Personality of the Holy Spirit Principle of Spiritual Growth — Manley Beasley

You, wherever you are, whether you're seated there at home or in an office or you're driving down the road in some kind of vehicle, I trust that the Lord is making himself very real to you. It's early morning here in Euless, Texas, and I am here at the breakfast table.

Martha has gone to take our youngest son, John, to school. About once a week she takes a load of boys, all of them 13 years old, to school. And so while she's on her way to school, I'm here making at least the introduction to this tape.

This is a beautiful scene here in our kitchen area, I guess you'd call it. It's a breakfast nook. You look out in the backyard and you see about 10 or 12 trees. And about 85 to 90 percent of the time in the fall like this, there will be a few squirrels out there playing, and this week has been no exception.

It's a beautiful time in this part of the country. The clouds have passed away and the sun is shining bright, bright, bright, and it's just a wonderful time. It's not too cold and it's not too hot. It's just a marvelous time.

And right now our hearts are all excited about a number of things. Possibly most of you are aware that Martha and I have four children. The oldest is Debbie, our daughter. She's not married, she's 24.

She is staying here in town, and her involvement in the Lord is in the local church and also in the local bookstore where she works. Then our son, Manly Jr., who is married to Charlene, and they are the ones that have our grandson, Manly Christopher, who is now seven months old and is adding a great deal of joy to his grandmother and granddad.

And then we have a son, Stephen, who is 20 years old, who is in school locally preparing to be a minister, and the Lord is doing some wonderful things for him. He has plans to be married in January to a young lady from Anchorage, Alaska, Monica Shaw.

And now Stephen and Manly Jr. both are preparing for the ministry, and it's such a joy to have them around. And with them around means a bunch more boys around always, wanting some word of wisdom. And then we have John, the boy 13, that Martha has now gone to take to school.

Well, anyway, so much for that. I'd just like to keep you aware of the family, because I tell you, I sense the need of the prayers of the saints so much. I believe that our real problem today is that we're not as a mighty army of God, really praying for the saints, for each other.

There's only one way that we could go as a mighty army of God, praying for each other, and that is that we would be regimented by some man or some leader. And that is possible, of course, but so costly are that we be arrested and that we be brought in by the Holy Spirit.

And on that level, most of us are not sensitive enough to have a part in a real great prime ministry. Well, with this tape each month, I trust that as you listen, you're encouraged to pray and pray for my family.

Preachers that are standing true to the gospel today are under the gun for many reasons, because people are looking for men who are real, who are genuine, who are just genuinely on the ball. And then the other reason, the devil's looking for a crowd and watching to see if the men who claim to be real just are going to fail.

So the devil really is out after God's children. And so I trust that you'll pray. Pray for me the day you hear this tape. Pray that God's wisdom will be mine, that I might literally relate to him properly and to my fellow men properly.

And I believe if you love the Lord with all of your heart, all of your being, and your neighbor as yourself, you fulfill the commandments. And I really feel that you need to pray for me on this level.

The Building Project and Prayer for Ministry

Well, there's so much going on right now. Many of you have listened to me share from time to time about the building that's going to be built here in this area that will take care of evangelists and related ministries.

And it seems that we're making progress, but the battle has been tough. We've run into misunderstanding about the land, and men that have promised us that they would do things haven't done things. And I trust it's their failing to come through, haven't been on the basis of our getting our eyes on man rather than God.

But the brother that's been used of God to provide the money to build the building is on his way from Alaska, and he's coming to stay, he and his wife, until the building is built. The other men involved in it directly are all on ready.

They're just ready to go and start the building. The only people that are not on ready is the individual that we left in charge of the land. And so there seems to be some type of selfishness involved that obviously will show itself up as the devil sooner or later.

Well, anyway, you pray about that project because this project will bless thousands and thousands and hundreds of thousands of people. A lot of people on my heart today, as I talk to you, I'm thinking about a boy that is the head of Graphic Truth.

He is a young man that's in great need. He's in a very responsible place, and he needs your prayers. And so I trust that you'll pray for him. His name is Steve Schiffman. I may have mentioned him to you on this tape club before, but I may not have.

