Receiving the Holy Spirit

“If you love me, you will do the things I command. I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper. He will give you this Helper to be with you forever. The Helper is the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him because it does not see him or know him. But you know him. He lives with you and he will be in you.”

John 14:15-17 (ICB)

We are told to follow Christ Jesus’ example. This includes the act of baptism, as Jesus did in Matthew 3:13-17. When He was baptized, the Spirit of God came down in the form of a dove as God pronounced that Jesus was his own Son. We too, will receive the Holy Spirit when we are baptized. We may not see it as a dove lighting on us, but we are told that we will gain the Spirit if we obey.

Peter said to them, “Change your hearts and lives and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38 (ICB)

We need to accept the gift of the Holy Spirit, who is a part of the Trinity, the Godhead, and the Comforter who intercedes for us and speaks to God on our behalf.

According to Jesus, the Holy Spirit will help us understand God’s will for us and will help us remember the words of Jesus so that we can fight temptations (John 14:26). The word of God is called the “Sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17); with it and the rest of the armor mentioned in Ephesians, we can defend ourselves against temptation and defeat the demons which try to condemn us. We can don this armor only when we have the Spirit within us. When we compare the spiritual armor mentioned in Ephesians 6 with the description of the Holy Spirit that Jesus gives us in John 16:7-14, we can see that we need the Holy Spirit to protect us and strengthen us in our walk with God.

“So stand strong, with the belt of truth tied around your waist.” Ephesians 6:14 (ICB)

“…when the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you into all truth… and will tell you what is to come.” John 16:13 (ICB)

“…on your chest wear the protection of right living.” Ephesians 6:14 (ICB)

“When the Helper comes, he will prove to the people of the world the truth… about being right with God… He will prove to them that I am right with God, because I am going to the Father. You will not see me anymore.” John 16:8, 10 (ICB)

“…on your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong.” Ephesians 6:15 (ICB)

“The Spirit of truth will bring glory to me. He will take what I have to say and tell it to you.” John 16:14 (ICB)

“…also use the shield of faith. With that you can stop all the burning arrows of the Evil One.” Ephesians 6:16 (ICB)

“When the Helper comes, he will prove to the people of the world the truth about sin… He will prove to them about sin, because they don’t believe in me.” John 16:8, 9 (ICB)

“…Accept God’s salvation to be your helmet.” Ephesians 6:17 (ICB)

“When the Helper comes,  he will prove to the people of the world the truth about… judgment, because the ruler of this world is already judged.” John 16:8, 11 (ICB)

“…take the sword of the Spirit- that sword is the teaching of God.” Ephesians 6:17 (ICB)

“I have many more things to say to you, but they are too much for you now. But when the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you into all truth. He will not speak his own words. He will speak only what he  hears and will tell you what is to come. The Spirit of truth will bring glory to me. He will take what I have to say and tell it to you.” John 16:12-14 (ICB)

In the next few weeks, my family will be doing a study series on the Holy Spirit. Lacy and I will bring our study notes to our Monday blog, focusing on who the Holy Spirit is and what He does for us.

“Go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.  Matthew 28:19-20 (ICB)