John MacArthur gives us more insight of this event:  “Pentecost” means “fiftieth” and refers to the Feast of Weeks (Exod. 34:22-223) or Harvest (Lev. 23:16), which was celebrated fifty days after Passover in May/June (Lev:15-22).  It was one of the three annual feasts for which the nation was to come to Jerusalem…At Pentecost, an offering of first fruits was made (Lev. 23:20).  The Holy Spirit came on this day as the first fruits of the believers inheritance (cf. 2 Cor. 5:5, Eph. 1:11, 14).  Those gathered into the church then were also the first fruits of the full harvest of all believers to come after.”²

It is important to realize that in all of the works and manifestations of the Holy Spirit, His purpose was to point to Jesus as the Son of God and our Savior, not to draw attention to Himself, John 16:13 “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”

When we dedicate our lives to worship God who is invisible to us, we forsake the ways of the world, the flesh and the devil, and learn to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit for the remaining time we live in the fallen condition of the earth.  When we become born-again, the Holy Spirit immediately starts to do a mighty transforming work in our lives, starting with bringing us out of death and into new life in Christ, from out of the darkness and into the light. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will be able to discern the difference between spiritual darkness and light.

Vaughan Roberts writes:  “Jesus told Nicodemus that ‘no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born-again’ (Jn. 3:3)…The Spirit convicts and then points us to Jesus…He opens our eyes to understand the truth, enables us to put our trust in Him… We become born-again.”³

We are coming out of the awareness that we are utterly sinful and powerless to do anything about it, to be able to rid ourselves of it.  After laying down our sins at the foot of the cross and being forgiven and cleansed of all sin, should we continue to live by the flesh, our own understanding, by our own works and effort to maintain our righteous status before God?  How is that possible?  We will only find ourselves going through the same cycle of sin again.  It is no longer I who live, but the presence of Christ in me through the filling of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 2:20). It is God who began a good work in me by delivering me from self-dependence, the way of the flesh, the deception of the world system and the enslavement of the devil, who will also complete His good work in me by causing my spiritual growth (Phil. 1:6). By the infilling of the Holy Spirit we have become new creations in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17), and now we are to live by the renewing of our mind (Rom. 12:2) to the ways of God and let the Holy Spirit lead and guide us into a process of sanctification, letting go of our trust in the world’s value system and learning to trust in God’s heavenly value system.  This will produce in us the fruit of the spirit and bring us on to a glorified life in Christ Jesus.

Here is a quote from Dr. Merrill Unger that basically describes the work of the Holy Spirit in a new believer’s life when they receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior: “Baptism with the Holy Spirit is merely one of the various ministries performed by the Holy Spirit since He came into the world: that every believer the moment he believes in Christ is regenerated, baptized, indwelt, and sealed for all eternity, and has the duty and privilege of continually being filled for life and service.”⁴

Clinton Arnold describes what happens behind the scenes at the time of conversion:  “Followers of Christ truly have a new citizenship.  We have been rescued from the clutches of the powers of darkness.  This ‘behind the scenes’ action happens at conversion and is symbolized by the rite of baptism.  Turning to Christ involves a powerful work of God on our behalf.  Conversion for some may only ‘feel’ like a personal decision, but an invisible rescue occurs in the unseen world.”⁵

John Stott describes Spiritual living: “So the life of God’s children may be described as “life in the Spirit.” It is a life lived under the direction and by the power of the Holy Spirit.  He bears witness with our spirit that we are indeed God’s children.  As the “Spirit of wisdom and revelation” in our knowledge of Christ (Eph. 1:17), he also opens the eyes of our hearts to know him better.  And he is the Holy Spirit, seeking to lead us into holiness, to make us like Christ (2 Cor. 3:18).  He subdues the power of our flesh (or fallen nature) and causes to ripen in our character his fruit of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control’ (Gal. 5:16-23).”⁶

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones describes how God’s power works through us: “The power of God manifests itself and works in us through the written Word and through the Holy Spirit.  He works in my personality, affects my will, and creates desires and longings within me.  Suddenly I am aware of a desire to read the Word, or a desire to pray to God.  It is the result of the working of God and the Holy Spirit generating a prayer, or stimulating me to some other activity.  He is constantly stimulating my will and giving me power to act.”⁷

What is the Holy Spirit Like?

