Come Holy Spirit (Part Three)

Now, what does the Spirit do when He comes? Theologians often divide the work of the Trinity this way:

God the Father is the Source of all things.

God the Son is the Channel of all things.

God the Spirit is the Agent of all things.

As the Source, all things flow from the Father’s will. As the Channel, all of God’s blessing flow to us through Jesus Christ the Son. But it is the Holy Spirit who acts as the Agent of the Almighty, who actually carries out the directives of the Father.

A. In History

In almost every interview I’ve been asked what I have learned about the Holy Spirit from writing my book. I always say that I’ve been amazed to discover that the Holy Spirit is everywhere in the Bible. The first mention is in Genesis 1:2 and the last mention of the Spirit is in Revelation 22:17. He’s present at the moment of creation and he’s there at the very end of the Bible. In the Old Testament you see the Holy Spirit coming with great power upon kings, priests, judges and military leaders. He is also the one who inspired the poets to sing and gave the prophets a message to proclaim. He is the cloud by day and the fiery pillar by night that led Israel through the wilderness. He was the spirit that lifted Ezekiel when the people were in captivity. He was also the one who enabled Zerubbabel to rebuild the temple.

When you come to the New Testament, you see him at work especially in the life of Christ. Our Lord was conceived by the Holy Spirit, who came upon him at his baptism, who led him into the wilderness, who filled him with power to work miracles, who bore witness that he was the Son of God, who was with him in the crucifixion and who raised him from the dead. All that Jesus did, he did in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit was there at Pentecost when the church was born. He was there when Peter and Paul preached across the Roman Empire. It was the Holy Spirit who gave the apostles boldness to preach in the face of persecution and indifference. It was the Holy Spirit who brought unity to the early church and caused it to grow in spite of fierce opposition.

Everywhere you turn in the Bible, you see the Holy Spirit at work. He is the Unseen Hand of God moving through human history to accomplish God’s purposes on the earth.

And the Spirit is active in our world today! We can answer that from the words of Jesus in John 16:8, “When he (the Holy Spirit) comes, he will convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment.” The word “convict” comes from the drama of a courtroom trial. It refers to what the prosecuting attorney does when he argues his case.

He puts the defendant on the witness stand and begins to pile up the evidence. Fact upon fact, witness upon witness, truth upon truth, slowly, inexorably, irresistably building his case until finally the enormity of the evidence is so overwhelming that the judge is forced to say to the defendant, “I find you guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.” Not only that, this word means to present the evidence in such an overwhelming fashion that even the defendant is compelled at the end of the trial to step up and say, “I admit it. I confess. I am guilty.”

Therefore, I conclude that the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the world today is primarily the ministry of bringing men and women to the place of personal conviction concerning their own moral guilt before God. These words of Jesus are literally true today. The Holy Spirit works through us so that as we share the gospel with men and women, they are convicted of their true moral guilt before God. As we share the gospel they come to the conclusion, “Yes, I am guilty. Yes, I need a savior.”

Here are some of the things the Spirit does for us as beleivers:
He baptizes believers in the body of Christ (I Corinthians 12:13).
He seals every believer, thus assuring their salvation (Ephesians 1:13).

He indwells every believer with his personal presence (I Corinthians 6:19-20)

He gives spiritual gifts to every believer (I Corinthians 12:11).  This empowers the church!
He produces the fruit of a godly life in us (Galatians 5:22-23).
He enables us to put to death the deeds of the flesh (Romans 8:13).

He Fills us when we ask, as we are commanded to Be Continually Filled

Ephesians 5:18 says, “Be filled with the Spirit.” In the Greek that phrase is a present passive imperative. An imperative is a command–Be filled. The passive voice means that we are not commanded to fill ourselves but rather to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The present tense describes something that happens continually. You could legitimately translate this verse “Be continually filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Let us step out and open ourselves up to the stirrings of the Holy Spirit, to renewal, to invigoration, to new life for our churches. Pray that the mighty shaking Wind will come upon us and renew us, and let us face this powerful and renewing wind that is the Holy Spirit together, to stir our Church afresh with divine deeds of power. Like the disciples on that day in the upper room, let us too expect the miraculous filling of the Holy Spirit. 

What better way to move into the future together than by asking God for a fresh outpouring of the Spirit. What wonderful things could happen if only the Spirit of God would come in great power. May God grant it! Amen.