Jesus promised that the Father would send us the Holy Spirit so He could abide with us forever. That promise was fulfilled when the 120 disciples were gloriously baptized in the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Since then, the Ministry of the Holy Spirit has spanned the entire world, across all nations and cultures from that generation to this.
This Ministry of the Spirit is available to individual believers, the Church; the Body of Christ and the world at large.
In our message on The Person of the Holy Spirit, we explored the personality of the wonderful Holy Spirit. We came to see that He is co-equal with God the Father and God the Son. We also saw that just as Jesus needed him during His earthly ministry, so do we. I believe you will be richly blessed as you read it!
In this message, we shall be exploring the Ministry of the Holy Spirit to individual believers, the Church and the World. We must never forget the importance Jesus placed on the Holy Spirit; He said it was better that He left so the Holy Spirit could come:
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” – John 16:7
I believe that an understanding of the Holy Spirit’s ministry to us as individual believers, the Church and to the world will help us grow in our walk with God.
The Ministry of the Holy Spirit to Believers
In John 14, while introducing the Holy Spirit to the disciples, Jesus said the Holy Spirit would replace him in their lives after He left.
“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;” – John 14:16
What Jesus meant here was that the ministry of the Holy Spirit to us as believers would be the same as His was while He was on earth.
For example, in Luke 7, we see Jesus as the great comforter. He comforted the widow who had lost her only son by bringing him back to life (Luke 7:11-17). He turned a funeral ceremony into a resurrection celebration. That is a divine dimension of comforting that resolves the problematic issue. Jesus therefore was saying that the Holy Spirit would be with us and live in us to do the same. Halleluyah!
So what is the ministry of the Holy Spirit to us as individual believers? Let’s take a look at some of them:
- The Holy Spirit as our Teacher reveals Jesus to us: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” – John 14:26
- The Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Truth guides us into all truth: “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” – John 16:13
- The Holy Spirit pours out the Love of God into our hearts: “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” – Romans 5:5
- The Holy Spirit is our Seal of Promise: What this means is that the Holy Spirit protects us as God’s purchase. His presence in our lives is the guarantee that God will redeem us to himself. We see this explained by Paul in Ephesians 1: “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” – Ephesians 1:13-14
- The Holy Spirit helps us live in Holiness: As believers, we can rely on the Holy Spirit for strength and grace to live above sin because when we walk in obedience to him, we cannot fall into sin. Also, the Holy Spirit helps us obey him.
- The Holy Spirit leads and guides us as Individuals: He guides us into the will of God for our lives. He also brings us into intimacy and fellowship with the Lord.
- The Holy Spirit gives Life to our entire being: “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” – Romans 8:11
The Ministry of the Holy Spirit to the Church
In some Christian circles, the Holy Spirit and His ministry are thought of as an experience that was once available to the early Christian Church but which is no longer available to us today. That is just not true. The Holy Spirit is a person and He is still very active on the earth today, guiding the Church and drawing the hearts of the lost towards God.
Jesus sent the Holy Spirit was so that we would be empowered to be His witnesses. In Acts 1, at Jesus’ ascension, we see what Jesus said:
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” – Acts 1:8
This empowerment of the Spirit marked the birth of the Church. Without the Holy Spirit and the power He gave the disciples at Pentecost, the Church would never have been born. It was also the Holy Spirit that added to the Church daily such as needed to be saved (Acts 2:47) and also multiplied the Church after that (Acts 6:7). The Body of Christ needs the Holy Spirit.
Other aspects of the Ministry of the Holy Spirit to the Church are:
- The Gifts of the Spirit: The nine Gifts of the Spirit are as outlined in 1 Corinthians 12:1-14. These gifts of the Spirit are His manifestations in the lives of believers.
- The Fruit of the Spirit: The nine Fruit of the Spirit are as outlined in Galatians 5:22-23. The Fruit of the Spirit is what happens when we walk in union with the Spirit of God. If we will but walk in the Spirit; yield our hearts and lives to Him in Obedience, we will see the fruit in our lives.
- The Five Fold Ministry Gifts: The five-fold Ministry Gifts are as outlined in Ephesians 4:11-16. These Ministry gifts serve the Church and are for the building up and maturity of the Church.
- The Holy Spirit’s Leading and Guidance: In Acts of the Apostles, we see several times when the Holy Spirit led and guided the Church into the will of God. In Acts 16:6, we see how He forbade the Apostles Paul and Barnabas from preaching the Word of God in Asia. In another instance in Acts 10, we see how the Holy Spirit directed Peter to bring the Word of God for the first time to the Gentiles (Acts 10:1-48).
The Ministry of the Holy Spirit to the World
At Jesus’ ascension, He gave the disciples the Great Commission. We see that in Mark 16:
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” – Mark 16:15-16
Every believer has been called into the Ministry of Reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18); to reconcile men back to God. The Holy Spirit helps us with that ministry.
Jesus while speaking of the Holy Spirit identified His ministry to the world.
“And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.” – John 16:8-11
Without the ministry of the Holy Spirit, men would not be convicted and saved. We see an amazing example of this work of the Spirit in Acts 2:37:
“Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
These were the same Jews that only a few days had cried out for the death of Jesus. Only the Holy Spirit could have convicted them of their sin and their need for salvation.
As it was on the day of Pentecost, it is our responsibility to preach the Word. When we do, the Holy Spirit convicts the hearts of men and shows them their need for Jesus as Savior. This combination is how the Church and the Holy Spirit should work together to win the world over to God.
“And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.” – Mark 16:20
God expects us as individuals and as the Church to work together with Him, just as the early Church did. When we work together with the Holy Spirit, the world will be saved!
If you are not yet born again, today is your day of Salvation. Kindly visit our Salvation page to give your life to Jesus and become a part of the Kingdom of God. You may also submit your Prayer Requests or Testimonies on their respective linked pages. You can also like us on Facebook and Twitter using @thebeholdfile handle.
Do you have examples of how the ministry of the Holy Spirit has helped you? Share them in the comments section below.
David Adeniji is the Founder and President of The Behold File, a teaching ministry founded in 2003. The Behold File provides a platform through which the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of men to see Jesus so they can be changed to be like him.