What Does the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit Produce in the Life of a Local Church? - by JOSH BUICE

Found here. Our comments in bold

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The author does not teach the Bible. One cannot teach the Bible without quoting it. The author manages to quote but a single phrase of a verse, plus a couple of verse paraphrases and a closing, semi-relevant verse. So yet again we find a self-styled Bible teacher who can barely quote the Bible. 

Astonishing.

But he can quote John MacArthur...

He has a lot to say about nameless charismatics who are supposedly doing all sorts of incorrect things. But he is unable to cite a single example or even explain the relevance of his criticisms. After all, he's supposed to be teaching us about the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, not critiquing charismatics.

He asks a question in the title, but never actually explains the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, that is, the Holy Spirit who reaches out, desiring to connect with us and fill us. He discusses how the Body should interact with each other, but does not tell us how the Body should interact with the Holy Spirit, or how churches facilitate fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

How does the Holy Spirit have fellowship with us? Paul writes:

Ph. 2:1 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit...

Paul concludes this "if" statement with: 

Ph. 2:2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.

Carefully consider this: For Paul, fellowship with the Spirit is a pre-condition of being like-minded and loving. So we need to have fellowship with the Spirit (vertical) in order to properly engage our brothers and sisters (horizontal).

Further, the Greek does not have "with the" in  ...if any fellowship *with the* Spirit... The literal translation is "if any Spirit fellowship." Spirit-fellowship is how the church ought to be characterized.

The author will never discuss any of this, preferring instead to make vague assertions and general statements that teach little and edify even less.

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The third Person of the Trinity is severely abused and blasphemed within evangelicalism—and within circles that should not be considered evangelical at all. It was John MacArthur who once lamented the abuse of the Holy Spirit by saying:

The Holy Spirit is the most forgotten, the most misrepresented, the most dishonored, the most grieved, the most abused, and the most blasphemed member of the Trinity.1

Within the world of the cults such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the deity of the Holy Spirit is openly denied and relegated to the level of a mere force. Sadly, beyond the mainstream cults, we find that the Holy Spirit is abused within the charismatic circles. They teach that the Holy Spirit causes them to behave in an uncontrolled manner (This is the author's editorial comment. He's characterizing charismatic behavior as uncontrolled, but charismatics don't teach about losing control. Some of the more extreme elements of the charismatic movement do embrace some odd behaviors, but this is out at the edges. But even then none of them stand up on stage and tell the crowd to lose control.)

through strange and reckless acts and unintelligible gibberish. These acts include:

• Modern Tongues Movement
• False Prophecy
• Visions & Dreams
• Heavenly Tourism
• False Miracles
• Unbiblical Worship

For many people, the evidence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church is based upon a lively worship experience that is exciting, fun, and emotionally stirring. (He's still criticizing charismatics. 

So, who believes the evidence of the Holy Spirit is lively, emotional worship? Source? And is there some problem with exciting, fun worship?)

However, what should we be looking for as evidence of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of a local church? (Term-switching. The title says, "fellowship" but here the author says "ministry." The two are not the same. In addition, the author is creating a false choice, as if we must select between emotionally stirring worship and his opinion.

Paul actually mentions the ministry of the Holy Spirit:

2Co. 3:8-9 ...will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!

This is a quite different idea from the author's, where Paul is contrasting the ministry of the Law which brought death [2Co. 3:6-7] with the life-giving ministry of the Holy Spirit which brings righteousness. 

This is one of the main ministries of the Holy Spirit, which the author does not mention. He wants to talk about what human behaviors should manifest in a church.)

Engagement of the Spiritual Gifts 

(Having just eliminated several spiritual gifts with a negative characterization without explanation [tongues, prophecy, and miracles], the author now suggests that the spiritual gifts are important.)

God gifts his church with spiritual gifts. Each member of the local church is vitally important and we should approach the life of the church with this mindset. Consider your local church for a moment. Every aspect of your church’s functionality from the preparation of the campus to the worship of God’s people all involves engagement from the membership of the church. Each gift operating in unison matters.

When we read Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth, we find that he employs a metaphor of the human body to illustrate the importance of the entire church body in a local sense. (Where in the letter to Corinth is this located? We shall do the author's work for him: 1Co. 12:12-31.)

Everyone in the church should take their part and use their gifts for the glory of God. (The author will want you to bypass 1Co. 12:28...)

When churches adopt the mindset that they merely come to observe or to watch what happens in the life of the church—it places all of the functionality upon a small percentage of the membership. This not only creates undue stress in the life of the church—it leads to consumerism.

The Holy Spirit provides us with spiritual gifts to use for the glory of God. Some gifts have ceased, but not all gifts have ceased. (Oh. How does the author determine this?)

The gifts associated with the apostles (miracles, wonders, and signs) which included the ability to heal, speak in tongues, or speak a direct prophetic word from God have all ceased. (Oh. These are all associated with the apostles, he says. But neither link documents his claim. 

