In the last conversation Jesus had with his disciples, he told them, “I’m going away, but don’t be troubled. I’m sending a Helper.” He was talking about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the 3rd person in the Godhead - the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It’s important for all of us to develop our relationship with the Holy Spirit.
Some things to know about the Holy Spirit...
1. The Holy Spirit is our Helper.
The Greek word for Helper is often translated as Comforter. It comes from Para & Cletos meaning, “alongside” & “to come.” The Holy Spirit is going to come alongside of you to help you in your faith walk.
What does the Holy Spirit do to help us?
He convicts the world of sin.
Conviction does not = condemnation. Conviction draws you closer to God; condemnation drives you away. The devil will try to make you feel condemned. The Holy Spirit doesn’t condemn us of our sins; he convicts us when we sin. When the Holy Spirit convicts us, it’s as a help to encourage us to repent and draw near to God.
Romans 8:1 ”There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
He convinces us of our righteousness.
He also convicts us of righteousness and convinces us that we are the righteousness of God through Jesus. The one thing you can do that God chooses not to do is to remember past sin that has been forgiven. You are the head and not the tail, above and not beneath (Deuteronomy 28:13), and the Holy Spirit encourages us in that truth.
He convicts us of judgement
The ruler of this world (Satan) has been judged (John 16:11), and our judgement has been put off. When the accuser tries to accuse us, the Holy Spirit lets us know that Satan has already been judged and condemned. Satan has no power and no authority--he can’t judge you anymore or tell you you are guilty. We can abide in God’s grace, free of guilt and shame.
2. The Holy Spirit is my friend, and He’s not weird.
Weird people may have made the Holy Spirit seem weird, but those people were weird before the Holy Spirit started helping them, and they’ll probably still be weird after the Holy Spirit is finished working on them. If you don’t have your own personal relationship with the Holy Spirit, it can be easy to define him by someone else’s relationship and misunderstand Him.
There are certain benefits that come with being friends with the Holy Spirit:
Power: He empowers us and gives us the words to say to be witnesses to the world for Christ (Acts 1:8).
Love: The Holy Spirit will always point you back to the love of God, the most valuable of all gifts and expressions of God (1 Corinthians 13).
Fruits of the Spirit + Gifts of the Spirit: When the Holy Spirit is active and you’re developing a relationship with him, you will produce the fruits of the spirit (patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, etc.) and receive his gifts.
3. I Cannot Do It Without Him
Jesus knew his disciples were in over their heads, but he also knew who he was sending, and that the Holy Spirit would be more than enough of a Helper for them.
In 2 Samuel 6, we learn of the power of the Holy Spirit through the lens of the law. This was before God’s presence and spirit were freely available to all. God’s presence was tabernacled in the ark of the covenant. Obed-Edom volunteered to host the ark of the covenant, and God’s presence rested at his house for 3 months. When it left he pursued it, and as a result, Obed and his descendants served the Lord passionately and faithfully throughout the generations. That is the power and impact that the Spirit of God has - even in small measure - on our lives. We can be inspired by Obed who, after only 3 months with God’s presence, would do anything to continue to be in that presence--from serving as a janitor to praising to worshipping God. He left a legacy of being dependant on the Holy Spirit that continued through generations.
