Some believe that because one belongs to a church, has a Bible, or comes from a Christian family, one is spiritual. That is not always the case. When the Bible speaks about spiritual things, it is to those who have a relationship with Jesus and have learned to “hear” the voice of the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, and obey Him.
Knowing about the Holy Spirit is not the same as knowing the Holy Spirit! There is a big difference between “head knowledge” or intellectual understanding and personal “heart knowledge” or faith. Listen to what the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:14, “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” The natural man in this verse refers to the person who is not born-again. So, Paul is saying that to understand the things of the Spirit of God, you must be born again. Show More
It is amazing that some miss the fact that we are instructed throughout the Bible, Old Testament, and New to trust and rely on the Spirit of God. For example, in the Old Testament:
- Zechariah 4:6, “So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.”
Zerubbabel led the first wave of Jews returning to Judah after the Babylonians’ exile. His task was to rebuild Jerusalem, a seemingly impossible task. However, God reminded Zerubbabel that it was not by natural strength or ability but by the limitless power of the Spirit of God! Nothing is impossible with God!
Then the Apostle Paul says in the New Testament, Ephesians 3:20-21, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” These two verses speak to the Spirit of God living in the Believer and not to the individual’s natural abilities, talents, or strengths.
Again, we see in 2 Peter 1:3-4 that the Lord has given us everything we need to live life righteously and fulfill His plans for our lives. “3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” Those great and precious promises are fulfilled as we learn to walk in the Spirit and not in the natural abilities of the flesh.
The Twofold Work of the Holy Spirit.
When we accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, we agreed to allow Him to lead us in two areas of life. The first is to shape our character, and the second is to fulfill His assignment in the Body of Christ, the church.
When we decided to receive Jesus into our hearts and minds, we also received the gift of salvation. What this means is that “heaven is ours.” Jesus promised that He would prepare a place for us and that He would return for us. John 14:1, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 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. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
That is wonderful news for the future; however, Jesus also promises us heaven now in, Luke 17:20-21, “Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” As I said before, the Kingdom of God on earth is available to us for two purposes. The first is to become like Jesus in character and behavior. The second is to make Jesus known to those who are lost.
The Work of the Holy Spirit in our Personal Lives.
While we understand that we are forgiven and made clean before God, 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” We still must be transformed by the renewing of our minds, Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” This renewing of the mind is a process whereby we replace old habits and ways of thinking and believing and replace them with the truth of His Word, the New Covenant of the Bible.
Before Jesus ascended to the Father, He promised that the Father would send us a “Helper,” John 14:15-18, “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” Clearly, Jesus promised that He would not leave us alone.
The Holy Spirit lives in us, and the character of the Spirit is the character we must learn to walk in. This character of the Holy Spirit is spelled out in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” These traits or characteristics are how we demonstrate Christ in us! You have heard the expression, “they shall know we are Christians by our love.” This expression is based upon Jesus’ words in John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
When we accepted Jesus as Lord, we agreed to become more like Jesus in character as well as in power and authority.
- Ephesians 4:21-24, “if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”
- Romans 8:29, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
The Work of the Holy Spirit in the Body of Christ, the Church.
The Lord has provided gifts to expand the Kingdom of God on earth. These gifts and abilities are available to empower the body of born-again Believers, otherwise known as the church, to do the work of the ministry or assignment. When the Christian uses these gifts it is referred to as the “Anointing.” This anointing is truly the work of the Holy Spirit and should not be confused with natural talent, abilities, eloquence, or personality. I always like to remind myself of a definition my friend, Dr. Frank Parrish of World MAP, coined. “Anointing is none other than the Person and presence of the Holy Spirit, bringing with Him the necessary power, authority and gifts to fulfill the Father’s will in a given moment of ministry or assignment.” We should not diminish the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives in fulfilling God’s purpose.
We often think that we need education, persuasiveness of speech, and charismatic personality to represent Jesus; while all those things can be helpful, all we really need is the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul mentions this in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, “And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are unique skills and abilities given by the Holy Spirit to faithful followers of Christ to serve God for the common benefit of his people, the church. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are available to us because of the Helper that Jesus promised that the Father would send to us. Jesus knew that we would need help learning how to become more like Him and fulfilling the Great Commission. The Great Commission is that charge given to all Believers to proclaim the Good News. These gifts and abilities are found in the following places in the scriptures: 1 Corinthians 12:1-9 and 27-31, Romans 12:3-8, Ephesians 4:11-16 and 1 Peter 4:10-11.
Listen to what Jesus said in Mark 16:15-18, “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Take note of verse 17, “And these signs will follow those who believe…” Can you see that signs and wonders are not just for our benefit but also for the benefit of the unbelievers? Some come to Christ through the Gospel message alone, and some are drawn to the Gospel because of the signs of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said in John 6:44, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” Since nothing is impossible with God, He will use any means to draw people to Jesus.
If you are born-again, you must have the Holy Spirit living in you. Your salvation was a surrender to Jesus. You acknowledged that you are a sinner forgiven by faith in the grace provided by the blood of Jesus. In a similar way, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is a surrender to the Spirit of God, acknowledging that the Holy Spirit lives in you and you have received the gifts of the Spirit. Just as salvation is a grace gift and must be received to be effective, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a grace gift that must be received to be effective.
When you are born-again, you know it because of the peace and assurance that the Lord gives you to know that you are saved. When you are baptized in the Holy Spirit, you know it because you will speak in new tongues and move in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. However, all these things require learning how to be led or directed by the Holy Spirit. Learning to hear or discern the voice of the Spirit is the key to an overcoming life in the service of our King, King Jesus. Philippians 1:6, “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;”
