Spirit and the Life of a Pre-Believer

For pre-believers to become believers, they need to be “born again” which is ascribed to the work of the Holy Spirit (John 3:3, 5, 7). He is in the business of regenerating human hearts. It is only the Holy Spirit who can convict them of their sins, convince them of their need of a Saviour, and change them. “And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me” (John 16:8–9).

Furthermore, the apostle Paul said, “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God” (2 Cor.4:4). Only the Holy Spirit can open their eyes to see spiritual truths.

Spirit in the Life of a Believer

The possession of the Spirit is the hallmark of a believer (Rom. 8:9). Without the Holy Spirit, a person cannot be called a Christian. The Spirit dwells in all Christians (Rom. 8:9, 11; 2 Cor. 3:16–17). The Spirit within us is evidence that God abides with us (John 3:24; 1 John 4:13). “For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children” (Rom. 8:16).

A Christian is sealed by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13; cf. 4:30) and filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18).

We are to be guided or led by the Spirit (Gal. 5:16, 18, 25; cf. John 16:13) and we are to walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:25; peripatein—to walk about around which became a regular word for daily living and conduct). In the early church, they spoke as the Spirit led them (Acts 2:4) and were led by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:14; cf. Acts 16). They were guided by the Spirit to go to the right places and in Acts 15:28, “it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and us.”

Through the Spirit we have become God’s masterpiece: “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Eph. 2:10) and his heirs: “And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory” (Rom. 8:17).

In ancient and modern days,

court officials blocked people’s access to the king. There would be someone who would decide whether people could see the king or not. That person is called the prosagoge.

The Holy Spirit is our introducer to God who willingly grants us access to enter into the presence of God. Through the Spirit we have access (prosagoge) to God (Eph. 2:18). In other words, the Holy Spirit is the Wi-Fi that connects us to God!

Through the Spirit, we call God “Abba” (Father; cf. Rom. 8:16; Gal. 4:6). We become adopted children. In the ancient world, the adopted child has full rights of inheritance as a biological child.

Through the Spirit, God’s love is shed abroad (Rom. 5:5). Peace comes through the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17). So also hope (Rom. 15:13; Gal. 5:5), love (Rom. 15:30; Col. 1:8), liberty (Eph. 3:16), and strength (Eph. 3:16).We are told to stand fast in the Spirit (Phil. 1:27). The power of the Spirit helps us to be loyal to Christ. The Holy Spirit is called Spirit of truth and guides us into the truth (John 16:13).

The Spirit enables us to say “Jesus is Lord” (1 Cor. 12:3). True worship of God is in the Spirit (Phil. 3:30). The Holy Spirit assists us to pray (Rom. 8:26, 27) and from him comes diversity of gifts (1 Cor. 12:8–11). The Holy Spirit sanctifies us (1 Cor. 6:11; 2 Cor. 3:18; 2 Thess. 2:13). The Holy Spirit is an agent of sanctification and power of God operative in our lives.

He cleanses and changes us so that we learn to think and live rightly.

“The glory of the Christian message is that no person needs to stay the way he or she is” (Harry Emerson Fosdick).

We are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19). We are the holy of holies in which God’s Spirit dwells. This great truth should change our attitude towards ourselves. A Christian lives in the Spirit (Gal. 5:25).

The New Testament church was Spirit-filled, Spirit-indwelt, and Spirit-led. We are exhorted to “keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3) and reminded that there is “one body and one Spirit (Eph. 4:4). The unity that unites believers (may be destroyed by human failures) depends on the supernatural activity of God.^[1] Only the Holy Spirit can bring about unity (Paul is not talking about unity of organization or structure). A warring congregation and a divided church means the Holy Spirit is not present. The unity of the church is not unity of organization but of the Spirit. The Spirit brings unity between Jews and Gentiles to worship God, and as they do, barriers are broken (Eph. 2:18). By the Spirit, the people of God are built together for the habitation of God (Eph. 2:22). The unity of the Spirit comes from the fact that there is one body and one Spirit (Eph. 4:3–4).

