Lords shall be saved
• For in Mount Zion (the Church) there shall be deliverance
• Among the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
Mortal man, the remnant whom the Lord God of Hosts shall call shall have God, The Spirit
of God as Jesus puts it, abiding with them to work the wonderful works of god (John 14:
17-21) is full revelation regarding the Divine Person, the Holy Spirit, coming upon,
dwelling in and abiding with His people in the Spirit………The world cannot see Him. The
unbelieving or doubting Christian, the Church-goer, non-born again cannot see Him,
cannot understand the spiritual things. He therefore cannot receive The Spirit of God’s
abiding Presence and Working with Man.
Of course, the Presence and Ministry of the Holy Spirit with man has been amply
demonstrated first with the Prophets, second with Jesus Christ and third with the
Apostles. The Apostles began to experience Him even before the Pentecost Day event….
in the pilot project of Luke Chap. 10. The success of the pilot project made Jesus rejoice.
“In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven
and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed
them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. All things have been
delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is but the Father, and who
the Father is but the Son, and the one to whom the Son will to reveal Him.” (Luke 10: 21-
22)
One element in the mystery of the Holy Spirit with man we must take notice of, seems to
be that, the SPIRIT PRESENCE is the mechanism by which men are brought into a close
relationship with God the Father……God said through Joel, I will pour upon all
flesh……..That is to say, I will reveal myself and working power unto all men. Jesus
confirms or reveals this spiritual reality in Luke 10:22 and John 16: 15-16, 22-27. In John
14: 23-26 Jesus says;
“Jesus answered and sad to Him, if anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My
Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who
does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but
the Father’s who sent Me. These things I have spoken to you while being present with
you. 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.”
Read John 14: 8-12, 25-26
The Son brought The Father to the reach of men…. The Holy Spirit will help the redeemed
to continue in the Presence of God.
We can conclude that the Holy Spirit’s Presence with man is an open door to appearance
before God, the Father (Eph. 1:18), of seeing and knowing both The Son and The Father
in reality, and in receiving Divine Graces direct from the Father and The Son.
From the same scripture, we also can say without any controversy that Faith in and
obedience to Jesus Christ is the key to the Divine Presence and Graces and of course
coming into the practical reality of God’s Power with the Servant of God.
The prophets of old had revelation and anointing from the Spirit of God direct, that is they
had contact with the Father direct because of their calling, Samuel, Elijah, Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Ezekiel, they all had direct revelation and contact with God cf Ezek. 2. But today all authority and power has been given unto Jesus Christ, The Son. He is the Way and
Door unto the Father. No other way. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, but Jesus is the
Truth. Jesus also is Life. There is No Other Way, no other foundation, since Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is the Baptizer. No one can receive the Spirit of God, no one can have the
Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit coming, abiding with and using him except Jesus Christ
receives, saves, regenerate and baptizes the person. Unless Jesus Christ is pleased with
you (Matt. 11: 27; John 14:27).
Therefore, anyone who says he has received the Holy Spirit or is being used by the Spirit
of God outside Christ is a liar. Anyone who has truly received the Holy Spirit cannot but
honour, testify of and glorify Jesus Christ. Thus, any man or spirit which denies the deity
of Jesus Christ is NOT and cannot be of God (1st John 4: 1-3).
In this connection, the so-called theory of the incarnation of the Holy Spirit in only one or
two people is a perversion of truth. The Holy Spirit is with the Church and will come upon
all who repent of their sins and confess Jesus Christ as Saviour (Acts 2: 38-39). In any
case, the confirmation of the Presence of the Spirit of God and His work with men is the
signs and wonders following the Testimony of and/or in the Name of Jesus Christ not just
any signs and miracles. And the chief sign and miracle is Holy Spirit Power Conviction
and Salvation of souls.
The history of the Church has shown that the demonstration of Spirit and Power, the
confirmation of the preaching of the Word with signs and miracles, the exercise, and
operation of the Gifts of the Spirit do come only with and after The Holy Spirit Baptism as
demonstrated in Acts Chap. 2, 8, 10 & 19.
Is this a mystery, yes because this is the laid down and confirmed Divine process of entry
into and operation of the Divine system; No, because any man who believes in Jesus, and
is born of the SPIRIT of GOD, and believe the scriptures can enter into the system. All that
is required is that a man must believe in Jesus Christ, submit his will, spirit and mind to
God via faith in Jesus Christ, and when Jesus Christ is satisfied in the Spirit, He will
baptize or cause the Spirit of God to come and rest and dispense His Blessings of Divine
Graces upon the person. The door will be open to appear before the Father from then on,
The Walk with God will have begun.
ENCOUNTER WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
This brings us to the Ministry of the Holy Spirit. Before discussing that however, let us
consider briefly the Holy Walk with God, that comes with encounter with the Holy Spirit.
The New Birth and following that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit introduces the believer
into a whole new realm of existence, where the spirit and mind of the believer are or can
be completely engulfed, and overshadowed by the Divine Presence and Power such that
the Will, Heart and Mind of God are/can be transmitted automatically into the human
spirit and mind system for the working out of God’s purposes.
Ezekiel 36: 27 talks of a new heart and a new spirit which of course will create a new
personality (cf Jer. 31: 31-38; Heb. 10: 16 put this as one aspect of the New Covenant).
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st Cor. 2: 16 also refers to the Wisdom of God and the Mind of Christ being transmitted
by definition into the inner man of the believer through the operation of the Holy Spirit (cf
Eph. 1: 18-20).
