God’s Spirit
God’s Spirit is His power by which He achieves all His purposes.

By His Spirit, God:

• Created all things 1
• Gives life to all creatures 2
• Communicated His purpose through His prophets 3
• Empowers and equips His angels to carry out His purposes 4
• Revealed His character through
  • His inspired revelation in both 5
  • Old and New Testaments 6
  • His work with Israel 7
  • His Son Jesus, the Christ 8

The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is God’s Spirit directed particularly to His work of salvation in Jesus, which may be described as ‘the new creation in Christ Jesus’. 9

Although referred to in a personal sense, the Holy Spirit is not a person, but God’s power active through His Son, His apostles, His prophets in the first century and through His angels. 10

Through the Holy Spirit, God:

• Caused the conception of His Son 11
• Equipped His Son for his ministry 12
• Equipped His apostles
  • to preach the gospel 13
  • to perform miraculous signs 14
  • to witness against unrepentant Jewry 15
• Raised His Son, Jesus, from the dead 16
• Granted various gifts to apostles and believers in the first century to help establish the first ecclesias and the writers of the Bible. 17

Holy Spirit gifts
These gifts were given to individuals at specific times in history:

• at Israel's Exodus from Egypt
• during the prophetic ministries of Elijah and Elisha
• during Jesus’s ministry
• during the ministry of the apostles of Jesus to first-century believers, commencing with the initial outpouring at Pentecost 18

The gifts of the Spirit varied and were given:

• to specific individuals
• for specific purposes
• at specific times. 19

These gifts were only temporary and only given to two generations of Jews and Gentiles who had been called to salvation 20.

None of these gifts were given to improve the believer’s character or help in overcoming sin. Spirit gifts were not necessary before a person could believe the gospel 21

Apostles with these powers:

• had “tasted the powers of the age to come” (Heb. 6:4,5),
• having received “the firstfruits of the Spirit” (Rom 8:23 ).

After the 'firstfruits' of the harvest, the full harvest comes in the new age of the Kingdom of God. At that time there will be a greater outpouring of the Spirit to help saints in their role as godly rulers. 22

God’s care for His children
God, as a Father who gives good things to His children, has provided His care in all generations through the ministry of the angels. The angels are equipped with Spirit power and carry out His purposes, including caring for believers. 23