But Steve is the head of Graphic Truth. Graphic Truth puts the gospel on television in 30 seconds, and it's right on primetime. And I'll tell you, it's beautiful how God is using this instrument. He will preach to billions of people this year, not millions, but billions.

So you pray for him today. Now, pray for the book ministry. By the time you receive this tape, FaithWork book number two will be off to the printers for bids about who will print it. And my heart's desire is that this book get out on God's schedule.

I have spent a long time in writing it. We are spending a great deal of time in going over it and over it. And I trust that we're not trying to make it so perfect that it'll be a work of art rather than a work of the mind, is what I really want to say, rather than the work of the spirit.

Because a lot of times the Holy Spirit comes across rather strong and direct, and we didn't get to working on it to where we tried to make it a masterpiece. And while we do it, we take the life of God out of it.

Well, anyway, by the time you hear this tape, this book will be off to the printers. And I'm expecting God to bless it. First of all, because I believe he gave the material to write. And then the second reason is that I am trusting him to supernaturally work in the distribution of it.

And thirdly, I want to be sensitive to do just exactly what he wants to do. Well, invariably, when I start making this tape, the devil really starts working and creates a real hassle if he can. And as I have been making this tape for you, the devil has been doing just that to keep me from getting this tape complete for you.

Well, the Lord is continuing to bless in some other ways. Just don't forget the book. But nevertheless, recently we leased a building that's going to house a number of men. And in this particular building, we're going to be able to build a small recording room.

And this is going to be super fast because this has cut out a lot of the error that we're running into. And I think that we'll be able to be a little more professional in the recording of these tapes.

Although I enjoy the relaxed position of recording the tape like I'm recording this morning, even though while I'm taping, the chimes are going off and the telephone's ringing in the background. And it's a beautiful sight to be able to look out and see the beautiful sun and the trees and the creation of God and see the squirrels playing and so on.

But nevertheless, this building is going to be a great asset. It's going to bring a number of us together that will eventually be in the building that is going to be built. And so I praise the Lord for that.

A Vision for Conferences, Radio, and the Local Church

Now, you may be interested in knowing this. I feel like that I've never really just shared with people all that God has put on my heart. And I do want to share a little here of something that the Lord has placed on my heart.

And that is this. I feel that the Lord showed me back some years ago that the way to minister to the world and meet the needs of the church was to set up key places across the world where we would come and have conferences where the saints of God could be taught and the laws could be reached.

And I feel like that the Lord is putting this together now. I am not sure about the details, but I do know that the Lord is raising up places that have a vision and have a real anticipation of reaching the world for the Lord and really ministering to the church in its last days.

That the church might be brought to the place that they have a real understanding of what it means to know the Lord and have the Lord expressed in His character in their life and have the Lord empowering its life to where the church can be a reproductive body.

And I feel that the Lord is going to also use radio to accomplish this end. I haven't mentioned this before, but for years now I've been praying that the Lord would move in the matter of radio, and I feel like that He really initiated this area in my heart.

I've been waiting for the right time. I have had different individuals to consult with me about this matter. A few weeks ago a young man, a very capable young man, came and made himself available on this level.

And he's spending a great deal of time now researching the situation, and we're going to tie the conferences and the radio meetings in together. And I believe we're going to see the Lord mightily use this.

I believe the church is in deep need this hour for some spiritual depth. I feel that as a Baptist for many, many years they worked on a work-level principle. Get saved. You're saved by grace through faith.

By that I mean strictly that was real. But after you get saved, then try your best. And then about 20 years ago the Spirit-filled life teaching began to get into the church, and I believe some people took it and went way off out there into excesses.

And then I believe some people reacted to the Spirit-filled life and just said, man, that's of the devil. But I believe others discovered Jesus is all they needed, not only in salvation but for sanctification and for service.

And I believe they settled in on Jesus in a right level, and I believe there's been a new dimension of living in the life of individuals as well as in the life of churches. I have been saved for 30 years and saved 29 years, and I believe I see God doing more on a grace level in churches today than I've ever seen in my life.

Now, I may be wrong, but I just feel this. Now, by no means are we seeing a revival across the world, but I believe God is definitely blessing and moving in power and in glory, and I am just looking forward to what he's going to do on down the road.

