Let us continue with some more important facets of the ministry of God’s Spirit to those who have received the new life of salvation:
h) He is the ‘Paraclete’ of Jesus’ followers:
Jesus describes God’s Spirit as the ‘Paraclete’. This Greek word can be translated as helper, counsellor, comforter, encourager or even advocate.
The evening before Jesus dies, he promises his disciples that - once he has returned to heaven - he will ask God the Father to send another ‘Paraclete’ (like Jesus himself) to them. This ‘Paraclete’ [the Holy Spirit] will represent Jesus so intimately, that Jesus himself can say: “I will come to you.”
That evening Jesus promises his disciples: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor [Paraclete] to be with you for ever ..... The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:16-18).
The apostle Paul prays for the Christians in Thessalonica (Greece). He asks God the Father and God the Son to help them (through the ‘Paraclete’, the Holy Spirit) to live their daily lives in a God-pleasing way:
“May our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father, who loved us and in his special favor gave us everlasting comfort and good hope, comfort your hearts and give you strength in every good thing you do and say” (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17).
Luke describes how the messianic community in Israel was supported by the ‘Paraclete’ [the Holy Spirit]: “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord” (Acts 9:31).
i) He is the intermediate between God the Father and God the Son in heaven, and Jesus’ followers on earth:
The apostle Paul reminds the Jewish and Gentile [non-Jewish] followers of Jesus that “... all of us, both Jews and Gentiles, may come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ [the Messiah] has done for us” (Ephesians 2:18).
Paul explains to the Roman Christians that, as we pray to God the Father, it is the Holy Spirit who presents our prayers fervently and in a God-pleasing manner before God’s throne: “The Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don't even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray.
But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will” (Romans 8:26-27).
j) He is the Author of God’s Word [the Bible]. He teaches God’s Word to Jesus' followers and gives them through it a deeper understanding about Jesus Christ [the Messiah]:
The apostle Paul declares to his co-worker Timothy: “All Scripture [the Bible] is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right.”
(2 Timothy 3:16)
One commentary explains in what way the Bible is ‘inspired by God’: “The Scriptures ... [have] been ordained by God's authority and produced by the enabling of his Spirit.”
The apostle Peter writes: “It was the Holy Spirit who moved the [Old Testament] prophets to speak from God” (2 Peter 1:21).
On the evening before Jesus dies, he promises his friends that the coming Holy Spirit will teach them God’s Word from a Christ-centred perspective: “When the Father sends the Counselor as my representative - and by the Counselor I mean the Holy Spirit - he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I myself have told you” (John 14:26).
And again: “I will send you the Counselor-- the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about me” (John 15:26).
k) He is called ‘the Spirit of truth’ and empowers Jesus’ followers to proclaim the Good News about Jesus Christ [the Messiah] and to teach God’s Word in a God pleasing way:
Already the prophet Isaiah prophesies about the coming Messiah that God’s Spirit will enable him to proclaim God’s Word: “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me [Jesus Christ], because the LORD has appointed me to bring good news...” (Isaiah 61:1).
Jesus promises his disciples that the coming Holy Spirit will empower them to share the Good News with others: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
The apostle Paul reveals to the Christians in Corinth who it is that inspires him as he teaches God’s Word: “When we tell you this [God’s Word], we do not use words of human wisdom. We speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit's words to explain spiritual truths” (1 Corinthians 2:13).
The apostle Paul urges the followers of Jesus in Ephesus (modern Turkey) that they should ‘join forces’ with the Holy Spirit when they teach God’s Word. Others will not be convinced of its life-saving importance by mere human ideas.
Only when God’s Spirit enables Jesus’ followers to share God’s Word [the Bible] in a God pleasing way, it will open the hearts of the listeners to God’s truth: “... take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17).
When you speak with others about Jesus, do you verbalise your own thoughts about the Gospel [Good News] or does God’s Spirit inspire you how to share God’s Word [the Bible] with them?
The Bible verses John 14:16-18, Acts 9:31 and Acts 1:8 are quoted from the ‘New International Version’. All other texts are quotes of the ‘New Living Translation’.
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