Have you ever heard at Christmas time, “Jesus is the Greatest Gift?” It seems to be a popular theme. During my study of Holy Spirit I have come to what I feel is a more complete understanding. I now believe that the greatest gift from God isn’t Jesus Himself, it is His Spirit.
First of all, Holy Spirit is the only God on the earth today. He was left here by Jesus to be our Helper, as He stated in John 14:26: “I have told you all these things while I am with you. But the Helper will teach you everything and cause you to remember all that I told you. This Helper is the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name.”
Secondly, The Holy Spirit is a person of the Trinity, the Triune God. He is in fact, a divine person, just as the Father and Son are divine persons, each with a particular role. The Christian can and should relate with each person in the Trinity. The indwelling Holy Spirit in the believer allows for that because the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all present together when the Spirit comes to dwell in you. They have never been out of fellowship, except for the time when Jesus hung on the cross and took on our sins.
And thirdly, God’s limitless wisdom and truth are available to anyone who receives Jesus as their Savior, as Holy Spirit is a Teacher and Counselor. This amazing gift can come to anyone, anytime, anywhere in the world! The fact that God can multiply His Spirit and indwell every believer at the time of salvation across the globe is something far greater than the God-Man could accomplish while He was earth-bound. This is why Jesus said in John 16:7: “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is advantageous for you that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you.” And he goes on to list all the benefits that His Spirit will be equipped to provide to us, in verses 8-11. In verse 13, Jesus tells His disciples, “When the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all truth.” That makes perfect sense, and gives us another reason to believe that Holy Spirit is the Greatest Gift.
The fact that God can multiply His Spirit and indwell every believer at the time of salvation across the globe is something far greater than the God-Man could accomplish while He was earth-bound.
When I was first prompted to study more about Holy Spirit, I was led to a few books that have benefitted me greatly – as if studying the Greatest Gift would result in anything less than great. The first of the books was Smith Wigglesworth’s Holy Spirit, another was The Sermons of John G. Lake. Both I highly recommend. One additional book was very impactful and I’ve now read it three times, which included leading a book study group two of the three times. It is, The God I Never Knew, by Robert Morris.
The subtitle of Morris’ book, How Real Friendship with the Holy Spirit Can Change Your Life, has become a passion of mine. My hope is for every Christian who has either never heard a teaching on Holy Spirit or have been warned to avoid the Holy Spirit to fully appreciate God’s amazing gift. Some Christian leaders have been wrongly taught that Holy Spirit is “spooky” or “weird.” Some of that may come from what some have called, “the evidence of the Holy Spirit,” which is speaking or praying in unknown tongues. It is an important part of the gift that Jesus gave us, and I will elaborate on the Gift of Tongues in Part II.
If we as Christians choose to overlook or downplay the importance of Holy Spirit, we will miss the Greatest Gift. Wouldn’t that be a shame? All believers need to do is capture the meaning of scripture and ask the indwelling Holy Spirit to teach us. But that is the glaring issue! When believers aren’t aware there is a Holy Spirit, they will lack the advantages that Jesus died for us to have. Let’s look at another important scripture.
In Acts 19, we read that when the Apostle Paul reached Ephesus, he asked the believers, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed.” They answered: “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” After two-thousand years, we haven’t made much progress! The lack of teaching about Holy Spirit is a huge issue in the church today. With cultural relevance taking over some denominations, what we used to think of as Christian churches may not even base their teaching on the teachings of Christ and God’s Word.
Many Christian pastors are wonderful at communicating and teaching God’s word, but in my years of attending both denominational and non-denominational churches, the desire to completely understand and apply God’s truth about Holy Spirit is absent from a large percentage of them. Thankfully, Robert Morris found out about Holy Spirit even though his pastor told him as he left for seminary, “Don’t let anyone talk to you about Holy Spirit.” After attending my share of denominational and non-denominational churches, I believe this thinking is pervasive in The Church in America.
Jesus prayed for all believers to be in unity, in John 17:20-21, and I believe Holy Spirit is the unifying force. When I came to Christ, I had a childhood friend who also grew up Catholic as I did. We were neighbors and attended the same church. When she found Christ, she invited me to the Baptist church she was attending. Later, when I found my personal relationship with Him, she seemed more than a friend, but a real sister, a true family member, and closer than my biological family members who didn’t have a personal relationship with Jesus. That sense of family and unity is what Holy Spirit brings!
Like-mindedness would please Jesus and answer His prayer in John 17. But Satan has done his best to divide us with various denominations and doctrines, incorporating fear and pride into the mix. Church doctrines or man’s doctrines put a spiritual lid on the ability to be led by God’s Spirit. I believe there is only one true way to follow Jesus, attain unity and like-mindedness, to be the family, the Bride that Jesus will return to receive. We must accept and honor His Spirit as part of the package.
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