I want to talk about something that’s foundational to our faith but often misunderstood – the Holy Spirit. Two sentences into the Bible, and we’re already introduced to the Spirit of God hovering over the waters. But who exactly is the Spirit of God?
Many of us who’ve been around church our whole lives might still struggle to explain who the Spirit of God is. I’m going to do my best to paint a picture of what the biblical authors meant when they mentioned the Spirit right at the beginning of everything.
The best way I’ve heard it described is that the Spirit of God is like God’s invisible presence. The Hebrew word used in the Old Testament is “ruach,” which is broader than just “spirit” – it describes various kinds of invisible energy.
Think about breath. When you take a deep breath in, you feel that jolt of energy through your body – that’s ruach. Or consider wind – it’s powerful enough to rip trees from the ground and tear roofs off houses, yet completely invisible. If you’ve ever experienced the power of wind, you can begin to grasp the idea that there’s incredible power in the Spirit of God.
That powerful force that comes from God and is God – that’s the Spirit of God. That’s what was hovering over the waters in the beginning.
The Holy Spirit Throughout Scripture
All throughout scripture, we see God pouring out His Spirit in abundance so we overflow with the fruit of His Spirit to others. The Bible repeatedly shows God pouring out His Spirit in many different ways and impacting the world in various forms:
- In Genesis 41, God’s Spirit empowered Joseph to interpret dreams
- In Exodus, God’s Spirit gave Bezalel artistic abilities to craft the tabernacle
- Throughout Judges, God’s Spirit filled people to lead with wisdom
- The prophets were filled with God’s Spirit to see the world through God’s perspective
As time went on, these prophets began to see a growing distance between God and His people. They discerned that God was going to do something completely new – just as He poured out His Spirit in the beginning to create all things, He was going to pour out His Spirit again to make all things new.
The prophet Joel spoke about this future outpouring, saying: “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.”
Jesus and the Spirit
When Jesus began His public ministry, He was baptized, and Matthew tells us that “as soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.”
Jesus was filled with the Spirit in a way that empowered Him to begin the work God had promised through the prophets – to make all things new. Immediately after His baptism, Jesus began healing the sick, cleansing diseases, casting out demons, and forgiving sins, saying that His authority and power came from the Spirit of God.
Even after Jesus was killed, God’s Spirit was still at work. The disciples said that the Spirit of God, or Ruach, brought Jesus back from the dead. The Spirit of God raised Jesus from the dead! This is what we celebrate at Easter—the resurrection of Jesus and the power of God’s Spirit at work.
The Spirit Given to Us
After rising from the dead, Jesus appeared to His disciples and said, “Peace be with you.” Then John tells us that “with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.'”
The same Spirit of God who hovered over the waters at creation, who filled people throughout history, who filled Jesus and raised Him from the dead – Jesus was now offering this Spirit to His disciples. And remarkably, they did receive it!
In Acts 2, on the day of Pentecost, they received the Holy Spirit, and strange things began to happen as the disciples were filled and overflowing with the Spirit. People around them had no idea what was happening.
Peter explained their experience by quoting Joel’s prophecy: “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people…” And that day, thousands of people called on the name of the Lord and were saved. This group became what we now call the church.
The Spirit Today
Church family, that same Spirit of God is available to us today! The Spirit is still hovering over the dark places in our world, drawing people to Jesus and transforming the hearts of those who receive Him so we can live and love more like Jesus.
The Christian hope is that one day, the Holy Spirit in and through us will complete the work Jesus began and make all things new. In fact, the Bible ends with a vision of the future where there’s a new humanity living in a renewed earth where all of creation is overflowing with the Spirit of God.
The Fruit of the Spirit
When we receive the Holy Spirit, there’s evidence of His presence in our lives. The New Testament authors use the word “fruit” to describe this evidence, and it shows up in two primary ways.
First, our behavior – the way we show up in the world becomes more like Jesus because we have the Spirit in us. Paul explains: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance (patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
How evident is the fruit of the Spirit in your life? What might the people closest to you say?
And Paul adds good news at the end – against these things, “there is no law.” This might not seem like a big deal to us in America, but did you know that in 50 countries worldwide, you can be legally persecuted for being a Christian? In 52 countries, it’s illegal to own a Bible in the main language. Last year, nearly 5,000 people were imprisoned without trial solely for claiming to be Christians.
Yet even in those places, there are no laws against love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There are no laws against overflowing with God’s Spirit!
The Gifts of the Spirit
The second way the fruit of the Spirit shows up is through spiritual gifts. Within each of us is the capacity to share the good news of Jesus in unique ways that God designed specifically for us.
Paul describes these gifts in different ways. To the Romans, he mentions prophecy, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, and showing mercy. To the Corinthians, he lists wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miraculous powers, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, speaking in tongues, and interpretation of tongues.
The point isn’t to create an exhaustive list of gifts but to understand that when we receive the Holy Spirit, we’re given gifts to share the good news of Jesus with those who don’t know Him yet.
So, do you know your spiritual gifts? What effort have you made to discover and practice them?
Receiving the Holy Spirit
How do we receive the Holy Spirit? On the day of Pentecost, the people asked Peter this exact question. “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every 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.”
There are three steps here:
- Trust the message of Jesus – that He died for your sins and rose again to make a way for you to be right with God
- Repent – turn away from sin and turn toward Jesus
- Be baptized – publicly demonstrate your commitment to follow Jesus
The New Testament shows us that everyone who trusts Jesus, repents, and is baptized receives the Holy Spirit. And as we develop a relationship with the Spirit, we overflow with both the fruit and gifts of the Spirit to those around us.
Your Next Step
So what’s your next step? If you’ve never trusted Jesus, turned from sin, or been baptized, start there. Talk with God about what’s holding you back from receiving His Spirit.
For those who have received the Holy Spirit, your next step is to remain in the Spirit. We don’t get filled just to empty ourselves – we stay connected so we can overflow to others.
Whether it’s joining a small group, discovering your purpose and gifts, serving on a team, or finding someone to disciple you – find ways to remain in the Spirit. Our ultimate goal is that each of us owns the Great Commission, so filled and overflowing that we reach those around us with the good news that Jesus saves.
What is God calling you to do? Maybe He’s calling you to be a leader in our church, your workplace, or your neighborhood. Maybe He’s laid a specific person on your heart. Maybe He’s calling you to reach a whole group of people with the message of Jesus.
I’m confident that when we receive God’s Spirit, He equips us with gifts to share the gospel, and the fruit of the Spirit grows in us so that people are drawn to Jesus.
Remember Jesus’ final promise to His disciples: “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” How could Jesus be with all those He sent out? Through the gift of His Spirit, who remains with us today and always.
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