(3) The Ministry of the Holy Spirit in Our Lives

 

The Holy Spirit may best be described as a part of the triune God (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) with equal power but a distinct function.  

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 states: Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.  

The moment we received Christ as our Personal Savior, we were indwelt by the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is present in the life of every believer.

God, in His wisdom, created the Holy Spirit to function in our lives so that according to Romans 15:13, "we may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."  This hope is in reference to what God's word refers to as eternal hope.  The believer, the one who has confessed his/her sins and received the Lord, Jesus Christ as his/her Personal Savior, "will not perish, but will have eternal life." (John 3:16)  

Overflowing with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit also demonstrates the security that God has provided for and in us through His Holy Spirit.  As we acknowledge the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, not only are we sealed by Him (the Holy Spirit), meaning that no one can snatch us away from God, but He, the Holy Spirit, leads and guides us in all truth.  We are told in Ephesians 4:30, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."

Romans 8:14-16 states:  For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

The Holy Spirit indwells the one who receives Christ as Personal Savior.  As a result, we are led by God's Holy Spirit.  However, as noted earlier, we are directed in Ephesians 4:30 not to grieve the Holy Spirit.  We grieve the Holy Spirit when we think, say, and do things that are unchristian and displeasing to God. As we continue to deepen our Christian walk by reading God's Word, we will learn more and more about those things that are displeasing to God.  That's why reading God's word on a daily basis is like receiving spiritual food similarly to when we need to eat daily to nourish our physical bodies.  

The Holy Spirit intercedes for us.  In Romans 8:26-27, we read: In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. (NIV)

If you are ever at a loss for words to pray to our Heavenly Father when going through a difficult time, one prayer you can present to Him is to ask Him to have His Holy Spirit intercede to Him on our behalf.  Remember, in our Christian life, we are never alone unless we try to be; so, let us always seek to draw closer to Christ who died so that we may have life, and have it more abundantly.  

John 10:10 states: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."  

Who is this thief?  Let us take a look during the next Blog issue.  

And remember to continue your reading in the book of John.  Then continue by reading 1, 2, and 3 John, then Mark and the other Gospels of Matthew and Luke.