Jesus, told His Apostles that He would send them the Holy Spirit after He ascended into Heaven, to help and strengthen them, to teach the gospel to the world, with boldness The bible tells us that after the death of Jesus Christ, the apostles locked themselves in the room out of fear but as soon as they received the Holy Spirit, they conquered that fear and walked the streets of Jerusalem, preaching the Word of God to all and sundry.
The important question here is, who is the Holy Spirit? Scripture tells us that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity in Christian belief, this is, Father (God), Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit. So, the Holy Spirit is fully God and not just a force or influencer but, a divine person with Will, intellect and emotion. It is very important for us to understand who the Holy Spirit is because understanding it, is a central part of Christian theology. When we understand this, we would then be able to also understand the role of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the ‘’Helper’’ or ‘’Advocate’’ In John 14: 16, 26, it is written that the Holy Spirit will teach and remind believers, of Jesus teaching. Acts, 1: 8, says that the Holy Spirit empowers believers to be witnesses of Christ all over the world and, 1Conrinthians 6:19 says that, the body of believers receive the Holy Spirit to live within them. Note my use of the title ‘’believer’’ here. Yes, l use the title ‘’believer ‘’ here because not all who call themselves Christians, believe in the Word of God. The fact that you are baptized, does not necessarily make you a believer. The title ”believer”, is for those who believe in the Word of God and put it into action.
Be that as it may, as we look forward to the Ascension Day this Thursday, May 29, 2025, and await the Pentecost Day on June 8, 2025, let us start now to put ourselves in order (body and soul) so that we will experience and enjoy the benefits of the Holy Spirit in our lives. As scripture tells us in John 3:5-8, ‘’ No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit’ ’The holy Spirit brings us new spiritual life. It leads us into the truth, illuminates Scripture and helps believers to understand God’s Word. Scripture says that whoever does not have the Spirit cannot receive the gifts that come from God’s Spirit-( 1 Corinthians, 2: 14). Jesus promised us that the Holy Spirit will give us spiritual gifts such as, the gift of teaching, healing, prophecy, leadership etc. If we are prepared spiritually, the Holy Spirit will intercede for us especially, when we find ourselves in a state where we are unable to pray. This does happen sometimes when we are going through some difficulty and are confused. But when we are spiritually sound, the Holy Spirit becomes our Comforter bringing us peace and the assurance of God’s goodness. On the other hand, just as the Holy Spirit works in favour of the believers, it also works in the heart of unbelievers to prove to them that they are wrong about sin and about what is right and about God’s judgement. (John 16:8-9).
However, the Holy Spirit draws people to Jesus and opens the process of salvation for them. Therefore, for us to experience the work of the Holy Spirit in us, we need to believe in Christ and pray regularly. We need to be in regular communication with God so that our heart can open to receive the Spirit’s guidance. Most importantly, we need to be obedient, that is, following God’s command which helps us to to deepen our relationship with Him.
1 Comment