It is fascinating to see throughout the Scripture how the Holy Spirit is manifested visibly through many various emblems and symbols. A few examples are that the Holy Spirit is like a dove, Matt. 3:16 “When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.”  He is like oil, 1 Samuel 16:13 “Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.”  Acts 10:38 “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” He is like water, John 7:38-39, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” ³⁹ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

Jack Hayford describes how the Holy Spirit comes like wind: “The Holy Spirit, coming as wind, depicts His power and His guidance. When Jesus tells Nicodemus about the new birth experience (John 3:8), He tells him that it is not like a tangible birth where you can see the baby is born and check the clock for its time of arrival. The work of the Spirit breathes into a life, and something transpires that people cannot recognize. There’s a dynamism but also a gentleness, like the wisp of a breeze. You can’t necessarily see where it came from or where it goes, but all of us can attest to times when God has come and dealt with us, and no human being knew how it happened.”⁸

Here is a brief list of the activities of the Holy Spirit:

The Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Jn. 16:8-11 “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: ⁹ of sin, because they do not believe in Me; ¹⁰ of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; ¹¹ of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”

The Holy Spirit washes us clean of our sinful nature through the process of spiritual rebirth, renewing our life with His life when we receive Christ’s salvation.  Titus 3:5 “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,”

The Holy Spirit fills us. “In the New Testament Christians are challenged and commanded to be filled with the Spirit, as it states in Eph. 5:18, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” The illustration of a person whose whole body has been affected by wine is used to describe how the Spirit of God, who indwells every believer, can extend His ministry and His power to all aspects of an individual Christian’s life. The filling of the Spirit is not getting more of the Spirit, but it is a question of the Holy Spirit empowering and getting control. In contrast to the permanence of the new birth and the indwelling Holy Spirit, the filling of the Spirit is a repeated experience.”⁹

The Holy Spirit seals us for the day of redemption when we profess our faith in Christ. Eph. 1:13 “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,”  Eph. 4:30 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”  “Believers are sealed in the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13; 4:30; 2 Corinthians 1:22). A seal indicates possession and protection, which is a guarantee of the security of our salvation. It means that we belong to God. He owns us forever. He will keep us, because He has given us His permanent pledge and promise. It is a legal transaction.”¹⁰

The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are now God’s children. Rom. 8:16 “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,” Gal. 4:6 “Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” We are children of God, not just people who worship God, we are family, in a loving relationship with the Lord Jesus and our Father God. Eph. 2:19 “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,”

The Holy Spirit brings us through the process of sanctification.  2 Thes. 2:13 “But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth,”  “Sanctification is another work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. The Spirit sets Himself against the desires of the flesh and leads the believer into righteousness (Galatians 5:16–18). The works of the flesh become less evident, and the fruit of the Spirit becomes more evident (Galatians 5:19–26). Believers are commanded to “be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18), which means they are to yield themselves to the Spirit’s full control.”¹¹  

“We are sanctified in Christ.  He, and not the Holy Ghost, is our sanctification as well as our righteousness.  Without the Spirit we could neither be justified nor sanctified; for it is the Spirit of God who enables us to believe in Jesus, and it is the Spirit of God who applies unto us the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, so that we are sanctified; but Christ is ‘made of God unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.’ It may be a misleading idea, that after the Lord Jesus Christ has redeemed on the cross it is now the work and office of the Holy Ghost to sanctify.  It is so, but not more than it is the work and office of the Holy Ghost to bring us unto the Lord Jesus Christ in repentance and in faith.  Our sanctification is in Christ Jesus Himself.  Again, some people think, that sanctification means this:  ‘Jesus has loved me and died for me; what a motive have I now to live unto God!  How shall I show my gratitude, how shall I show my love, except by walking in the commandments of God’ This is perfectly true, and we cannot say so to ourselves too often; but Christ is more than our motive for sanctification; He is our sanctification.”¹²

Heb. 10:10, 14 “ ¹⁰By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” “¹⁴ For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.”

