The Helper
One of the most wonderful benefits of being a Believer and a Disciple of Christ is that we don’t have to do it alone. God assists you on your Christian journey in countless ways to live out the life he meant you to live. That’s great news for us and should be a source of great encouragement! So how does God assist us? How does he help us along the way? He gives us a “Helper” called the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God's gift to you (Acts 2:38) and that is whom we are going to talk about today!
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is one with God the Father and with Jesus the Son. The three of them (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) are distinct, yet are totally unified. They are one God expressed in 3 persons. We call this the Holy Trinity. This may be a little difficult to understand fully at first, but as you continue to grow in your faith, it will become clearer and easier to understand.
Jesus introduces the Holy Spirit
The night before Jesus was crucified, he told his disciples in John 14:16-17, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 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.” He was talking about the Holy Spirit. Later in the same chapter he said, These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. The Holy Spirit is critical to the spiritual life of a Believer, as he guides us, leads us, teaches us, convicts us, gives us power, and special unique gifts.
Purposes of the Holy Spirit
We are commanded in God’s Word to “be filled with the Holy Spirit”. Receiving the Holy Spirit is subsequent to the Salvation experience. In other words, a person can only receive the Holy Spirit after they have been converted to Christ. This initial receiving of the Holy Spirit is called the “Baptism of the Holy Spirit” (see Matthew 3:11; 1 Corinthians 12:13). There are 3 main purposes for the baptism of the Holy Spirit:
1) Purity – The Holy Spirit cleanses the attitudes, mindsets, habits, and spirit of the believer. This process is called sanctification. Paul wrote, “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you would avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable”. (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4)
2) Power for Witnessing – (See Acts 1:8) Witnessing is letting people know what God has done in Christ. It is the story of God’s love and mercy. Witnessing is also telling others how Christ has blessed your own life with forgiveness and salvation.
3) Unity of Believers – Unity of believers can only be realized through the work of
the Holy Spirit. He gives us a oneness in spirit and purpose, regardless of difference in traditions, backgrounds, experiences, nationalities, and cultures. Jesus prayed, “Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name – the name you gave me – so that they may be one as we are one” (John 17:11)
Power from God
Jesus said in Acts 1:8, "but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses..." The Greek word used here for "power" is "dunamis". It is used 118 times in the New Testament. Dunamis is the implied ability or capacity to perform. It conveys the idea of effective, productive divine energy.
This dunamis power comes from one particular source, the Holy Spirit. It takes power to overcome the power of sin, power to tell others about Christ, power and to resist temptation. It’s takes power to live for God in a world that is so ungodly and void of morality. That is why the Holy Spirit’s presence and activity in your life is vital if you are to be successful.
Power over Temptation
One of the greatest benefits of having the Holy Spirit in your life is he gives you power to overcome temptation. Temptation is the enticement to sin. However, though we are tempted to sin, it doesn’t we have to yield to the temptation.
There are a few things to remember about temptation.
1. Everyone is experiences it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
2. No temptation is too strong. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
3. There’s always a way out. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
4. You have ability to resist it. (James 4:7)
5. God never tempts you. (James 1:12-15)
6. The Holy Spirit gives us victory over it. (Galatians 5:16)
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