Now, these conferences, I believe, are in the making. I believe God's going to raise up churches, and God's going to really use the local church to be the catalyst or be the place of service and so on, just as the instrument by which God will accomplish this goal.

I would hate to see us leave out the local church. I believe that's God's chosen plan. Now, last month I mentioned to you about the books, and we had about 20 people to respond and want to get involved in the book and tape missionary ministry.

Now, you might say, well, this is just another gimmick. Well, let me just share with you one of the little ideas about it, and I may have shared this last month to this degree and I may not have, but we have about 20 or 30 people that buy books and tapes by the fifties and hundred lots at a time, and these people pay about 20 percent over cost for these books, maybe 30 percent over cost.

Now, if we can get them involved in this, these books are going to be sent out at cost, and they can give away more books to more people that they find that's in need. And I found through the years that God has mightily used books and tapes to minister to my heart when I had a need.

I could not always get to a man with an anointing message, so I needed a book or a tape, and I got it, and I praise God for that. So if you're still interested in the tape and book ministry, you let us know, and I will send you an individual tape indicating to you the plan, and all I ask you to do is just send a couple of dollars along to help us make the tape and send it back to you, because we just do not have the equipment where we make our own tapes and come up with a cost of 30, 40 cents on a tape.

It's not that easy for us. And so I trust that you'll get involved in this. Well, on this month's tape, I'm working at putting you two short messages on the tape, and so I trust that you will pray for us as I speak to you that the Word of God might speak directly to you, even though I am not aware who's listening to this tape at this moment, but that God will take the Word, speak it directly to your heart.

The Holy Spirit as a Divine Person

Well, in this first study on this particular tape, I want to deal with the Holy Spirit. When we start talking about the Holy Spirit, you know, I believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, and I do not believe in God the Father, number one, is the most important, God the Son, number two, is the second most important, and God the Holy Spirit is the third most important.

When we talk about the three, we're talking about the three having co-equal positions, and we have God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Many times we have referred to the Holy Spirit as the third person in the Trinity, and some folk feel that, you know, that he is the third down the ladder in significance, but that is not the case, and when we talk about the Holy Spirit, we're not talking about an it.

A lot of people refer to the Holy Spirit as an it, and then, of course, we're not talking about him as an it, and then neither are we talking about the Holy Spirit as an influence, but we're actually talking about the Holy Spirit as a personality, and I like the fact that he is a personality.

I'm so glad that the Father has given us a person to relate to. Now, as I talk to you, I'm recalling some statements from a great man of God, Dr. James A. Stewart from Scotland. He used to say the Holy Spirit is God's throne gift, God's throne gift to the Church, and when the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost, that was God delivering his gift to the Church, the Holy Spirit.

And my, he would talk to you about the Holy Spirit in such a way that it would literally just make you conscious that the Holy Spirit was there in person, and actually the Holy Spirit is here in person.

Well, the messages that I want to bring you on the Holy Spirit will vary, but today I want to talk to you about the personality of the Holy Spirit, and I think this is a very important doctrine, that you and I realize that the Holy Spirit is a personality.

I'm not going to resort to any other form than just presenting you the Bible as the basis for showing us that the Holy Spirit is a person. In other words, we're not going to try to establish this historically.

We're not going to try to establish it, you know, from the Greek text necessarily. We're not going to try to resort to logic to try to prove to you that the Holy Spirit is a person, but just give you the Word of God, and as we give you the Word of God, I believe that the Holy Spirit will take the Word and make the Word real to you.

But the Bible uses personal pronouns in referring to the Holy Spirit throughout the Word, and so I want to give you these verses, different verses, that relate to the Holy Spirit in identifying Him in the form of a personal pronoun.

And, of course, my favorite is John 15, and the Bible says,. But when the Comforter is come, he shall testify of me. And then in John 16 ,8,. And then in John 16 ,13,. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you.

John 16 ,14,. And it's so beautiful that the Lord here lets us see in the Scripture that the Holy Spirit is definitely identified as a person in this beautiful language. And not only do we find that the Bible makes it clear by the use of these personal pronouns in reference to the Holy Spirit, but the Bible makes it clear that the Holy Spirit possesses certain characteristics that identify Him as a person.

