By Sam Nobles
“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to
your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not
come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will
convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning
sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go
to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the
ruler of this world is judged.
John 16:7-11 ESV
John 16:7-11 ESV
Did you know that you had a relationship with
the Holy Spirit before you ever knew Jesus as Lord? It's true! One of the
primary roles of the Holy Spirit is to convict the world, unbelievers, of sin.
It was the Holy Spirit who was pulling on the strings of your heart, convicting
you that you did not have Jesus as your Savior. Mankind is utterly hopeless and
helpless. People do not even have the ability or the will to come to Jesus on
their own. Unless the Father first begins to work in the heart and life of
unbelievers through the person of the Holy Spirit, they will never realize their
terrible guilt and need of a Savior.
Once a person accepts
Jesus as Savior he or she enters into another relationship with the Holy
Spirit, for the Holy Spirit then dwells within the believer (Mark 1:8; Acts 1:5). This relationship is
instituted by Jesus, and is called the baptism with the Holy Spirit. The
purpose of this relationship is to bring or baptize the believer into the body
of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). Once in the body of
Christ, this relationship we have with the Holy Spirit opens up so many
different kinds of blessings, such as being sealed until the day of redemption
(Ephesians 1:13), being regenerated
into a new creation (Titus 3:5; 2 Corinthians 5:17), being adopted as an
heir into God’s family (Romans 8:14-17), and not to mention
our bodies become the temple of the Holy Spirit (1
Corinthians 6:19-20).
Another relationship
that only a believer can have with the Holy Spirit is to have the Holy Spirit
come upon them and fill them for service. This is seen on the day of Pentecost
when the Holy Spirit came upon the believers in the upper room, enduing them
with power to be witnesses (Acts 1:8, 2:1-4). This is not a one
time filling. In fact the disciples are seen being filled with the Holy Spirit
throughout the book of Acts (2:4; 3:10; 4:8, 31; 9:17; 13:9, 52; to name a few). This relationship with Holy Spirit is even
commanded for believers (Ephesians 5:18). Guess what Billy
Sunday, D. L. Moody, R. A. Torrey, and Charles Finney have in common? If you
read their biographies you will see without exception each of these men had an
undeniable encounter with the Holy Spirit after their salvation experience that
revolutionized their ministry. If you're a believer you, without a doubt have
the Holy Spirit, but the real question is, “Does the Holy Spirit have you?”
Scripture
to Claim:
“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 ESV)
“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 ESV)