The Transformer and Game Changer is the Holy Spirit. Pentecost changed every one of the disciples (except for Judas) from powerless to powerful, and from cowardly to courageous witnesses (Acts 2). The promise of Jesus, “You will receive power after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you” (Acts 1:8), became a reality on Pentecost. Without divine empowerment by the Holy Spirit, they would not have been able to “turn the world upside down” (cf. Acts 17:6). “The church needs to open its heart to this supernatural, dynamic power that will energize its ministry and mission.”^[2] Similarly, there is no need for Christians to be powerless today because of the Holy Spirit.

Spirit in the Life of the Leader/Teacher/Preacher

There is a lack of power in the Christian ministry. Wesley Duewel in his book Ablaze for God^[3] lamented,

Over many a Christian leader’s record, (and, we could say, over many a pastor’s record) could be stamped these words: LACKS POWER. Why do so many ministers and lay leaders have a vague restless awareness that something is lacking in their leadership? Perhaps the greatest lack in most Christian leadership and ministry is this divine bestowal, the Spirit’s empowerment. . . . Perhaps the greatest and most revolutionary change that could happen to your leadership would be for you to receive and continually experience the divine dimension. Once you receive it and experience the difference it makes, you will not want to minister without it.^[4]

Scripture informs us that the disciples “preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven” (1 Pet. 1:12). Preaching of the gospel is done by or in the Holy Spirit and the content revealed by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 3:5). Paul’s preaching was in demonstration of the Spirit (1 Cor. 2:1–5; 1 Thess. 1:5).

We either preach in the flesh or in the spirit. The word “flesh” means the lower or baser part of human nature and linked with sin and imperfection. Both are at war (Rom. 8:1–14; Gal. 5:16–26). “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want” (Gal. 5:17 NIV). Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires (egocentric) but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires (God-centric). Those who work in the realm of the flesh cannot please God (Rom. 8:5–8). A catalogue of works of the flesh is given in Gal. 5:19–21. In other words, the fleshly nature is concerned about the self-directed life. The Spirit is concerned with the glory of God. Any ministry (preaching, teaching, or leading in the flesh cannot please God, let alone get desired results.

The Scripture is clear that when it comes to preaching the Word, without the Holy Spirit, the Transformer or Game Changer, no lives can be touched or transformed however eloquent or gifted a preacher or minister might be. Any change apart from the Holy Spirit will be shallow and transient since only the Holy Spirit can convict, convince, change, and convert listeners.

The Holy Spirit works in, through, and around us. Victorious Christian living and vibrant and effective ministry are dependent on the Empowering Spirit.
 

To us, as ministers, the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential. Without him our office is a mere name. We claim no priesthood over and above that which belongs to every child of God; but we are the successors of those who, in olden times, were used of God to declare his Word, to testify against transgression and to plead his cause. Unless we have the spirit of the prophets resting upon us, the mantle which we wear is nothing but a rough garment to deceive. We ought to be driven forth with abhorrence for the society of honest men for daring to speak in the name of the Lord if the Spirit of God rests not upon us. (Charles Haddon Spurgeon)

The bottom line is that the Holy Spirit is involved in all aspects of the Christian life.

The Holy Spirit is God’s chief executive in the world and God’s agent of redemption. He has been active in creating and sustaining the universe. He is active in convicting and converting men to God, in correcting and in sanctifying the lives of believers, and in anointing and empowering those in God’s service.^[5]

The promise from Jesus is that “if you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13).^[6]

O Holy Spirit, descend plentifully into my heart. Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling and scatter there Thy cheerful beams. (Saint Augustine)

O Spirit of God, You are ready to work with us today even as you did then! Work, we beseech You, in us. Break down every barrier that hinders the incomings of Your might.

 Overturn, overturn, O sacred wind. Consume all obstacles. O heavenly fire, and give us now both hearts of flame and tongues of fire to preach Your reconciling word, for Jesus’ sake. Amen. (Charles Haddon Spurgeon)

To understand the person, role, and work of the Holy Spirit, let us begin by doing a survey of the Holy Spirit in the Old and New Testaments.