The Holy Spirit will produce in us fruit that is characteristic of Godliness. Gal. 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

The Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth.  Jn. 16:13 “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”   “The Holy Spirit guides the believer (Romans 8:14, 16, 26; John 16:12-15; Psalm 138:8; 139:10, 16, 23, 24).This involves teaching, giving assurance, assisting in prayer, using the Bible and counsel of other mature Christians. He leads by circumstances, subjective impressions, and giving resources for tasks and opportunities He sets before us. He directs our thoughts to focus on areas of ministry. We praise Him that He is a personal God who deals with us in personal way – but always in a way that is in keeping with His written Word, the Bible.”¹³ 

The Holy Spirit will distribute gifts of the Spirit to each individual for the benefit of building up the church community. 1 Cor. 12:7-11 “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: ⁸ for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, ¹⁰ to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.”

The Holy Spirit enables us to have access to God the Father. Eph. 2:18 “For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.”  Through Christ’s atonement our sin no longer separates us from God.  At the moment His death on the cross satisfied the justice of God as a payment of sin in our place, the veil to the Holy of Holies was supernaturally torn in two, symbolizing that atonement was made by Christ once and for all, and all who receive the Lord’s salvation are welcome to fellowship with God through the filling presence of the Holy Spirit.  See Exod. 26:31, 33; Lev. 16:23, 16-17, 34; Matt. 27:51; Heb. 6:19; 9:3, 6-15; 10:19-22.

The Holy Spirit enables us to experience the love of God. Rom. 5:5 “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

The Holy Spirit provides the ability to have everlasting life when you submit to His ways. Gal. 6:8 “For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”

Hindrances to Spiritual Growth

It is unfortunate that new believers, who were able to become born-again only because of the Holy Spirit’s work in revealing the kingdom of God to them, can become hindered from continuing in their spiritual growth of depending on His guidance and power.  Their sensitivity of the Holy Spirit is blocked by the bombardment of the ways of the flesh being in the habit of relying on its own understanding; by the allurement of the world system (in which they have yet to learn of its futility and vanity, and therefore, be disciplined and discerning of its superficial ways); and by the subtle ways of the devil who will make something unbiblical seem biblical, keeping them enslaved by their own good religious deeds (self-righteousness) that brings glory to themselves rather than relying on the work of the Holy Spirit in them, giving Him all the glory.   If they were part of a Christian community who’s Pastor has the characteristics of the “True Good Shepherd,” they would have the support they need to avoid much of this and be trained properly in the wisdom of true spiritual growth. The parable of the Sower in Matt. 13:1-12 describes other hindrances to people who are not truly sincere in dedicating their lives to following Christ.

We need to be careful not to be misled by “spiritual ministries” that draws attention to the flesh. In humility, obedience and love, a true Christian ministry will give all glory to God.

This is why in many churches you will find that “In some denominations and movements, the Holy Spirit is overemphasized, leading to a Christless Pentecost — putting the Spirit exclusively on the throne and losing Jesus in the temple. In other denominations and movements, the Spirit is but a footnote, an afterthought, even a stranger.”¹⁴

John Walvoord makes an observation about the spiritual state of many Christians: “Christians are distinguished from non-Christians as those who have been born again, who have received eternal life, who are baptized into the body of Christ, who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and who are sealed by the Holy Spirit. These works of the Spirit are evident in any true Christian.

