Keeping in Step with the Spirit
We’ve been talking a lot about the Holy Spirit lately, but who is he? What does he do? Let’s take a minute to prayerfully consider this Spirit of Truth Jesus promised to his followers, and how we can “keep in step” with him.
There have been enough books written about the Holy Spirit to fill many libraries, so we couldn’t hope to exhaustively define him here, but at a most basic level, the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity who indwells all believers. The Holy Spirit fills several roles in the life of the believer, and Scripture uses several titles for him: Helper/Comforter/Counselor (John 14:16; 14:26; 15:26; 16:7), Intercessor (Romans 8:26), Spirit of Truth (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13), Spirit of Life (Romans 8:2), and Teacher (1 Corinthians 2:13), among others. And what does he do? He convicts us of sin (John 16:7-11), he seals our inheritance as children of God (2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5; Ephesians 1:13-14), he guides us into truth (John 14:26; 16:13), he helps us live in obedience to Christ (John 14:15-17), he illuminates Scripture (1 Corinthians 2:9-11), he intercedes for us when we don’t know what to pray (Romans 8:26), and as we’ve been learning in this sermon series, he gives us gifts for the building up of the church (1 Corinthians 12). We know he is a Person with a will, not a blind force we can command (1 Corinthians 12:11), and we know he lives inside every believer (John 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:12-16; Romans 8:9-11).
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth… – John 16:13
Of his many titles and roles, the one I want to zoom in on is Guide. He guides us. One example from Scripture is in Acts 8:26-40 when the Holy Spirit tells Philip to join the chariot of an Ethiopian eunuch who was at that very moment reading a prophecy about Jesus, but needed help understanding it. We don’t know how the Holy Spirit spoke to Philip, whether audibly or in some more subtle way, but we know Philip was listening because when the Spirit spoke, Philip was ready to respond. The result was praise (v. 39).
How does the Holy Spirit guide us today? There are lots of examples today of specific instructions from the Spirit, similar to what Philip experienced, and those are incredible. If you’ve experienced the Spirit’s urging to talk to someone, or donate to a cause, or serve in some way, you know what it looks like. It can be exhilarating, but also frightening. I have a friend who, while on a short-term mission trip to France, heard about a need for a full-time missionary couple. She turned to her husband and said, “Do you think it’s us?” They later sold their belongings, quit their jobs, and moved to France for a while. That’s a pretty big (and frightening) change, but I believe she was responding to a specific, subtle urging of the Holy Spirit.
While giving specific guidance to individual people is amazing and helpful, there’s also a more general guidance of the Holy Spirit, and it’s for all believers in all cultures in all times: Glorify Jesus. Before his crucifixion, Jesus told his disciples that he would send the Holy Spirit. “He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:14). The Holy Spirit’s goal is for Jesus to be glorified. He shines a light on the cross. The Spirit exalts the Son. I love how Michael Reeves puts it: “Not only does the Father send his Son in the power of his Spirit; together the Father and the Son send the Spirit to make the Son known. The Son makes the Father known; the Spirit makes the Son known.”[1] The Holy Spirit is our guide. Guides don’t point to themselves. They don’t say, “Hey everyone look at me!” They lead you to something else and say, “Look at that!” But you can only follow the guide by keeping in step with him.
Walking in step with the Holy Spirit—listening for his voice and following his guidance—not only benefits the church, it benefits you as well. You grow to love and trust Jesus more, you grow more sensitive to hearing his voice in the future, you get the peace of Christ (John 14:27), you’re empowered to avoid sin (Galatians 5:16), you produce the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), the list goes on and on. Ask the Holy Spirit today to come alongside you, and then listen for his voice. Spend time in the Word. Ask him to be your guide. You were made alive in Christ by the power of the Spirit, now walk in step with him.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. – Galatians 5:25
[1] Michael Reeves, Delighting in the Trinity: An Introduction to the Christian Faith. (Westmont, IL: IVP Academic, 2012), 81.