Like, for instance, in 1 Corinthians 12 ,11, it says,. But all these worketh that one in the selfsame Spirit, dividing every man severally as he wills. In other words, the Holy Spirit has a will, and He makes decisions.

Not only that, but there is the fact that He has an intelligence. Nehemiah 9 ,20,. Thou givest also thy good spirit to instruct them. That's amazing, isn't it? And then in Romans 8 ,27,. That's beautiful, isn't it?

The Holy Spirit knows the mind of the Spirit, and He makes intercession. Oh, that's so wonderful. When we do not know how and what to pray for, the Holy Spirit is there to work in our lives and through our lives, to make intercession for us.

Well, it's so wonderful that the Word of God is so clear. And not only does the Holy Spirit have will, He has intelligence, but He also has knowledge. Listen to 1 Corinthians 2 ,10 -12,. And so, we go a little further, we find that the Holy Spirit has power.

In Acts 1 ,8,. And ye shall be witnesses unto me. The Holy Spirit powerfully charged the men at Pentecost. Throughout the book of Acts, the Holy Spirit empowered them. So, the Holy Spirit has power. The Holy Spirit moves in power and in glory.

And not only does the Holy Spirit have power, but He has a capacity for love. Romans 15 ,30. And not only does He have the capacity for love, but He has a capacity for grief. In Ephesians 4 ,30 The Holy Spirit is a person because He thinks, He feels, He purposes, He knows, He wills, He loves, and He's grieved.

Characteristics indicate that the Holy Spirit has the ability of a person. The Holy Spirit also does things that only a person can do. For instance, look in 1 Corinthians 2 ,10, The Spirit searcheth all things, even the deep things of God.

That's right. He can go beyond all these things. As one man put it, He can even go beyond the computers and so on. But nevertheless, the Holy Spirit searched the deep things of God. Not only does the Holy Spirit search the deep things of God, the Holy Spirit can speak.

Revelation 2 ,7. The Holy Spirit can cry out. Galatians 4 ,6. The Holy Spirit intercedes. Romans 8 ,26. John 15 ,6. This ability is also mentioned in John 16 ,12 -4, Nehemiah 9 -20, and 9 and 20. The Holy Spirit leads and directs.

Romans 8 ,14. The Holy Spirit commands. Acts 16 ,6 -7 The Holy Spirit calls men to work and give them tasks. For instance, in Acts 13 ,2 The Holy Spirit proceeds on the mission to which He is sent. John 15 ,26.

Even the Spirit of truth which proceeded from the Father, He shall testify of me. So we see here that the Holy Spirit is doing things that only a person could do. Let's mention the fact that the Holy Spirit has been assigned a definite job or an office in relationship to us.

He is our official comforter. John 14 ,16 He can be grieved. Isaiah 63 ,10 He can be insulted. Hebrews 10 ,29 He can be lied to. Acts 5 ,3 He can be blasphemed. Matthew 12 ,31 -32 But the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost and so on.

The Holy Spirit definitely has been identified, I believe, in the sense of a person in the Word of God. I believe not only has He been identified in the Bible as a person, but I believe He has been given the responsibility of a person.

And I trust today that you will seek the Lord and ask Him to give you light concerning the person of the Holy Spirit. You know, the Father has a dwelling place. The Son has a dwelling place. And the Holy Spirit has a dwelling place.

Spiritual Growth Through Little Children, Young Men, and Fathers

Have you ever considered where the Holy Spirit's dwelling place is? The Holy Spirit's dwelling place. I would like to talk with you on the second message concerning spiritual growth. You know, I feel like that one of the big issues in the church today is spiritual growth.

In fact, it seems that we've learned how to build big churches but not grow great Christians. And I feel as Baptists that we have really failed to understand how to grow people spiritually. And I'm not real sure that we have got the answers yet with all the different programs that are coming out.

In fact, a man can spend his time full time just going from one program to another program on trying to teach people how to grow. And I'll tell you, it's a real issue. I know in my own heart I have made a very careful study of what has helped my own children to grow.

