The Holy Spirit

A little over a year ago, I was on a plane to my daughter’s graduation. I was reading The DaVinci Code. I happen to be seated next to a woman who worked in some capacity for a Christian magazine. She began a conversation with me by questioning why I was reading that particular book. I explained that I had a feeling that in the times to come we would need to have answers to things that the book would try to claim were true but weren’t. At the same time, I remarked that I also wanted to write an article on the Holy Spirit. The gist of her comments was that my aspirations were unnecessary. I never did put anything down to refute the claims made by The DaVinci Code and I never did write anything about the Holy Spirit.
Now a year later, I see that both were needed. I have had verbal conversations with many as to whether or not The DaVinci Code is true. I have also had to speak on the Holy Spirit as frequently. While it seems that better authors than I have tackled The DaVinci Code, an article on the Holy Spirit is still needed; so here goes.
Many make the claim that the Bible is not relevant in today’s world. Perhaps that would be true if we were to rely purely on the illustrations or parables explaining how to live without translating them in a relevant way for today. I say this because so much of the Bible can be difficult to understand. For example, some have asked – What does kicking against the goad mean? Or – What exactly does it mean to be a shepherd? Or – How am I supposed to understand sheep? Today, we barely understand planting! And what exactly are tares? People are forgetting what parenthood means and why children are considered blessings.
Church goers cannot distinguish between fact and fiction anymore. Indeed some long time church goers don’t know why The DaVinci Code is fiction! How then can people meet the Spirit of God and know that they have met Him? And without the Spirit of God, where can they receive the revelation of the Father and the Son? The world needs to know in layman’s terms about the Spirit of God. There may be many things written about Him, but I have only run across a few books that discuss Him adequately. The problem with those books is that many are old and use archaic language and discuss ideas considered irrelevant in today’s world. The ideas they touch upon may or may not be relevant, or perhaps they are simply not presented in a relevant way for today.
Young people have asked me about the Holy Spirit; young people who work for Campus Crusade for Christ; young people who should know about the Holy Spirit, since, apparently they are doing His work! They are being used by the Holy Spirit, but they are not sure just who the Holy Spirit is. So in spite of the fact that there are already pieces of work written about the Holy Spirit, there seems still to be a need.
Therefore, bear with me while I utter a prayer inviting the Holy Spirit to be my muse and reveal Himself using this article. "In Jesus’ precious Name I pray and say, Holy Spirit, Thou are welcome and needed. Please help me and use me to do Your will. Holy Spirit we acknowledge that building anything without Your foundation is a waste of time. Thank You, Bless You, and Praise You. We trust that You will help us as promised by Christ Jesus. Amen”
The above prayer brings up some good points about the Holy Spirit and Arthur W. Pink, writes about all these in his book, The Holy Spirit. He has some great arguments for who the Holy Spirit is. He even argues why the Holy Spirit is referred to as a He. So many times I have heard pastors mention the fact that the term “pnuema” in Greek is a neuter term and then they stop there. But that is only the beginning, because in the Bible, the Holy Spirit is referred to as a masculine person. Even Jesus refers to Him as a “He.”
While all this is fascinating and relevant to arguments that pervade our churches and our society, we have not answered some basic questions. How do we know when we are communicating with the Holy Spirit? How do we know that we are not insane, especially if we hear a voice that claims to be the Holy Spirit?! How do we know that we are not hearing demons or aliens? What kind of voice does the Holy Spirit use? These questions are basic to our understanding of the Holy Spirit.
Let us start with a basic understanding or a premise. We have to trust God to reveal Himself to us. However, if you are familiar with the Bible then you know the promises associated with God’s revelation of Himself to us. If you’re not familiar with the promises, then I suggest that you familiarize yourself with these promises. I won't give you a list of verses because you must make your own search. There is not much point of me trying to teach anyone about the Holy Spirit unless they are assured that God Himself has promised to reveal Himself; and that He takes it upon Himself to rewards those that truly seek Him with success. Additionally, it should be understood that the beginning of all wisdom and knowledge of Him is the fear of God. Lastly, understand that truly seeking Him means that the Spirit that will be given is not one of fear, but rather a Spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. These three points are critical before anyone can continue. Without these basics, none would be able to understand the full significance of the wisdom of God, and hence the knowledge of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.