Bible Basics: Knowing GodНамуна

The Holy Spirit

By Lené Jonck

To understand more about the Holy Spirit, it’s helpful to clear up some common misconceptions. Firstly, the Holy Spirit is a Person – not a force, a miracle machine, or a tap we can turn on. We can’t control Him; He controls us. Secondly, the Holy Spirit is here to complete God’s mission, not just to give us various spiritual experiences. And thirdly, the Holy Spirit is just that: holy. He expects us to be holy like Him. God hates sin because it separates us from Him. We shouldn’t be elevating the Holy Spirit’s gifts above having a godly character.

It’s also important to understand that the Holy Spirit is the giver of life. He was actively involved in creation from the beginning, hovering over the surface of the waters the way a mother bird would brood over her eggs. This displays the Holy Spirit’s tenderness and love for creation. The Holy Spirit is also the one who creates new life in us. It’s through the Spirit that we become born again into God’s family.

Throughout the Bible, we see God’s desire to be close to His people. He met with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden; He met Moses at the burning bush; He met with His people in the temple. Then the Old Testament ends, and we’re left wondering how God will fulfil His promise through Ezekiel, that He would put His Spirit within His people, changing their hearts and the way they lived. Of course, Jesus steps onto the scene: God in flesh, with us! The Holy Spirit revealed Himself as a dove anointing Jesus at His baptism and empowering Jesus’ earthly ministry. Then Jesus promised His followers that God the Father would send the Holy Spirit to fill them and help them too, and that promise was fulfilled at Pentecost. Imagine what would change in your life this week if you realised that you have, with you and in you, Jesus’ representative empowering you to be and do what Jesus has called you to be and do.

At Pentecost, God’s presence didn’t just fill a room, the way it filled the temple. It filled the people in that room, through the indwelling Holy Spirit. God’s temple – His dwelling place – became human beings. Once the disciples were filled with the Spirit, they couldn’t stop preaching the good news of Jesus wherever they went. That’s the kind of change the Holy Spirit brings about in our lives too.

Take a moment to celebrate that God has sent His Spirit to encourage you and empower you, for every step of life’s journey. May the Holy Spirit create in you a hunger for God’s Word and give you a deeper understanding of His truth. May He increase your love for Jesus and lead you to those who don’t know Him. And may He use you to change the atmosphere, every place you go.