That is to say, encounter with the Holy Spirit introduces a new system of interaction
between the Spirit of man and the Spirit of God for life and service. This accounts for or
is the secret behind the operation of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
In reality, the gifts of the Spirit are manifestation of some of the Holy Spirit’s personal
diverse powers and operational abilities through a found, sanctified and yielded vessel
(2nd Tim. 2: 20-21). They are administered by the Holy Spirit Himself but operated
according to the calling and faith of the vessel (1st Cor. 12: 4-7; Rom. 12: 4-6; Eph. 4:7).
The only conditions for the Ministry of the Holy Spirit through the chosen vessels are the
SUBMISSION of the WILL of the vessel to God, the surrender of one’s spirit, mind and
faculties to the Holy Spirit, and the exercise of faith. Hence the Church talks of “yielding
and making oneself available.” This is the key to the Divine system, operated by, with and
through the Holy Spirit. We shall discuss this later.
THE MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Having introduced the operational aspects of Walking and Working with the Holy Spirit,
we turn to a brief comment on the Ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Essentially, as we stated yesterday, although the Holy Spirit as a Divine Person is free
and capable of working with and upon all things the Ministry of the Holy Spirit with the
Church is essentially a co-operative act with the people of God. He moves upon the
waters and upon nature as a whole but He walks and works with men, particularly in the
new covenant.
From the Church point of view, He has come: –
• To Dwell and Abide with the believers and accompany them in their worship and
service to God. John 14: 16-18
• To Teach and keep the Church’s memory of Jesus active and alive. John 14: 26
• To Testify of Jesus Christ. John 15: 26-27. That is to assist the Church to bear
witness of Jesus Christ, Church Missions in that respect, the Holy Spirit is here
• To Convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. He does the Preaching
that is for the Salvation of sins.
• To guide, receive instructions and revelations from Jesus and the Father for the
Church and assist in the Church performance. John 16: 13-16
• To endue with power – that is to transmit His Divine graces upon the Church to
help in her witnessing (Acts 1:8). 1st Cor. 12: 8-11, 28; 13:13 and Rom. 5:5
constitute the basic Power Structure.
• But the most important of course is His Abiding Presence in and with the Church.
In the discharge of these functions, directing affairs of Himself (Acts 13:3) and in
accordance with the desires of the Father and Son, one important element is that the
Holy Spirit hardly speaks of Himself as Jesus revealed in John 16: 13.
THE MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT VIS-À-VIS JESUS CHRIST
This brings us to the last point – the Ministry of the Holy Spirit vis-à-vis Jesus Christ.
It is clear from the scriptures that as Jesus revealed in John 14:10, it is the Holy Spirit that
does much of the work in the Church. He is the direct representative of the Triune God,
in action with the Church. Thus, Jesus Christ did not ascribe the glory of His works unto
Himself. He gave all the glory to the Father who sent Him.
Similarly, the Holy Spirit does not take the glory of His works unto Himself. He causes the
Church to give the glory to Jesus Christ, the Son who has ‘SENT HIM’ and to the Father as
the case may be.
But that is not to say that the Lord Jesus Christ does not work with the Church or His
people at all. Paul talked of how he had met and spoken with Jesus Christ. The Book of
Revelations is about Jesus special revelation and direction to the Church, over the ages.
Now, if Jesus has special assistants, if He is the Head of the Church, giving revelations,
directions and assignments to the Church, then it is obvious that Jesus also works with
His people, particularly, men with special callings and apostolic commissions such as
with Peter and Paul. What the Holy Spirit does then is to assist the saints with necessary
anointing and overshadowing presence for the execution of the Master’s assignments.
Finally, all saints have direct access to Jesus Christ Lord and Master. So, every believer
can have a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit’s task is to a make this
possible.
Thus, we can conclude that the Ministry of the Holy Spirit is to testify of and glorify Jesus
Christ. That Jesus being the head of the Church and the one who as Head does command
the Church in mission via the Holy Spirit and His special gifts of the Church, all glory must
be given Him, not neglecting the honour, and obedience to and co-operation with the
Holy Spirit, the Companion and Enabler of the Church in Mission. We can talk of the Holy
Spirit in action, but we give all honour and glory to the Son, unless otherwise directed by
the Holy Spirit Himself.
CONCLUSION
The Mystery of the Person and Ministry of the Holy Spirit is an open secret to all who
believe in, are prepared to submit their will, spirits and minds to Jesus Christ and make
their faculties available to the Holy Spirit.
Jesus revealed the dynamics of the mystery in John 3:3-5
Saints, children of the Most High God, we are also God’s servants, we have been given
unto the Holy Spirit to endue us with His Divine Power, accompany and guide us in our
worship and service of our God.
The beauty of the Holy Spirit with us is He overshadowing us with His Presence, imparting
His Divine graces into our spirit beings, inspiring and activating our spirits, minds and
faculties unto the WORKS OF GOD for the glory of The Son and of The Father.
We must continue to believe in Jesus Christ and the scriptures, call upon Him always and
acquaint ourselves with the VOICE of the Master, Good Shepherd and High Priest.
Above all, to be effective servants, we must learn to WALK and WORK with the Holy Spirit.
He is here precisely for us. With Faith and Obedience to Jesus Christ and diligence to the
Spirit we can meet the Father and work the works of God.
Thanks be to God. Amen!!!
(Delivered by Bro. Enoch Immanuel A. Agbozo, Leader, GES, P. O. Box GP4393, Accra)