Module Description

God the Holy Spirit

There are few theological truths in the history of the Church that have sparked as much controversy, disagreement, and schism as the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. From ancient disagreements about Trinity and “procession” to modern disagreements about the baptism and gifts of the Holy Spirit, there is much that might cause us to approach this module with caution; but, I sincerely hope that this is not the case. The doctrine of the Holy Spirit lies at the very heart of the way that we understand who God is and how we experience his living presence in our midst. The Spirit is sent to empower and lead the Church of God and to give new life to all those who respond in faith to its message about Jesus. Our hope is that the truths you learn about the Holy Spirit will not only be “formal theology” which helps you to understand God better, but will be also “practical theology” which allows you to depend on the Holy Spirit in ever increasing measure as you minister in God’s Church and witness in the world.

The first lesson, The Person of the Holy Spirit, focuses upon God the Spirit as the third person of the one Trinitarian God. We will explore the biblical portrayal of the Spirit as a divine person who both is God and who consciously acts as God. We will also discuss the relationship of the Spirit to the Father and the Son as the one who is the “bond of love”between them and their “gift of love to the world.” We will talk about the Spirit as the “Life-giver” and show how the names, titles, and symbols of the Spirit in the Scriptures portray him as the source and sustainer of physical and spiritual life and as the one who is at work to renew all things.

In our second lesson, The Prophetic Work of the Holy Spirit, we will explore the nature of prophetic revelation and come to understand the Spirit as the one who both inspires and illuminates the Word of God. We will also see that the prophetic role of the Spirit includes his ministry of conviction. He is the one who overcomes the deception caused by sin and leads us to true repentance. The prophetic work of the Holy Spirit is both the means by which God reveals himself and the means by which he enables us to believe that revelation.

Lessons three and four deal with The Powerful Presence of the Holy Spirit (Part One) and The Powerful Presence of the Holy Spirit (Part Two), respectively. Here the focus is on what the Holy Spirit does in the lives of those who repent and believe. We will speak about the role of the Spirit in regeneration, adoption, baptism, gifting, indwelling, sealing, and sanctification. We will come to understand that the powerful work of the Spirit enables the Church to fulfill its mission in the world.

The person of the Holy Spirit is as real and vital as God the Father and God the Son. The Spirit is sent by the Father and the Son into the world so that we can experience loving fellowship with them and so that we can be empowered to obey God’s commands and accomplish his mission. Our prayer is that your dependance on the Spirit will grow as you study the Scriptures together.

Required Textbooks

The Capstone Curriculum

Reading Assignments

Reading Assignments

Each Capstone module has assigned textbooks which are read and discussed through the course. We encourage students to read, reflect upon, and respond to these with their professors, mentors, and fellow learners. Because of the fluidity of the texts (i.e., books going out of print), the required textbooks list will be different from what is listed in your Capstone Curriculum workbook. The textbooks list with each module is the OFFICIAL Capstone required textbook list.

Students: Part of our coursework requires that you purchase, read, and reflect upon the textbook(s) for the course. The assignment is to read each required textbook and write a precis (concise summary) of its main point, as you see it. Please summarize its major theme and argument, and then give your concise evaluation for each reading. Although the Student Workbook only shows space for two readings, the student must write a summary for each reading by using the back of the form. It is of utmost importance to us for our students to analyze a text, that is, to read it, understand its thesis (main point), articulate its argument in a respectful way (whether you agree with the author or not), and then respond as to why you agree or disagree with the thesis. This practice helps strengthen your ability to engage different opinions in a respectful way, and learn to listen to others and respond with clarity and respect. In this way, you learn to dialogue with and discuss with others whose beliefs are different than your own.

Mentors:  The reading assignments below are keyed specifically to the lesson format of this module.  Please note that, depending on how you are structuring your course sessions, you have complete flexibility to break up the reading assignments to match your actual class sessions.  In other words, if you are running an eight week course, simply break up the reading assignments to match your sessions (see Appendix 8 in For the Next Generation, TUMI Mentor Manual for sample course schedule options).  What is critical is that you focus on the lesson as the basic unit of teaching in your Capstone courses.

Kindle

Capstone is also available on Kindle and is a handy complement to your Capstone Students Softcover Workbook; the accessibility of the digital editions will be a lifetime resource for sermon preparation, Bible Study, and theological research.