The work of the Holy Spirit is manifold. He instructs, leads, and guides believers, putting in our hearts and minds to do his will (1 John 2:27; Phil. 2:12–13; Rom. 8:14; cf. Neh. 9:20). He gives us an inner assurance that we are saved (Rom. 8:16), and spiritual gifts. Each one of us as a believer has at least a gift (“each” [1 Pet. 4:10], “each one” [1 Cor. 12:7; Rom. 12:3]). He gives office gifts (e.g., apostles, prophets, evangelists) to those who serve the church at large in a specific capacity (Eph. 4:11–12).^[1] Let me highlight four specific ministries of the Holy Spirit as he relates to human beings.

Salvation (Pre-Believers)

• Conviction of sin (John 16:8) that leads to conversion: causes us to recognise our sins and prompts us to turn from them.
• Regeneration/born again (2 Cor. 4:3–4; John 6:44; Titus 3:5): causes us to accept Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord and have eternal life.
• Opening the eyes of pre-believers whom “the god of this age” (Satan) has blinded from seeing the truth (2 Cor. 4:4).
• He baptises us (Rom. 6:3–5; 1 Cor. 12:13): incorporates us into the body of Christ.^[2]
• He indwells us (1 Cor. 6:19–20).
• He seals us (Eph. 1:13–14): marks us as God’s possession and signifies ownership and authority.

Sanctification (Believers)

• He changes us to become more Christ-like (2 Cor. 3:18; Rom. 12:1–2).
• He helps us deal with sin. He convicts us when we sin. Note that conviction comes from the Spirit but condemnation comes from Satan.
• Conformity to Christ is the ultimate goal.

Supplication (Believers)

In times of weakness, we do not know how to pray or what to say. The Holy Spirit comes to our rescue by teaching us how to pray according to the will of God (Rom. 8:27) and also intercedes to God on our behalf (Rom. 8:26–27). How wonderful it is to know that God the Holy Spirit intercedes for us! It is equally wonderful to know that Jesus Christ also intercedes for us (Rom. 8:34).

As believers, therefore, we have double intercession! Christ intercedes at the right hand of God in heaven while the Holy Spirit intercedes in the hearts of people. Christ’s intercession is apart from us but the Holy Spirit is within us. We can’t stop Christ from praying for us (John 17:9) but we can either facilitate or frustrate the Spirit’s praying by our sins.

Christ prays for us in the sense that he makes us the object of his praying. The Holy Spirit makes us the vehicle of his praying. He prays on our behalf by enabling us to pray and helping us in our weakness when we do not know how to pray as we ought.^[3]

Service (Believers)

The Holy Spirit gives us power for ministry (Rom. 15:13, 19; 1 Cor. 2:4; 1 Thess. 1:5) in the area of preaching/teaching and leading. It is the Holy Spirit that empowers sermons and the preacher’s preaching in order to transform lives.^[4]

He also inspires worship on the part of believers (Phil. 3:3). “There is no true acceptable worship except that which the Holy Spirit prompts and directs” (cf. John 4:24).^[5] “No man, not even the Son of God, can do God’s work without God’s Spirit. All the human equipment that the workman of God can have for his work is useless without the equipment of the Spirit.”^[6]

Ministers need their Day of Pentecost, need it desperately. . . . If the minister of God is good for anything his must be the power to make other people catch fire. And only fire can do that. It is only life that can kindle life; only a spirit that burns that can make other hearts and spirits burn also. (Calkins)

One of my favourite stories comes from 1 Kings 14:26–27. The reign of Solomon’s kingdom was a time of peace, prosperity, and grandeur (e.g., Solomon’s temple). During his reign he had 300 shields made of gold and put it in the temple (1 Kings 10:17). Each shield weighed about 3,000 pounds of gold. Those shining golden shields remind others of his power, wealth, and God’s blessings.

When King Solomon died, his son Rehoboam took over. After five years of rule under Rehoboam, Shishak the king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. In an act of defiance, he stole treasures from the king’s house which included the 300 golden shields (1 Kings 14:26). The moral of the story is this: Beware of substituting the work of the Holy Spirit with eloquence, rhetoric, and big words. When we depend on gimmicks and gadgets in our preaching instead of on the Holy Spirit, we are doing what Rehoboam did—substituting the golden shields for brass shields. The question to ask is, “Are we guilty of substituting the real for the counterfeit?”