The Spirit’s Personality Series

THE SPIRIT’S PERSONALITY

In many Christian circles the Holy Spirit is either neglected, forgotten, or misunderstood. The One given, to unite the body of Christ is the center of controversy … So often Christian work is so rigidly programmed that it seems we need no longer depend on Him -- yet Jesus said, "Without Me you can do nothing. "

The late Dr. A. W. Tozer, author and preacher, said, "If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference. If the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the New Testament church, 95 percent of what they did would stop, and everybody would know the difference ."

As we mentioned last week, some people have the notion that God’s Holy Spirit is a glorified “it.” Neither is he this mysterious and nebulous influence that somehow affects the life of a Christian.

The Holy Spirit is a divine person that works in conjunction with God and Christ. He is a person equal in every way with God the Father and God the Son.

Before his death, Jesus advised his disciples, “These things have I spoken unto you, while yet abiding with you. 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 works of the Spirit proclaim his personality. God’s Spirit speaks and teaches as John 16:3 NASB records, “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”

The Holy Spirit is also our guide as we see in John 16:12-13 CEV which reads, “I have much more to say to you, but right now it would be more than you could understand. The Spirit shows what is true and will come and guide you into the full truth. The Spirit doesn't speak on his own. He will tell you only what he has heard from me, and he will let you know what is going to happen.”

We also learn that the Holy Spirit is our guide that sometimes forbids certain actions. Notice Acts 16:6-7 CEV, “Paul and his friends went through Phrygia and Galatia, but the Holy Spirit would not let them preach in Asia. After they arrived in Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not let them.”

Another aspect of the Holy Spirit is that he searches. 1 Corinthians 2:10 CEV reads, “God's Spirit has shown you everything. His Spirit finds out everything, even what is deep in the mind of God.” When our minds are in tune with the Spirit’s mind we can better understand the deeper matters of God’s will for us. Romans 8:27 reads, “All of our thoughts are known to God. He can understand what is in the mind of the Spirit, as the Spirit prays for God's people.”

I cannot know everything that is going on in your personality but God does through the workings of his Holy Spirit. God is concerned about the trials we continually face. For non-believers, this is often difficult to understand and quite frankly we too do not always understand.

The Apostle Paul urged the prayers of Roman Christians on his behalf. He said, “My friends, by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the love that comes from the Holy Spirit, I beg you to pray sincerely with me and for me” (Romans 15:30 CEV). This is an urgent, personal plea from Paul, not an authoritative command. We never know the power of God’s Spirit working in our concerns and prayers.

In 1 Corinthians 12:11 Paul says that all of the gifts that he mentions in the chapter are the work of God’s Holy Spirit. In the church, unity and diversity must be balanced by maturity, and that maturity comes with love. It is not enough to have the gift of the Spirit and gifts from the Spirit. We must also have the graces of the Spirit as we use our gifts to serve one another .

God’s goodness is seen way back in the book of Nehemiah when it says, “Your gentle Spirit instructed them, and you gave them manna to eat and water to drink. ”

Because of God’s great compassion he did not abandon the children of Israel in the desert. His gentle Spirit provided spiritual instruction while God provided for their physical needs.

God’s Spirit can suffer slights and injuries that can only be assigned to personality. He can be grieved as we are warned in Ephesians 4:30 GNT when it says, “And do not make God's Holy Spirit sad; for the Spirit is God's mark of ownership on you, a guarantee that the Day will come when God will set you free.” Bitterness not only grieves the Holy Spirit, but also Christ and God the Father.