< Go Back

Holy Spirit: We Hardly Know You—But We Know We Should
Not Your Ordinary, Everyday Holy Ghost
1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; Acts 5:3-4

Introduction: Ghostly Images

For many of us our concept of the Holy Spirit may not be much more advanced than a cartoon character like Casper The Friendly Ghost. We have this notion that spirits—or ghosts—might exist. At the very least the idea they might exist has made for some entertaining movies, television shows and campfire stories over the years. Whatever the media format, ghosts have remained somewhat ghostly—or spooky. Sometimes they can be seen; sometimes not. There are some cases where purportedly specially gifted people can see them. There are ghosthunters who try to capture ghosts on film and ghostbusters who try to scare them away.

Legend tells us there is a ghost that roams the Toys ‘R Us store where we used to shop in Sunnyvale, California. A worker by the name of Johnny Johnson slipped one day while clearing some trees on the Murphy Ranch in 1884, injured himself with his axe and slowly died. From the time the store was built in 1970, workers told of ghostly manifestations from this restless, but harmless, ghost. A 1984 episode of “That’s Incredible” had psychic Sylvia Brown trying, and supposedly succeeding, at making contact with the ghost of the toy store. An online article reports:

The workers at the Sunnyvale Toys 'R Us are for the most part comfortable with the ghost. They regard the ghost as a harmless entity and not a threatening supernatural spectre, while others have refused to be left alone in certain parts of the store or be assigned to closing down at night when activity seems to be at its highest.

I can tell you that we bought many, many, many toys at the store and never saw a ghost.

For many Christians our experience with the Holy Ghost—or Holy Spirit—doesn’t go much beyond this. We are for the most part comfortable with the Holy Spirit, regarding Him as a fairly harmless entity. There are times, however, that we don’t want to be left alone with Him because we sense how life altering a change that might bring.

Have you noticed my use of the personal pronoun “Him” in referring to the Holy Spirit? For some people that is a staggering jump in understanding. Many people who allow for the existence of the Holy Spirit view that spirit as an impersonal force that is out there somewhere but is only as real to them as a toy store or cartoon ghost. We are going to see He is not your ordinary, everyday ghost as we continue in our series on The Holy Spirit: We Hardly Know You—But We Know We Should.

Admitting Our Lack Of Understanding

Christians today seem to be lacking the power God promises us. This is the result of a lack of understanding concerning the person and power of the Holy Spirit. It is essential that we as Christians learn to know the Holy Spirit not as an influence, as some describe Him, but as a Divine Person—a part of the Trinity. Knowing the Holy Spirit in this way prepares us for the blessings God wants us to possess and enjoy.

Our lack of understanding stems from viewing the Holy Spirit as an “It” rather than a person. The Greek word for spirit is pneuma. It is a neuter, non-genderless noun, which is why the word by itself becomes impersonal. It’s important to understand that without personality there is no power.

Because the Holy Spirit is spirit and can’t be seen, it’s easy to ignore and then dismiss Him. We understand terms like Father and Son. Depending on our own family experiences, those terms may carry positive or negative emotions, but those titles are handles that help us grasp the meaning. When it comes to Jesus, we have paintings and sculptures crafted by the great masters of the ages. They provide vivid images from His birth to His death and resurrection.

When it comes to the Holy Spirit, the best we have are symbols of a dove descending on Jesus at His baptism or flames of fire on the day of Pentecost. So, we continue to be somewhat vague about the Spirit. We need to admit our lack of understanding as the first step toward forming a proper view of the Holy Spirit.

Forming Our Understanding From The Old Testament

Because the Holy Spirit is a member of the Trinity, we see Him in the Old Testament. The Hebrew word for spirit is ruah. This word is often dependent upon the context for its meaning and is translated as spirit, wind, breath or rain.

The most important fact we need to know about the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament is that the emphasis is on His activity rather than His personality. In other words, what He does is more important than who He is. They weren’t nearly as interested in understanding Him as in experiencing the powerful, positive results in their lives.

The Spirit’s Activity In Creation

We first see the Spirit as an agent in creation.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.               Genesis 1:1-2 NIV

This extended to the creation of human beings.

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."    Genesis 1:26 NIV

It is the Spirit who gives vitality to the human organism.

The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Genesis 2:7 NIV

It is the Spirit who sustains creation.

When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.                                      Psalm 104:29-30 NIV

The Spirit’s Activity In People

In the Old Testament the way in which the Spirit works is much different from what we will see in the New Testament. Rather than coming to live in people, the Spirit came upon people selectively to provide special power for what they were called to do. Studying the lives of great faith heroes like David, Joseph and Joshua shows the Spirit came upon and stayed with them without interruption.

