Should We Pray to the Holy Spirit?

Jhn 14:23   Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 

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The Eternal Dignitaries of the Trinity—The eternal heavenly dignitaries—God, and Christ, and the Holy Spirit—arming them [the disciples] with more than mortal energy, ... would advance with them to the work and convince the world of sin.—Manuscript 145, 1901. {Ev 616.4}

Dear Forum members, I find the above statement on Omega Ministries web on the article dealing with TRINITY. On the statement above the three dignitaries are eternal yet the notion I am getting from the writer of the article is only God and Son are eternal. Can anybody clarify please for I am kind of confused,


My Regards to you all
julius

Dear Reader,

Someone has posed the question to me: "Do you pray to the Holy Spirit?" I answer your question by saying yes, I pray to the Holy Spirit, just as Ellen White did in the following statement:

"Here is where the work of the Holy Ghost comes in, after your baptism. You are baptized in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. You are raised up out of the water to live henceforth in newness of life--to live a new life. You are born unto God, and you stand under the sanction and the power of the three holiest beings in heaven, who are able to keep you from falling. You are to reveal that you are dead to sin; your life is hid with Christ in God. Hidden 'with Christ in God,'--wonderful transformation. This is a most precious promise. When I feel oppressed, and hardly know how to relate myself toward the work that God has given me to do, I just call upon the three great Worthies, and say; You know I cannot do this work in my own strength. You must work in me, and by me and through me, sanctifying my tongue, sanctifying my spirit, sanctifying my words, and bringing me into a position where my spirit shall be susceptible to the movings of the Holy Spirit of God upon my mind and character." E.G. White Manuscript Releases Volume Seven, p. 267.

A "Being" is a person. Ellen White believed in three holiest Beings in heaven. Calling upon the three great worthies is praying to them, supplicating them, talking to them. She could not call upon a Being that was not a person.

The above statement makes mention of the Holy Spirit of God. The following statement mentions the Holy Spirit of Christ:

"Christ breathed upon his disciples, and said, ‘Receive ye the Holy Ghost.’ Christ is represented by His Holy Spirit today in every part of his great moral vineyard. He will give the inspiration of His Holy Spirit to all those who are of a contrite spirit. Let there be more dependence upon the efficiency of the Holy Spirit, and far less upon human agencies. I am sorry to say that at least some have not given evidence that they have learned the lesson of meekness and lowliness in the school of Christ. They do not abide in Christ, they have no vital connection with him. They are not directed by the wisdom of Christ, through the impartation of His Holy Spirit. Then I ask you, how can we regard these men as faultless in judgment? They may be in responsible positions, but they are living separated from Christ. They have not the mind of Christ, and do not learn daily of his. Yet in some cases their judgment is trusted, and their counsel is regarded as the wisdom of God. When human agents choose the will of God, and are conformed to the character of Christ, Jesus acts through their organs and faculties." E.G. White, Special Testimonies to Ministers and Workers, No. 3, p. 48.

Now lets weigh the above counsel of the gift of prophecy to the church with that of the Bible. Let’s go to John Chapter 14 to find out who responds to our prayers:

Jhn 14:1  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 

Jhn 14:2   In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 

Jhn 14:3   And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 

Jhn 14:4   And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 

Jhn 14:5   Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? 

Jhn 14:6   Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 

Jhn 14:7  If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 

Jhn 14:8   Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 

Jhn 14:9   Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? 

Jhn 14:10   Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. 

Jhn 14:11   Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. 

Jhn 14:12  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. 

Jhn 14:13   And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 

Jhn 14:14   If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. 

Jhn 14:15  If ye love me, keep my commandments. 

Jhn 14:16   And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 

Jhn 14:17   Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 

Jhn 14:18   I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. 

Jhn 14:19  Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. 

Jhn 14:20   At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. 

Jhn 14:21   He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Jhn 14:22   Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? 

Jhn 14:23   Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 

Jhn 14:24   He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. 

Jhn 14:25  These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. 

Jhn 14:26   But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. 

Jhn 14:27   Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 

Jhn 14:28   Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I. 

Jhn 14:29   And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe. 

Jhn 14:30   Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. 

Jhn 14:31   But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.

·       Some believe in praying only to the Father. Jesus said that NO ONE comes to the Father but by Him. Verse 6.

·       The Spirit of Truth dwells in us. Jesus says that He is the way, the life, and the Truth. (Verse 6). Jhn 14:17   Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

·       Jesus prays to the Father that His (Jesus’) Holy Spirit will be sent to us. Jhn 14:16   And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

·       ALL THREE COME TO US—THE HOLY SPIRIT, JESUS AND THE FATHER VIA THEIR ONE ETERNAL SPIRIT ESSENCE, SUBSTANCE: Jhn 14:23   Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 

·       It should be clear that when we pray to Jesus, we are praying to His Holy Spirit Divine Nature.

·       Jhn 14:26   But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. 

·       Why did Jesus say that His Father was greater than He?: Jhn 14:28   Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I. 

·       Jesus was speaking of His humanity when He said the Father was greater than He. This is the only proper interpretation we can make when He says elsewhere that He thought it not robbery to be equal with His Father.

·       In Revelation, Jesus refers to Himself in four different places as the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.

·       Rev 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

·       Rev 1:11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

·       Rev 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

·       Rev 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

We know Jesus is speaking in these verses because He is the one “WHICH IS TO COME.” And that verse refers to Him as THE ALMIGHTY. We must accept this by faith and not question this evidence. Ellen White says that we will be learning the Godhead for eternity, so we should not try to fill in all the blanks now! Just take the evidence that has been given to us at this point and accept it without interjecting supposition that is unknown.

We can safely call upon the THREE WORTHIES, but we should remember that we come to the Father only through Christ and His Divine Holy Spirit. When we pray the Lord’s prayer, we are praying to all three members of the Godhead for one very sure reason—THERE IS ONE ETERNAL SPIRIT WHICH CONSTITUTES ONE GOD. But our prayers ascend to God only through Christ and His Holy Spirit, because it was the Son who made access to the Father possible.

Isa 9:6   For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

In the sense of Isaiah 9:6, Jesus is our Father and we are His children. This is another aspect of the eternal mystery.

~rwb