5 Things the Holy Spirit Does for Jesus’ Followers

A few months ago, we celebrated Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost was a feast of the Old Testament that commemorated the giving of the Ten Commandment. It was a harvest celebration at the end of the barley and the beginning of the wheat harvest. It was on the day of this feast that the Holy Spirit came in power upon the 120 disciples in Acts 2. This gave me occasion to think a bit more deeply about the work of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit can be a mysterious concept, especially when we use the term “Holy Ghost.” Sometimes, we associate the Holy Spirit with the gift of tongues or ecstatic experiences. This may be part of His work, but what occurred to me was that Jesus spoke very clearly to His disciples about what the coming of the Holy Spirit would mean. We have a record of this explanation in John 14-16. What does Jesus teach there about the work of the Holy Spirit? I see five things.

First, He will glorify Jesus. “He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you” (John 16:14).
“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me” (John 15:26). Where the Spirit is working, there Jesus is praised and honored.

Second, He will convict us about the wrong we do. “But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment . . .” (John 16:7-8). When the Spirit comes, we will have to confront the things in our lives that do not line up with what is good and just.

Third, He will guide us into all truth. “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26). “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come” (John 16:13). The Spirit is the one who will help us understand things as they really are. He will guide us into “all truth.” Where the Spirit is working, people are learning and growing in the truth.

Fourth, He will be our companion, present with us at all times. “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17). When the Spirit comes, we are never alone and never without resources.

Fifth, He is an advocate who is on our side. He is called an Advocate, one who argues our case and stands at our side. He is for us, and He wants the best for us. The best for us is that we would be able to enjoy God to the fullest and live in happy service to Him and those around us. This is what the Spirit helps us to do.

Sometimes people wonder about what the Holy Spirit does and how He works. However, these five things are things that all Christians can agree on and rely on. They are also a great help and consolation in every moment of our lives, if we will believe them and meditate upon them.

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog post. I hope it was a blessing to you and that you will check out the other writings here on a variety of topics from theology like this one to literature to travel. You can also subscribe to receive the latest posts in your inbox.

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Photo by Zura Narimanishvili on Unsplash