And I've watched them grow spiritually. I've watched them just, I mean, go and grow just real, real fast. And then I've watched them slow down and grow slow. And then I've watched them speed up again.

And I have really searched to see what's made each one of the children grow spiritually. And then I have watched Christians across the world grow spiritually. And I've been very interested in that. And just for instance, a couple of weeks ago there was three boys here in the home.

One was our son. One was a nephew. And then a visiting young man. And we were discussing spiritual growth. And I had just given the different basic concepts of spiritual growth. And as I gave these basic concepts of spiritual growth, I felt that they were very valid.

And then the very outstanding man came in. And one of the young men asked him what he thought was a real contributing factor to spiritual growth. And he said, well, human effort. And it was just so unusual and yet very damaging.

I believe in the book of 1 John we have an outline that relates to spiritual growth. And I would like to take you to the book of 1 John and point out a few verses of Scripture to you that I feel will give us a little bit of help concerning this matter of spiritual growth.

Now, in the second chapter of the book of 1 John, the 14th verse, we have a division here. We see little children mentioned. And we see fathers mentioned. And we see young men mentioned. And actually it really takes in verses 2, 12, 13, and 14.

And, of course, the teaching about little children is found throughout. The teaching about fathers is found throughout. And the teaching concerning young men is found throughout. Now, I believe this relates to a spiritual growth pattern, not in the order that I just said, but in this order.

First, there's little children. Second, there are sons or young men. And then there are fathers. Now, I believe this relates to spiritual growth. I know that it really helped me. The other day I was talking to Norman Grubb.

And as we talked, you know, he began to relate to this matter of these three different areas. Little children, young men, and fathers. So I came back and began to pray about what to say to you this month.

And I thought that the Lord would have me to just share with you the truth about the little children and the young men and the fathers. And, of course, most of this is found right in the book of 1 John.

Now, we will depart a little from the book of 1 John to bring in other verses of Scripture, the thoughts that verses of Scripture teach us. So let's just take a look at this matter of little children.

Little Children and the Reality of New Birth

First, obviously, that's the state and condition of a person that has just simply been born of the Spirit of God. And as I have read through the book of 1 John and looked over the verses that relate to little children in the light of the complete message of the book of 1 John, I find that John is dealing with a matter of reality in the whole book.

In fact, he deals with the matter of reality on a subjective level. In other words, it seems that he might even be willing to sacrifice an objective truth in order for a person to enter into a subjective experience.

Now, we know that you do not have to sacrifice objective truth to have a legitimate subjective experience. But on the other hand, I believe that John is indicating the matter of entering into spiritual reality and the necessity at all costs, not at the cost of truth, of course, because truth is the basis of spiritual reality, but at all costs, man must enter into spiritual reality.

And the first step into that spiritual reality is the step of coming to know Jesus as your Savior, and this leaves you as a little child. And as he deals with little children throughout the book, it seems that he's on a secondary basis, I think you'd say, that he's really saying, well, now listen, you can know that you know the Lord.

Now, you can just really know that you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. You can just really know that you have been born of the Spirit of the living God. You can just really know that you have been washed, and you can know this by the fact that your life expresses the righteousness of Christ, for instance.

Such as you do not hate your brother, you love your brother, and so on. And so here we see that the matter of the little child or little children is a matter of coming to know Jesus in such a way that he is expressed in your life.

I'm reminded of a verse in the book of John where the Bible teaches very clearly Jesus was talking to the Pharisees, and they were saying, the Pharisees were saying, we are of our father Abraham, and Jesus said, yes, I know.

If you were of your father Abraham, you'd be doing the works of Abraham. And it seems that John is dealing with the Christians, the little children on this level, and thereby establishing them in the fact of really being little children.

In other words, if you are a little child, there will be the reality of Christ in you, and this Christ in you reality will be expressed in righteousness. In other words, you will not hate your brother, you will love your brother, and so on.

And so we see that entering into reality is of utmost importance in this matter of Christian life, and I believe that this is the first step, that we need to literally teach the little children in the world, meaning that they are saved by the grace of God, about their position in Christ, about the cleansing blood, and about the conscious walk with him that is expressed in righteousness.

