What Does the Holy Spirit Do?
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May 31, 2015 |
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 "When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them" (Acts 2:1-3).
Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
Before He ascended into Heaven the resurrected Lord told His disciples to be baptized by the Holy Spirit, receive God's power, and become His witnesses. The believers who witnessed His ascension concentrated on prayers in the upper room of Mark in Jerusalem. Then an amazing thing happened.
Suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. It was the Holy Spirit; now let's delve into who the Holy Spirit is.
1. The Holy Spirit pours down grace like a waterfall
After we accept the Lord and thoroughly repent, the Holy Spirit comes into our hearts. The Holy Spirit gives us faith, knowledge, and understanding of God who is spirit, and of the spiritual realm.
As Galatians 4:6 states, "Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!'" we can believe and feel God through the grace given by the Holy Spirit.
Also, through the Holy Spirit-given grace, we can believe that Jesus is our personal Savior (1 Corinthians 12:3). Moreover, through the Holy Spirit we can believe in and yearn for the spiritual realm where God dwells.
Worldly people cannot believe in Heaven and Hell because they think only within their knowledge and fleshly thoughts. But by the Holy Spirit, we can not only believe in the existence of Heaven and Hell but also feel the beauty and happiness of Heaven. When we pray with tongues in fullness of the Holy Spirit we will feel both the fullness and joy.
Those believers of the early church also experienced this. They experienced the mighty and rushing wind, the fiery works of the Holy Spirit, and received the fullness of the Holy Spirit. With this fullness of Spirit and despite many persecutions, they preached the gospel of the Lord throughout the rest of their lives with hope for Heaven. You may see Heaven or spiritual beings, like angels, with your spiritual eyes by the works of the Holy Spirit. Then you can live happily with hope for Heaven.
In addition, the Holy Spirit lets us realize the spiritual message that we could never understand by ourselves. The Holy Spirit searches even the deep things of God. He lets us know the hidden things of God and allows for us to understand God's heart and will contained in the Word (1 Corinthians 2:10). Through His help, we can understand how great God's love is and how deep God's goodness is.
The Holy Spirit lets us realize not only God's love but also His justice, which is the law of the spiritual realm. He lets us know how we can live a blessed life, without being faced with the disasters and calamities of this rough world. He guides us in a way that we can concentrate on the works of the Lord with the fullness of Spirit until we reach heavenly kingdom.
Today, we are living in a world that is like a dry desert, where God's Word and fullness of Spirit have disappeared. Without the grace that the Holy Spirit is giving to us, our spiritual life would cease to exist. At this end time, through the Holy Spirit, God is pouring down grace that is like a waterfall.
2. The Holy Spirit intercedes and groans for us
Romans 8:26 reads, "In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."
As 1 John 5:7 latter part says the Holy Spirit is the truth. When God's children follow the truth, the Holy Spirit rejoices greatly. Then, our heart is also filled with joy and peace. On the contrary, the Holy Spirit groans in us if we follow the untruth.
The Holy Spirit signals us in our hearts moment by moment. He guides us in such a way that we will follow only the truth. Although we might commit a grave sin due to our weakness, He intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words. He prays to God that God will forgive us and give us the strength to turn back from sins. Even if there is a person who closes the ear of his heart and does not try to listen to His voice, the Holy Spirit always knocks on the door of that person's heart so he can again open his heart and listen to His voice.
Suppose a young man committed a felony, was jailed, and then released. A certain married couple adopted him as their son. At first, he was thankful, but soon he forgot this grace and began to commit crimes again. He wouldn't listen to his parents, and he even hurt his parents. The parents' hearts had greater wounds, and while cleaning up the mess that their son created, their own lives were beginning to be messed up. But they would not give up on him. It was so obvious that, if they did, this son would keep on committing crimes and eventually be sentenced to death, ending his life in tragedy. They did not have any choice but to live waiting for their son to come out of the mire of evil.
Our God paid the price with the life of His only begotten Son to save us. He adopted us. Nevertheless, some believers commit sins again and again and do not live by God's Word because their faith is weak. So the Holy Spirit is interceding for these souls before God again and again. He knows very well what would happen to them if He gives up on them, so He can never give up.
The Holy Spirit is in-dwelling in the hearts of people, and thus He knows how sin-filled this generation is and the hearts of people are in this end time. For this reason, He is continually asking for our forgiveness and praying to earn more chances for us. The Holy Spirit does not give up on even those souls who want to give up on themselves. He groans for them, intercedes for them, and guides them to the right way which God the Father wants.
Even if you are so weak that you want to give up and even though you have many shortcomings, I hope you will be deeply thankful for the love of the Holy Spirit who still wants to lead you to New Jerusalem in Heaven.
3. The Holy Spirit always knows our heart and helps us
The Holy Spirit can make us feel troubled by His groaning, but at the same time He comforts us, encourages us, and helps us. Romans 5:5 says, "And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." As written, the Holy Spirit works in our lives in various ways so that we can feel the God's love.
If you are in trials or afflictions you might think nobody could possibly understand your heart. But sometimes the Holy Spirit shows you that He knows your heart. You sometimes feel that a certain content of the message is spoken exclusively for you. When you sing praises, certain lyrics touch your heart very deeply. In your prayers, you might pray for the things that are needed as if He had put those words on your lips. All these things are the hands of the Holy Spirit who helps us understanding our hearts.
Psalm 139:1-4 says, "O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O LORD, You know it all."
The Holy Spirit knows all including our words, actions, our hearts, and things that people do not know.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Acts 19:2 reads, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" Your angels are beside you, but the Holy Spirit is even closer; He is in your heart. He will pour down grace like a waterfall. He will pray that you will follow only the truth, He will help you at any time and any place. I pray in the name of the Lord that you will always abide with this precious Holy Spirit until the Lord comes back.
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