We discuss tongues in detail here, and prophecy here and here.)

It should be noted that the gift of the Apostle has likewise ceased. (We have already critiqued this linked article here. Suffice to say, in that article Mr. Aniol does not in any way prove that the "gift" of the apostle has ceased.)

God the Spirit continues to gift the church and we must intentionally employ our gifts within the life of the local church in order to build the church up in love (Eph 4). (How? How does one employ one's gifts? How does one know what one's spiritual gifts are? How does this all work?

Ephesians 4:11-13 tells us that the church is built up together in unity of faith, knowledge, and maturity, attaining the fullness of Christ via the ministry of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Why doesn't the author explain any of this?

So, this section is now over, but he didn't tell us anything!)

Unity of the Spirit

Paul speaks about the fellowship of the Spirit in his closing greeting to the church at Corinth. (Where is this verse found? Again, we do the author's work for him: 

2Co. 13:14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

But he will not explain the verse.)

The word fellowship is the Greek term κοινωνία (Koinónia.) 

and it’s used in Acts 2 as Luke describes the early church immediately after the 3,000 people were born again and baptized as followers of Christ. This word means, “close association involving mutual interests and sharing, association, communion, fellowship, close relationship, marked by intimacy.” True Christian fellowship transcends shallow greetings and general associations. (Of course. But what does that mean? How does it happen? And what about fellowship WITH the Spirit?)

The fellowship of the Spirit produces fellowship among God’s people. (Yes, yes. But explain how to have fellowship of the Spirit!!)

Such genuine Christian fellowship results in unity within the church family. When the local church truly grasps what biblical fellowship looks like—it prevents isolationism, division, fractures, and splits. In Ephesians, Paul directs the church to be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph 4:3-6). (Yes, yes, yes. How? Will the author provide any explanation of anything?)

Satan loves disunity and directs the church to move in the opposite direction of the fellowship of the Spirit. Anytime you see a church divided always remember it’s not the fellowship of the Spirit that produced the division. The local church gathered together should be a people who serve, worship, love, evangelize, pray, assist, labor, break bread, and live life together for the glory of God as they are directed by the fellowship of the Spirit.

Trinitarian Worship

The Fellowship of the Spirit will produce in the hearts of God’s people an awareness of the depth of salvation. Far too often the doctrine of salvation is approached through the lens of Jesus’ work on the cross alone. While we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone—Jesus as the second Person of the Godhead did not work alone in saving sinners. It’s unbiblical and impossible to segment Jesus and disconnect his work from the operative acts of the Trinity. In other words, sinners are saved by a Trinitarian God who operated before time and during time to bring about the salvation of rebel sinners.

The Holy Spirit is God. It should be noted that in the study of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is no less God than the Father or the Son. As a member of the Godhead, he is co-equal and co-eternal. In other words, there has never been a time when the Holy Spirit did not exist. Throughout the Bible we see various titles for the Holy Spirit:

• Spirit of God
• Spirit of Christ
• Spirit of Grace
• Spirit of the Lord
• Spirit of Life
• Spirit of Truth
• Eternal Spirit
• Comforter
• Helper
• The Holy Spirit
• The Spirit

As we worship God in our homes in family worship, in private devotion, and gathered together for corporate worship with the local church—we do so with a spirit of adoration to all three Persons of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Spirit. (Yes, yes, yes. How do we do that?)

The Father chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:3-4). The Son was sent to accomplish our redemption through both his passive and active obedience in his life and sacrificial death. It is by his wounds that we are healed (1 Pet 2:24) and through his blood that all of our sins are atoned for in fulfillment of holy justice (Rom 5:9; 1 John 2:1-2).

The Spirit of God directs us to the Son of God and places emphasis upon the Son. Church worship services that have a hyper-focus upon the Spirit (One gets the feeling that the author actually wanted to write a different article so that he could blast charismatics. But the pot shots against other practices do not edify anyone or explain anything.)

ignore the reality (How does he know what people ignore?)

that one of the priorities of the Spirit’s ministry is to direct us toward the Son—the Christ of God. (Scripture reference?)

May the fellowship of the Holy Spirit bring you great encouragement as you continue to journey onward in the faith. As Paul closed his second letter to the church at Corinth, let us read these words and praise our Trinitarian God for his saving work that results in a life of peace, fellowship among the church, and obedience of faith. The fellowship of the Spirit does not lead to chaos, division, or disorganization. The fellowship of the Spirit leads to unity, love, order, and peace. (It appears that the author thinks that there is only one element to the fellowship with the Spirit, and that is, how well do certain things manifest in the church gatherings. But never does the author address our interaction with the Holy Spirit: 

Ro. 7:6 But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code. 

Ro. 8:6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace...

1Co. 2:12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.

Ga. 5:25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Fellowship with the Spirit is also a vertical relationship. Since the author brought up charismatic excesses, perhaps he might explain the proper response, in the context we have just outlined.)

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Corinthians 13:14).