And I believe this is a heart of the entire message of the book of John, and I believe it's also at the very basis of spiritual growth. Now, so when we come to teaching this matter of spiritual growth, we must discover if we're dealing with little children, or if we're dealing with young men.

Young Men as Overcomers

Now, when we come to the matter of young men, we have in these verses, not only the Lord making reference, and when I say verses, we're talking about 1 John, the 2nd chapter, the 12th, the 13th, and the 14th verses especially, and then there are several other verses that relate to the little children, young men, and fathers.

Now, what are we talking about when we talk about young men? It seems that the young men had moved on from that of their position in Christ to, actually they had become overcomers. Actually, they had learned how to overcome the issues that they faced in life.

Now, let's just look for a moment at the issues that a young child of God faces. He faces the matter of guilt. He faces the matter of the sense of separation. In other words, you know, he's not sensitive to the consciousness of God.

He faces the matter of inadequacy. He faces the matter of fear, and so on. Now, a person that I believe moved into the realm of a young man has learned and actually has become an overcomer over this matter of guilt, the matter of separation, the matter of inadequacy, and the matter of fear.

But I believe he's gone beyond that. I believe he has learned how to be an overcomer over sin. I believe he has also learned how to handle the law. He's become an overcomer of the law, and this is certainly a very serious matter.

He's learned how to become an overcomer over self. And he's learned not only how to become an overcomer over self, but he's learned how to be an overcomer over the world. And I believe he's also learned how to be an overcomer over Satan.

Now, it's very likely that we could spend a great deal of time at this very point. It's obvious that most Christians we all know would fall in the category of being a slave to these different areas. And so I trust that you will realize that this matter of becoming a young man is becoming an overcomer.

And we certainly have a great deal to overcome. We have a great deal to overcome subjectively and objectively in this whole world. And so I trust that we realize that until we've learned to become an overcomer in these different areas that we just mentioned, that we certainly cannot be classified as genuinely mature saints of God.

Fathers and the Believer's Redemptive Calling

And then I believe that after we have learned to become overcomers, I believe then that we can move into the realm of the fathers. And what is he talking about when he talks about fathers? I believe he is actually saying here that you've learned how to enter into the realm of reality and salvation.

And now you've learned also how to overcome sin, the law, world, Satan, guilt, separation, inadequacy, fear, and so on. Now that you've learned to overcome these, now I believe your life is to be poured out upon the entire world.

I believe you are to let the world have your life. I believe you are to discover your redemptive person. As one man puts it, I believe you enter into the saviorhood of the believer. It does not mean that you are a savior, but it means that through your life the Lord reaches the part of the world that he intends to reach just through your life.

You have entered into the realm of eternal activities, that all that you are doing is of eternal value, that you've entered into the eternal purpose of God, that you've actually entered into the realm of such victory that you just literally pour your life out upon the world.

I believe this is expressed most beautifully in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. And not only most beautifully is it expressed in the life of Jesus Christ, but I believe it's also expressed most scripturally in his life, where Jesus Christ, the son of the living God, identified himself with the very purpose of God for his life and literally poured out his life and gave his life up as a sacrifice for the sins of man.

He was the God of atonement of grace and redemption, and he certainly became all of that by obedience to the Father and offered salvation to the world from creation throughout eternity. He offered that salvation to the world.

And so as a result of that, he, I believe, gives us an illustration of the saviorhood of a believer. And he was certainly here in the most mature sense, a father. And then another great illustration of that is in Romans, the ninth chapter, where Paul said very clearly that he lied not, that he literally had it straight, that his life was on the altar and that he was willing to become a curse for his kinsmen.

Now, to me, that's humanity so completely controlled by the spirit of the living God. No human being, no human being within the realm of the natural could be willing to literally lay down his life and exchange his heavenly home for a fiery grave and to go to hell forever unless there was so much of the love of God in him.

And this certainly gives us somewhat of the dimension of how deep God can reach into the heart of a man. It also gives us how broad is the love of God, how wonderful the love of God is. And here Paul is, I believe, expressing the ultimate in the Christian life, and that is that he's become a father, the saviorhood of the believer.