Never think that because something is invisible it is unimportant or weak. You may be surprised to know that the Bible talks a lot about air. The Old Testament calls it (Ruach). The New Testament calls it (Pneuma). The English Bible, however, does not translate either one as (air). Usually, it’s (breath). “God-breathed into man the breath of life.” Or it is called (wind). “Like a mighty wind.” Or it is translated (spirit) as in the “spirit of man” or “the Holy Spirit.”
Several words are used for Spirit words like helper, advocate, comforter, convicter, restrainer, exhorter, and reprover. He is portrayed by symbols, too, such as a dove, fire, wind, even water.
There are some things the Spirit of God is not. Let me point out three or four ideas that many people have about the Holy Spirit. When people return to their roots and attempt to explain their beliefs, they are often most confused about the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. I have often heard Him called an “it” . . . so let us start there.
The Spirit Is Not an “It,” but a Distinct Personality
The Holy Spirit is a distinct person. He is a “Him,” a “He.” Jesus once said:
John 14:16-17
(16) "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;
(17) that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.
What a helpful revelation! When Jesus left the earth and sent another Helper ("another Helper" of the same kind, interestingly), like Himself, the Helper came and became a part of their lives deep within. No longer near them, but in them. That is a mind-staggering truth.
The Spirit does not just lay back and watch, but He is Active and Involved
Read very carefully, what Jesus taught:
John 16:8
(8) "And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;
John 16:13-14
(13) "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
(14) "He will glorify me, for He will take of mine and will disclose it to you.
Never doubt that the Spirit of God is constantly on the move. As with air, we cannot see Him; nevertheless, He is hard at work convicting, guiding, instructing, disclosing, and glorifying. Just a few of His activities!
The Holy Spirit Is Not Imaginary, but Real and Relevant
Just before Jesus’ ascension back into heaven, He met with a group of His followers. They had questions. He had answers. He also had some crucial news regarding the Spirit who would soon come to take His place.
Acts 1:6-8
(6) So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?"
(7) He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;
(8) but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."
The Spirit is no imaginary or uncertain hope; that is a promise from our Savior.
The Holy Spirit Is Not a Substitute for God, but He Is Deity
This should increase our respect for the Holy Spirit’s work if nothing else will. Tucked away in the book of Acts is a seldom-mentioned story about a couple who paid the ultimate price for their hypocrisy. Woven into their brief biography is a statement of the Spirit’s deity.
Acts 5:1-4
(1) But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,
(2) and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife's full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles' feet.
(3) But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?
(4) "While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God."
When they lied “to the Holy Spirit” (5:3), they “lied . . . to God” (5:4).
Imagine what it means to have the presence of the living God within you. Pause and ponder this, the third member of the Godhead, the invisible, yet the all-powerful representation of deity is living inside your being. His limitless capabilities are resident within you since He indwells you.
You think you cannot handle what life throws at you. You think you cannot stand firm or, when necessary, stand-alone in your life.
You think you cannot handle the lure of life’s temptations. Well, you certainly could not if you were all alone. You alone cannot do that anymore than I can fly alone. However, with the right kind of power put into operation, the very power and presence of God, you can handle it. You can do it. All the pressure will be shifted and the weight transferred from you to Him. It is a radically different way to live. Also, because He is God He can handle it.
Grove Oak Church
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