The Ministry Of The Holy Spirit

A subject that should be talked about more is the ministry of the Holy Spirit. It says in I Corinthians 6:19 that for Christians our bodies are temples of the third person of the Trinity. He was the power behind the boldness of the Christians in the Book of Acts.

The Holy Spirit was given, as recorded in Acts 2:1-13, for the purpose of giving boldness to share the gospel. More powerful moments are recorded throughout this book. Many more examples could be cited as to how the early Christians were led by the Holy Spirit. They had continual interaction with him.

” Please don’t let this reality slip past you like an interesting piece of trivia that might catch your attention for a minute, but that you’ll never take the time to really investigate. You are a temple of the Holy Spirit. You are not just a person living your life by human power. The spirit of God is in you; that is why Jesus said it was better for Him to go and the Spirit to come. Don’t walk away from this. Delve into it and let it impact you deeply, first internally and then outwardly”(1). “Living by the Spirit implies a habitual, continual, and active interaction… While this sounds exhausting, it really isn’t because all of this living and action is done in the power of the Spirit. It is not by your own strength”(2).

As Christians, how much of the time do we try to live in our own strength and guidance? How much do we ask for the leading and boldness of the Spirit dwelling within us? Do we claim his power in overcoming temptation?  Galatians 5:16 says, “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not verify the desires of the flesh.” How many of the fruits of the spirit listed in Galatians 5:22 are becoming more and more evident in our life? “-love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

Have there been times in your life when you could say for sure that the Holy Spirit was at work?  Maybe there was a strong impression to do something, or a new insight from scripture that really struck you. Perhaps you had that peace that passes all understanding.

“I think we could all agree that living according to our sinful flesh is not what is intended for us as children of God. Yet even so, we often choose to face life’s issues and circumstances in exactly the same way as someone without the Spirit of God. We worry, strive, and grieve no differently than unbelievers. While it is true that we are humans like everyone else, it is also true that we are humans with the Spirit of God dwelling in us. Yet, whether consciously or not, we essentially say to God, ‘I know you raised Christ from the dead, but the fact is my problems are just too much for you and I need to deal with them by myself.’” (3)

Author Francis Chan says, “I don’t want my life to be explainable without the Holy Spirit.” (4) How many Christians would say that? May you and I be one of them!

1. Francis Chan, Forgotten God, David C. Cook Publishing, 2009, pg 111

2. Ibid, pg 131

3. Ibid, pg 145

4. Ibid, pg 142