Jesus said, "For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.” (Mat 10:20)
Jesus said, "When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit.” (Mar 13:11)
Jesus said, "When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say." (Luk 12:11-12)
Jesus said, "When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me,” (Joh 15:26)
Jesus said, "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” (Joh 16:13)
"Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.” (Act 1:16)
“While Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, ‘Behold, three men are looking for you.’” (Act 10:19)
Peter said, "The Spirit told me to go with them without misgivings. These six brethren also went with me and we entered the man's house.” (Act 11:12)
In the Antioch church, “While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’” (Act 13:2)
The apostle Paul said, "And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me.” (Act 20:22-23)
Paul said the Holy Spirit spoke through the prophet Isaiah. “And when they did not agree with one another, they began leaving after Paul had spoken one parting word, ‘The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers,’” (Act 28:25).
Paul said we cry out by the Spirit, who testifies with our spirit. “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a Spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,” (Rom 8:15-16)
The Spirit of Jesus is the One who cries out, “Abba, Father!” within the disciple of Christ. Paul again said, “Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Gal 4:6)
Paul taught that it is the Holy Spirit speaking through us that Jesus is Lord. “Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, ‘Jesus is accursed’; and no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.” (1Co 12:3). If you want to speak by the Spirit, begin saying with power and conviction, “Jesus is Lord!”
Paul said, “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,” (1Ti 4:1)
The apostle wrote to the Hebrews, “Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, ‘Today if you hear His voice,’” (Heb 3:7)
He continues, “And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying, ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws upon their heart, and on their mind I will write them,’ He then says, ‘And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’" (Heb 10:15-17)
Luke records what happened on the Day of Pentecost: “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.” (Act 2:4). When people are filled with the Holy Spirit, they will speak, because the Holy Spirit speaks.
If the Holy Spirit does not speak, how could he give the disciples utterance to speak in languages they never learned?
"For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day; but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: 'And it shall be in the last days,' God says, 'that I will pour forth of my Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my bondslaves, both men and women, I will in those days pour forth of my Spirit And they shall prophesy.” (Act 2:15-18).
God said through the prophet Joel that in the last days He would pour out His Spirit on mankind, and they would prophesy, including both children and adults. Once again, the Holy Spirit speaks through the people who receive Him when He is poured out.
Peter affirmed this fact when He said, “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” (2Pe 1:20-21)
“And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, ‘O Lord, it is You who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said, “Why did the gentiles rage, and the peoples devise futile things?”’” (Act 4:24-25)
In their prayer, the disciples indicated that the Lord spoke the words of Psalm 2 by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of David.
The apostle John said, “This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.” (1Jn 5:6)
Jesus continued to speak by the Spirit even after His resurrection. Luke states: “The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen.” (Act 1:1-2)
In fact, even when He spoke to the apostle John on the Isle of Patmos, He spoke by the Spirit:
Jesus said, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.” (Rev 2:7)
Jesus said, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.” (Rev 2:11)
Jesus said, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.” (Rev 2:17)
Jesus said, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Rev 2:29; 3:6, 13, 22)
Here are the words of the apostle John: And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, "Write, 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them." (Rev 14:13)
“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.” (Rev 22:17)
Putting it All Together
It's abundantly clear from the Word of God that the Holy Spirit definitely speaks. This is how all the Scriptures were written, as men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. In fact, everything Jesus said was spoken by the Spirit, even after His resurrection. Even after His ascension, He continues to speak by the Spirit, as He did to John on the Isle of Patmos.
The Spirit of God speaks to and through every true disciple of Christ, who has received the Spirit. Whenever the Holy Spirit comes upon mankind, people will speak. They will speak in tongues and prophesy, as the Spirit gives them utterance. In fact, a disciple cannot even say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Spirit. So let's begin to declare it out loud. Make it known in the heavens and on the earth that Jesus Christ is Lord. If you say to God, "Abba, Father," that is the Holy Spirit testifying through you that you are God's child.
Anyone who says the Holy Spirit doesn't speak needs to read their Bible. He still speaks today. The only question is whether you hear what He is saying. You need to receive the Holy Spirit after you become a believer. Have you received the Holy Spirit? Let Him who has ears hear what the Spirit says to the Church.
Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. The "Receiving the Spirit" painting © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist.
Author's note: You can access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master." Also see the following posts:
The Person of the Holy Spirit
Baptized with the Spirit
Holy Fire Baptism
The Bodily Form of the Holy Spirit
Now I'd like to ask a very important question.
Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?
“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe.
Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.
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