Experiencing God’s Presence Series

To experience God more fully, we first need to recognize, the Holy Spirit is the God we worship.

Second, the Holy Spirit is the Gift we welcome.

When Jesus was born, he was Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” When Jesus ascended back into Heaven, He gave us the Holy Spirit to be “God in us.” John 20:22 records Jesus giving the Holy Spirit to His disciples: Jesus said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

I love YAM leaders meetings for a different reason than that of my kids. I enjoy being with the YAM leaders because they are caring and capable servant leaders. My kids enjoy the baked goods that Jeff and Christine bakes for the meetings. I get welcomed home from the YAM leaders meetings for the baked goods I bring back.

Many Christians limit their experience of God to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The gifts of the Holy Spirit in the broader sense include creation (seen and unseen, Genesis 1), salvation (new life in God’s family, John 3), sanctification (new likeness to Jesus Christ, Romans 8:1-17) and manifestations (new abilities to build up the Body of Christ, 1 Corinthians 12). We can appreciate or desire these gifts or presents of the Holy Spirit. But the Bible calls us to welcome most of all the Person of the Holy Spirit.

We welcome the Holy Spirit as an ongoing attitude, but receive the Holy Spirit only once, when we put our trust in Jesus Christ’s death on the cross as payment for our sins. Ephesians 1:13-14 tells us: “ And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed [the Good News of Jesus Christ], you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”

Many stores today charge for a shopping bag. If you forget to bring a bag and don’t want to pay for one but have already paid for your purchase, the store puts a sticker on your purchase. This sticker or seal marks the item as purchased and belonging to you. The Holy Spirit in us is the seal that marks us as God’s possession paid by the blood of Jesus Christ.

(Take a moment to welcome the Holy Spirit in you. Don’t let Him be the Forgotten God or the Forgotten Guest in your life. “Holy Spirit, thank You for your indwelling presence.”)

To experience God more fully, we first need to recognize, the Holy Spirit is the God we worship. Second, the Holy Spirit is the Gift we welcome.

Third, the Holy Spirit is the Guide we walk with.

God gave us His Spirit to guide us through life. But the guidance of the Holy Spirit is not like that of a GPS, where you can take it or leave it and it wouldn’t bother the GPS. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit is like a concerned Parent who can be grieved by our disobedience: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30).”

The guidance of the Holy Spirit is also not like that of conscience. Conscience is formed by the surrounding values during our growing up. I grew up seeing my immigrant father work three jobs, seven days a week. My conscience says, "If I'm not working seven days a week, I'm being lazy." But the Holy Spirit says, "I made you to work six days and rest one day."