We find a fascinating difference in Samson who received the Spirit only on certain occasions and found himself in the catastrophic place of having the Spirit of God withdrawn from him after he divulged the reason for his strength to Delilah. When she woke him with the warning that his enemies were there to capture him, he moved against them not knowing the Lord had left him (Judges 16:19-20).

Having his eyes gouged out and then being displayed as entertainment at parties, Samson prays for God to give him special strength one more time.

Then Samson prayed to the LORD, "O Sovereign LORD, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes." Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines!" Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.                                                               Judges 16:28-30 NIV

Samson knew God’s power when the Spirit was on him and his own weakness when the Spirit was removed.

How awful it must be to have the Spirit and then to have God’s Spirit removed. As King Saul continued to willfully disobey, God finally determined a new king, David, was necessary. The Spirit was active in the Old Testament, but the Spirit could be removed. That’s what happened to Saul.

Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul…          1 Samuel 16:14 NIV

As we shift our focus to the New Testament we will see that is no longer the case.

Forming Our Understanding From The New Testament

The personality of the Holy Spirit jumps from the pages of the New Testament. Look at just a few of the instances.

The Spirit Exhibits Personal Characteristics And Activity

Intelligence

But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.   1 Corinthians 2:10 NLT

Will

It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.                       1 Corinthians 12:11 NLT

Intercession

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.                              Romans 8:26-27 NLT

The Spirit Is Identified By Personal Pronouns

But I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me.            John 15:26 NLT

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me.      John 16:13-14 NLT

The Spirit Shares Divine Attributes

Omnipotence

The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God. Luke 1:35-37 NLT

Omniscience

But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

                                                                         John 14:26 NLT

Eternality

Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.                             Hebrews 9:14 NLT

Love

I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.                 Romans 15:30 NIV

The Spirit Is God

The Spirit clearly has personal characteristics. The New Testament also clearly identifies the Spirit as God. Compare these two verses.

Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?                                            1 Corinthians 3:16 NLT

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself.1 Corinthians 6:19 NLT

Christians are the temple of God and the temple of the Holy Spirit—one and the same thing.

Another enlightening passage is found as Peter confronts Ananias and Sapphira about their sin in presenting an offering that they said represented the full amount from the sale of a piece of property when then had secretly agreed to hold some of it for themselves.

Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God! Acts 5:3-4 NLT

The New Testament clearly teaches the personality and deity of the Holy Spirit.

The Importance Of The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit Provides Us With The Power Of God

Why is this even important? Why spend the time reviewing all these verses? Last week we examined the amazing statement made by Jesus, that it was going to be advantageous for us for Him to go away. When Jesus returned to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit, we received the power of God to reside in us each and every moment, no matter where we might be. Just before Jesus returned to Heaven, He told His disciples,

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.                 Acts 1:8 NLT

The power of God living in us through the presence of the Holy Spirit is the non-negotiable key for us to fulfill our prime directive to make disciples.

God has provided all we need to fulfill the Great Commission of making disciples of all nations. Since He has done that, why is it that the church of Jesus Christ hasn’t been able to fulfill that assignment? Here’s my assessment based on careful observation and personal experience: The Holy Spirit lives in Christians but too often doesn’t control us. He doesn’t control us because we refuse to surrender control to Him. We stubbornly insist on retaining the final say. This shouldn’t be!

The Power Of God In Our Lives Corresponds To Our Awareness Of Our Weakness

The Apostle Paul stands at the top of each and every list of the greatest Christians to live. He was a man of extraordinary capabilities. But, that wasn’t what provided the spark of greatness. That spark was provided by his keen awareness of his lack of strength and the corresponding power of God. In speaking about his ministry Paul told the church at Corinth.

When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.        1 Corinthians 2:1-5 NLT

In writing about his struggle with a physical, health issue Paul says he asked God on three different occasions to take it away from him. God had a different plan.

Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.                                                                                                                                                        2 Corinthians 12:8-10 NLT

Our experience of God’s power is directly linked with our awareness of our weakness. Why do so many Christians lack the power of God? It is because we won’t acknowledge our weakness and invite God to replace our weakness with His strength.

Conclusion: God’s Question For Us

The question God has for us is, “Are you experiencing my power? Are you living in the victory I provided for you by the death and resurrection of Jesus? If not, why not?”

God’s power is available to you and me. He makes His power available to those who are willing to acknowledge their own weakness. Our problem is that we barely know the Holy Spirit. We know we should, but we don’t. The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force, some ghostly concept, to be kept at a comfortable distance. The Holy Spirit is a divine person who lives in you.

He not only wants to live in you, but He wants to be given control of your thoughts, desires and actions. He waits for you to surrender to Him as you invite Him to guide and direct your life. He waits for you!