What Does the Holy Spirit Do?

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

I write a bi-weekly piece for our local newspaper titled, “Religion in the News and Ask Pastor Rick.” The title of this eDevotion is a question I received from someone in our community: What does the Holy Spirit do? 

The simple answer to this question is, the Holy Spirit points people to Christ. That’s His “job.” Referring to the Holy Spirit, Jesus said that when He [the Holy Spirit] comes, “He will testify [witness about] Me” [John 15.26].

The Holy Spirit always points you to Christ. The more you are filled with the Spirit, the more you will see Jesus.

In his book, Keep in Step with the Spirit,  J. I. Packer wrote: 

“The Holy Spirit’s distinctive new covenant role, then, is to fulfill what we may call a floodlight ministry in relation to the Lord Jesus Christ… It is as if the Spirit stands behind us, throwing light over our shoulder, on Jesus, who stands facing us. The Spirit’s message to us is never, ‘Look at me…’ but always, ‘Look at him, and see his glory; listen to him and hear his word; go to him, and have life….’ The Spirit, we might say, is the matchmaker, the celestial marriage broker, whose role is to bring us and Christ together and ensure that we stay together forever.”

The Holy Spirit helps us to see that…

Jesus is full of grace and truth [John 1.14]

Jesus intercedes for us [Hebrews 7.25]

Jesus is our Brother [Hebrews 2.11]

Jesus is always the same [Hebrews 13.8]

And so much more!

It’s through the Spirit that we see Jesus more clearly. And when your heart is glad in seeing Jesus, when you are filled with the Spirit, God is glorified and well-pleased. When you are filled with the Spirit your vision and love for Christ grows richer and deeper.

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. John 14.16-17