Hang Time! Bible study No. 10: Attributes of God = spirit

Greek = pneuma. A current of air, breath, blast or a breeze; a spirit, God.

Introduction: "If we ponder who God really is before we carelessly utter any remark before or about Him, surely we will render a more considered, respectful utterance. This is no different from the respect we would show the distinguished stranger if we knew his true identity. When once we see Him as He really is, the trite or casual remark no longer seems appropriate. In fact, when we know the God who is, our first reaction is to hide from the awfulness of His presence. We want to see the face of God, until the presence of His glory draws near. Then, we want Him to hide us in the cleft of a rock. His presence is like peals of thunder and the fierce winds of a violent storm, and we reconsider the foolishness of our whim to see Him. He is a holy God. Not only holy–but holy, holy, holy."–Patrick Morley

God is a spirit who is everywhere all at once, according to the Bible. In other words, God is omnipresent. How is it possible that this God, our God, can be at a high school football game, the White House, a movie theater and a grocery store on a Friday night? How does this concept of God being an omnipresent spirit impact you?

Read John 10:29 and John 14:28. How does Jesus view the Father? Based on these two verses as well as others you might bring to the discussion, are the attributes of God the Father to be considered greater than the attributes of Jesus, or are both of these sets of attributes to be thought of in similar terms?

Read John 3:5-8. It is hard to explain the mystery of God being a spirit, but Jesus does it quite well in this passage. What does it mean to be born of water and the Spirit? How has the spirit part of God become authentic in your life?

Read 2 Corinthians 3:3. Paul’s reference to the living God is significant. How much spirit can a dead god have? Is our God alive or dead? What evidence do we have either way?

God is obviously much bigger than the FCA or any particular church. He does not need any one of us, yet He chooses to use us. How might this study of the attributes of God change your view of the FCA, a particular church or any of the other tools that are at His disposal?

Memory verse: "God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."–John 4:24

Conclusion: "The more I get to know my God, the more I become like Him. I discover He’s holy; I want to be holy. I discover He’s good; I want to be better. I discover He’s strong; I want to be more confident. I discover He’s in control; I don’t want to panic my way through life. I don’t want to ricochet from one event to another; I want to move through life calmly, consistently. I want to be like my Father. And in order to be like Him, I need to know what He is like."–Chuck Swindoll