Believers and the Holy Spirit

Posted on June 12, 2024, 8:57 a.m. by Rev. Shobayo Kayode The Gospel Study Centre

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts.1:8) Despite the above fulfilled promise of our Lord Jesus Christ, there is this widespread ignorance on the part of many believers concerning the role of the Holy Spirit in their lives. They understand that Jesus died on the cross at the Calvary for their sins. They have gone to the Calvary to receive pardon. But they have not been to the Pentecost to receive power. This is because they do not have the understanding of the relevance of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Such believers are often described as being between the Calvary and the Pentecost. The Scriptures pointed us to the fact that it was in the day of Pentecost that God’s Spirit came to in-dwell believers, and from that point to this time, every true believer is in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit. (Eph.1:13) But, some believers are not very sure of the fact. Many believers doubt the personality of the Holy Spirit even when the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is a very real person, the third person of the Trinity. He is not an “it”. Jesus uses personal pronoun to describe the person of the Holy Spirit. He says, “the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” (John.14:17) The use of He and Him is a clear testament asserting the personality of the Holy Spirit. What we should understand is that, if the person of the Holy Spirit is denied, His existence is denied. It is important to mention quickly three great significance of value that the Holy Spirit does in the life of the believer. The first work He does for the believer is Salvation. Salvation came as a result of Conviction (John.16:8) that helps man to understand that he is a sinner (Rom.3:23) and that Jesus died for him on the cross, and that if he would invite Jesus into his heart he would be saved (Rom.10:13). The second work He does in the believer is Sanctification. (Titus.3:5) It means He cleanses believer from the guilt of sin, accompanied by regeneration. The third work is the one done by the power of Holy Spirit through the believer, known as Service. (Acts.6:8) The ability to be able to do the work of the Gospel. Brethren, let us be mindful of the in-dwelling Holy Spirit in us. A true believer is a carrier of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that enables believer’s fellowship with God. The Holy Spirit is the activating force in the life of believers without which a believer is powerless and fruitless. Everything the believer need to be a witness for Jesus and to serve Jesus Christ is already available for him in the Holy Spirit who lives in his heart. Let us remember also that “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and truth” (John.4:24) Evangelism Introduce Jesus Christ to someone today. Let the person know that Jesus came to save from sin and the consequences of sin. Praise the Lord. Rev. Shobayo Kayode The Gospel Study Centre