When we first become a Christian we receive the Holy Spirit as part of the salvation gift package. The presence of God the Holy Spirit resides in us. Henry Blackaby asks: but what does the Holy Spirit do? Maybe you’d like to read John’s Gospel, in particular chapters 14 to 16: Here Jesus promised His disciples that the Holy Spirit would help them in the same way that Jesus had. “I will ask the Father and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you forever” (John 14v16). He said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you in all truth” (John 16v13); Jesus also said the Holy Spirit would:
- Convict them of sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16v8);
- Prepare them for things to come (16v13);
- The Holy Spirit would glorify Christ, take what He heard from the heavenly Father and share it with them (16v14-15);
- And bring to their remembrance what Jesus had said (John 14v26).
- And Romans 8v26 says: the Spirit will also help us in our weakness. He will help believers to pray.
God intended for the Holy Spirit to be extremely active in believer’s lives, communicating His will and purposes to us. Not only that, but the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts in abundance to God’s people. Several of these spiritual gifts are listed in Romans 12 (v6-8), 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4 (v1-13) – however, these lists are not meant to be exhaustive but illustrative of God’s abundance in giving gifts of the Holy Spirit to edify and build His church. – As a working definition: a spiritual gift is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit enabling a person to minister to the needs of Christ’s body, the church.
Henry Blackaby, 2008, Experiencing God, Nashville Tennessee: B&H Publishing, p.138
When we first become a Christian we receive the Holy Spirit as part of the salvation gift package. The presence of God the Holy Spirit resides in us. Henry Blackaby asks: but what does the Holy Spirit do? Maybe you’d like to read John’s Gospel, in particular chapters 14 to 16: Here Jesus promised His disciples that the Holy Spirit would help them in the same way that Jesus had. “I will ask the Father and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you forever” (John 14v16). He said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you in all truth” (John 16v13); Jesus also said the Holy Spirit would:
- Convict them of sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16v8);
- Prepare them for things to come (16v13);
- The Holy Spirit would glorify Christ, take what He heard from the heavenly Father and share it with them (16v14-15);
- And bring to their remembrance what Jesus had said (John 14v26).
- And Romans 8v26 says: the Spirit will also help us in our weakness. He will help believers to pray.
God intended for the Holy Spirit to be extremely active in believer’s lives, communicating His will and purposes to us. Not only that, but the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts in abundance to God’s people. Several of these spiritual gifts are listed in Romans 12 (v6-8), 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4 (v1-13) – however, these lists are not meant to be exhaustive but illustrative of God’s abundance in giving gifts of the Holy Spirit to edify and build His church. – As a working definition: a spiritual gift is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit enabling a person to minister to the needs of Christ’s body, the church.
Henry Blackaby, 2008, Experiencing God, Nashville Tennessee: B&H Publishing, p.138
