Monday Morning Review: 10 Things to Help Us Get Better Acquainted with the Spirit

On By barrysnotes

The Holy Spirit seems to be the most misunderstood and underrated member of what is often referred to as the Trinity. Yet the primary way we experience God in this life is through the Spirit.

Yesterday in our worship services I shared a message about “Getting Better Acquainted with the Spirit.” As Jesus was preparing his disciples for his departure from this planet, he shared with them about the coming of the Holy Spirit:

25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”   John 14:25-27 NIV

In case you missed the message yesterday, here are 10 summary points aimed to help us get better acquainted with the Spirit:

  1. The Holy Spirit is the presence and power of God in our world, best known through the personality and teaching of Jesus, who longs to reside and preside within the life of every human being.
  1. As followers of Jesus, our body is the temple, or primary residence of the Spirit. In other words, God’s address is the same as yours.
  1. Christians use a variety of language to describe their experiences with the Holy Spirit.
  1. Our experience with the Holy Spirit never makes us spiritually elite or superior to any other human being. (One sure sign you’ve got the wrong spirit is that you have an inflated ego, or that you are condescending or judgmental of others.)
  1. The Spirit will never lead us in a direction contrary to what the Bible teaches.
  1. The Spirit engages the best of our cognitive and emotive capacity to communicate with us and to minister to us. We should be careful not to rely merely on our feelings to perceive the presence and power of the Spirit.
  1. The Spirit works in us to accomplish many purposes including the following: 1) To convict us of sin (John 16:8), 2) To confirm our faith (Romans 8:16), 3) To comfort our grief (John 14:16), 4) To calm our fears (John 14:27), 5) To communicate truth (John 16:13).
  1. The Spirit works in mysterious and unpredictable ways, and cannot be domesticated or manipulated.
  1. The Spirit encourages, equips, and empowers us for the challenges of life. If you hear a voice in your head condemning you, berating you, telling you that you are worthless and that there is no hope for your future, you can be sure that voice is not the Spirit of God.
  1. The Holy Spirit aims to unify and motivate God’s people to serve cooperatively and courageously, and with fresh relevance, in our world and in our community.

As we prepare to live in the power of the Spirit this week, consider the counsel of my colleague Chuck Queen:

If you want to participate in the work of the Spirit in the world, it’s really very simple. Just look for ways to love people. Look for ways to take care of our planet. Look for ways to bring healing and hope to those struggling with sickness and despair. Look for ways to lift the poor out of their poverty. Build bridges, tear down walls and extend boundaries. The one who is filled with love is filled with the Spirit. The language of love is the universal language of the Spirit.

(Barry Howard serves as Lead Pastor at the First Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida.)

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