We are a Pentecostal Church in Edmonton who believe in living in the fullness of the Spirit-Filled life that is provided to us through Jesus Christ. This is an introductory post that tells us about who the Holy Spirit is.
John 14:16 I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Counselor, that He may be with you forever.
It is important to remember that the Holy Spirit is not an object or thing but a real person. It can be easy to forget this truth for several reasons. First, we often compare spiritual realities to those things that naturally surround us and so it is easy to recognize that God the Father is a person and God the Son is a person. However, we don’t have a natural comparison for God the Holy Spirit and this at times can lead us to forget the person of the Holy Spirit. Secondly, because of our preconceived ideas when thinking about the words Spirit or Ghost or because we often simply equate the Holy Spirit to things like a power, fire or a cloud, we can easily forget that while these words are used to describe the Holy Spirit, that the Holy Spirit is a real person. Thirdly, maybe it’s because we often use the definite article “THE” in His name or title. Whatever it may be, we have been conditioned to think of the Holy Spirit as a something rather than as a someone.
However, Jesus said that the Father will give us another Counselor (or Comforter, Helper in some translations), that He (the Holy Spirit) may be with you forever. Jesus is the first Counselor (Comforter, Helper) and the Holy Spirit comes as another, meaning He is like the first. Just as Jesus is a person, a divine person, the Holy Spirit is a divine person.
As you get to know the Holy Spirit you will find that He has all the qualities of a person. He is an individual. He has a will and He has intelligence. He has feeling, and He has knowledge, the ability to love and see and think and hear and speak and desire and grieve and rejoice.
So the activity of the Holy Spirit is more than just an experience or ability or power. When the Holy Spirit is working or comes and lives inside of us, or empowers us, remember that He is a divine person. He comes to live in you, He comes to equip you, He comes that you might experience the fullness of God and as He is works, it is not just some power you are experiencing, but the Holy Spirit is pouring out Himself of who He is upon our lives.