What an amazing, powerful weekend for all of us! At this point, it has been a couple weeks since our one-day retreat to Braeside, but I love looking back to reflect on the experiences we all shared together. For some, the day was a time to let the Spirit take lead of your life; for others, the day was an important time to reflect on God’s work in your life and to rededicate your life to Him; and yet for others, this day became a significant moment in your life where you committed your life to Christ and accepted Him into your heart. Praise God! I thank God for all of you and for how He used the weekend to encourage each of you!
Who is the Holy Spirit?
From the very beginning, the Holy Spirit was involved in creation. Genesis 1:2 states that the “Spirit of God hovered over the waters”. At the time of creation, He brought life, newness and unity; and still today, the Spirit breathes life within us physically and spiritually.
In the Old Testament, the Spirit only came upon particular people at a particular time for a particular task. In the example of Gideon who felt inadequate to lead the Mideonites, the Spirit filled him in leadership; in Samson’s life, the Spirit of God came upon him in power to destroy the people who were imprisoning him. However, the Old Testament is also filled with promises that God would pour out His Spirit on all people (Joel 2:28-29). The laws of the OT were a burden as no one could keep them so the Lord promised that rather than making the laws external, He would make it internal; meaning that the laws would be written on our hearts as something that we WANT to obey, not just a law we have to obey. This change in desire would be a result of the Spirit within us. Ezekial prophesied from God, saying “I will give you a new heart and a new Spirit I will put within you…I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules (Ezekial 36:26-27).
These promises became a reality in the New Testament after Jesus ascended into heaven. Acts 1 and 2 express the first accounts of the coming of the Holy Spirit into people’s lives. As in the case with the disciples and apostles, the power of the Holy Spirit allowed them to heal and to share Christ boldly. The same is true for us. Jesus calls us to “repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord calls to Himself. (Acts 2:38).
To be quite honest, this was a hopeful reminder for me. There have been times that I wished Jesus was still here so that He could clarify things that He said, or so that He could guide me to making the right decisions for the future. Perhaps you have had similar thoughts and questions. However, Jesus was human and during His time on earth, His presence was limited just like ours: He couldn’t be everywhere at once, and He certainly couldn’t help everyone at once. If He would still be around, there is sure to be chaos in this world! Even Jesus tells us that it is for our very own benefit that He left earth because He promised to send His Spirit – a person of the Trinity who could be everywhere at once, who could help us all at once. He is here to comfort us, to heal us, to give us peace and power, to convict us, to guide us. Yes, we need Jesus because of what He has done for us, but it is the Spirit that comes to live within us.
What does the Holy Spirit Do?
Sons and Daughters of God
Beyond the Spirit’s ability to comfort, guide, and convict us, it is ultimately the Spirit that makes us adopted sons and daughters of God. “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God…you have received the Spirit of adoption” (Romans 8:14). Having the Spirit in our lives provides us with the greatest privilege, intimacy, and security we can ever experience. It is the Holy Spirit that testifies with our spirit that we are deeply loved by God; so loved, in fact, that we are heirs of God to his eternal treasures.
Developing our Relationship
From the moment our lives are changed in Christ, we enter into personal relationship with God. And like any beginning relationship, things may be awkward at first: you don’t always know what to say; you’re not quite sure how to act with that person; you may be trying hard not to mess things up. Christians experience the same thing when they first enter into a relationship with God. Talking to God is an unchartered ground. What do I say to Him? Is this the right way to being doing this?
Praying can be a challenging conversation at times, but it is the Spirit that helps us to pray. “For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings to deep for words” (Romans 8:26). There is not necessarily a right and wrong way to pray – just talk. God wants to hear how you are doing, what’s going on in your life, and how He can help you. And just like in any relationship, God also wants to hear how much you appreciate Him. So if you don’t quite know what to say, thank Him for everything He has done and is going to do in your life. Take a moment to pause and let the Spirit guide you with the words to say.
When we are led by Spirit, He also enables us to understand God’s Word. Many of us have shared experiences where, in the past, certain Bible verses that we listened to or read made no sense; but once we have the Spirit, “we are given a Spirit of wisdom and revelation, having our hearts enlightened” (Ephesians 1:17-18). Basically, the Spirit helps us to understand what God is teaching us through the Bible.
Family Likeness
Whether a believer or an unbeliever, we are all made in the image of God. Amazingly, when we become a son or daughter of God, the Spirit begins to transform us to reflect more and more the likeness and glory of God – this happens through the fruits of the Spirit. “The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). These characteristics do not necessarily come instantaneously, but as you grow in faith, the Spirit will help you to become more like God.
How Can I Be Filled with the Holy Spirit?
Every Christian does have the Spirit, but not every Christian is filled with the Spirit. The Spirit helps every Christian to pray, to understand God’s truths, to develop the characteristics of God, and to identify spiritual gifts; however, there is filling of the Spirit that we should long for.
In Acts 10, the people experienced the power of the Holy Spirit and they were released in praise, worshipping God with their minds, hearts, and bodies. On a supernatural level, the people received a new language – a gift of tongues – in which people could speak in an unknown human or angelic language. The gift of tongues is both a form of prayer and praise that transcends our own language limitations. Perhaps you have experienced times when you are so zoned into a prayer but you no longer have the words to express how you are feeling or what you want to say. This is when the Spirit comes in: you are in control of your mouth, but it is the Spirit praying, not our minds.
Often the gift of tongues is the first of supernatural gifts that is expressed when filled with the Spirit, however everyone’s experience with the Spirit is different. It is important to remember that the physical manifestations are not what matters but what is happening in the heart. I will admit that, because I so desperately want to be filled with the Spirit again and again, I sometimes pursue the manifestations rather than God Himself. But I have learned that eagerly desiring GOD is what is most important.
So how do we receive this gift? Eagerly desire it and ask God. Put aside all doubt, fear, and thoughts of inadequacy, and believe in what God can do through His Spirit. Matthew 7:7 says “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for.”
It is important to remember that the gift of tongues is not the only manifestation of being filled with the Spirit. In fact, Paul encourages us to desire prophesy over tongues because prophesy helps to build up and encourage each other while tongues is only meant to be private between you and God (unless there is an interpretation). Whatever the gift may be, let us “pursue love and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts” (1 Corinthians 14:1).
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