Holy Ghost -- Who Is He?

Holy Ghost – Who is He?

When Halloween comes people gather together to tell spooky stories to scare the young ones. Parents tell the kids stories about ghosts & goblins. The ghost is also a good last-minute Halloween costume. Mom takes a white bedsheet & cuts or draws holes in it for the eyes. Six-year-old Tommy drapes the sheet over himself & he is a ghost for Halloween.

That is a fun ghost who is created in the imagination of the kid. But there is one Ghost who is very real. Can anyone tell me who that Ghost is? That’s right, I’m talking about the Holy Ghost.

In Christianity the Holy Ghost is the Spirit of God He gave to interact with His people. Because we can’t see the Holy Ghost, we have a hard time fully understanding the power He has. We can’t see Him so how can we be sure He actually exists?

We can’t see the Holy Ghost so we don’t know who or what He is. Let me ask you another question. What does the air look like? What color is air? Does air have stripes or dots on it? What does air look like?

Without the air, which we cannot see, we would be dead! We need it to give our bodies oxygen and help everything function. We can also feel it if the wind is blowing our way. We can see the wind bending trees outside & creating ripples in water. We might hear it. And sometimes a gentle breeze can bring us comfort or relief from a hot day. Air is essential to make a lot of things happen! Though we cannot see air we can see the effects of air.

In the same way, we need the Holy Ghost to live, just like we need air to breathe. The Holy Ghost gives us comfort and peace in our lives, like that gentle summer breeze. He also helps us to pray.

Let’s take a moment to talk about who has the Holy Ghost & how He comes to us. The Holy Ghost lives in every believer & helps in their walk with the Lord. When we go to the Lord to ask for salvation the Holy Ghost comes to us & we can talk with Him. The Holy Ghost is often described as the presence of God in the world & in the lives of believers. The Lord has given His children the Holy Ghost to walk with us & help when we need it. And let’s be honest, we all need help every now & then.

The Holy Ghost is our great helper. Before Jesus left His disciples, He assured them that He would send someone for them. John 16:7 tells us "But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you."

Jesus was telling His disciples He was going to send someone to help them after He returned to God the Father. Jesus sent the Holy Ghost to act in His place for the time after He left. This same Spirit that Jesus sent to be with His closest followers at this time is with you & me today. He resides in us to do the same things He did for believers in the time of the Bible.

The Holy Ghost is there to teach and guide believers in understanding & living out the teachings of Jesus Christ. This includes helping believers interpret & apply the Scriptures to their lives. That’s why it’s a good idea to ask the Holy Ghost to reveal what He wants you to understand about Scripture before you read it. The Spirit of God will open your eyes to the truth of every verse & how you can use it in your life.

Anyone have any questions about what we’ve talked about so far?

Another thing the Holy Ghost does is equip us & empower us with what we need for the Christian life. The Holy Ghost will help believers for Christian living, equipping them with spiritual gifts for service & enabling them to live according to God's will.

We are all sinners saved by the grace of God. As we mature in Christ it does not make us sinless, we won’t achieve that until we are with the Lord. But we should sin less. The Holy Ghost convicts us of wrongdoing when we sin. When we step off of the path of righteousness & commit a sin we hear or feel the Holy Ghost talk to us. The Holy Ghost is often seen as convicting individuals of their sinfulness, leading them to repentance & a returning to the ways God.