It is obvious, however, that all Christians do not have the same degree of spirituality, or wisdom, or yieldedness to the Lord. Accordingly, the Scriptures speak of those who are spiritual and those who are fleshly, living in the power and direction of the sin nature.”¹⁵

Walvoord continues with and example in scripture quoting two verses in First Corinthians, “The Corinthians who were addressed in 1 Corinthians 1:2 as “those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours” are nevertheless classified as either spiritual or worldly. First Corinthians 3:1 states, “Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ.” ¹⁵

He then goes on to ask, “How can one define the difference between a Christian who is spiritual and one who is not? The difference is related to the work of the Holy Spirit in a person’s heart. Every Christian is indwelt by the Spirit, but every Christian does not heed the direction and instruction of the Holy Spirit. Accordingly, those who listen to the world rather than to the Holy Spirit are worldly, or fleshly, and those who are guided by the Holy Spirit can be spiritually minded and enjoy the things of God. Those who are spiritual “live by the Spirit” (Gal. 5:16), that is, they walk, or live their life, in the power of the Holy Spirit.”¹⁵

You can study about other gods, even the God of Christianity, and decide according to your knowledge which one makes sense to you and choose to worship.  But what sets God apart from others is that He is the only living God, and you cannot become fully convicted of that unless the living Holy Spirit gives you that conviction through revelation.

No other god has the Holy Spirit, but we unknowingly have a fallen nature that is influenced by an evil spirit who temporarily rules the world and can communicate with us but will not reveal the truth about the one and only Living God of Christianity.

John MacArthur writes: “It is noteworthy that Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as “the Spirit of truth” (John 14:17). As God, He is the essence of truth; as a “Paraclete” (Helper), He is the One who guides us into truth. That is why apart from Him, it is impossible for sinful beings to know or understand any spiritual truth.”¹⁶

John 14:15-17 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. ¹⁶ And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”

1 Cor. 2:10-14 “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. ¹¹ For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. ¹² Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

¹³ These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. ¹⁴ But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

The Greatest Gift

By His blood Christ has redeemed us from being enslaved by the law (enslaved by it because we are not able to fulfill it in our own effort, making us aware that we are sinners who are separated from God, unable to approach Him without a sin offering).  Since He provided redemption, we can be adopted into His kingdom as children of God.  We then are able to receive His Spirit into our hearts to pursue a personal relationship with God our Father.

Rom. 8:14-16 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,”

Gal. 4:5-7 “to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out,  “Abba, Father!” ⁷ Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”

Notes

1.  50 things the Holy Spirit Does by Frank Viola, http://www.christianpost.com/news/50-things-the-holy-spirit-does-129829/#5O46f6TydROPUfhR.99

2. The MacArthur Bible Commentary, John MacArthur, Pg. 1435

3. God’s Big Picture by Vaughan Roberts, Pg. 127; 2002 Inter Varsity Press

4. Quoted in Systematic Theology by Lewis Sperry Chafer Vol. 6, Pg. 160; 1948, 1976 Kregal Publications

5. Powers of Darkness by Clinton E. Arnold, Pg. 112; 1992 Inter varsity Press

6. Understanding the Bible by John Stott, Pg. 118; 2001 Baker Books

7. God’s Ultimate Purpose, An Exposition of Ephesians 1 by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Pg. 421; 1979 Baker Books

8. Symbols of the Holy Spirit by Jack Hayford,  http://www.jackhayford.org/teaching/articles/symbols-of-the-holy-spirit/

9. The Filling of the Holy Spirit by John F. Walvoord,  www.walvoord.com/article/163

10. The Holy Spirit, Christian Foundation Five,  www.bible-teaching-about.com/theholyspirit.html

11. What Does the Holy Spirit Do? www.gotquestions.org/what-does-the-Holy-Spirit-do.html

12. Christ Crucified by Adolph Saphir, 1889, Pgs. 46-47, www.archive.org/details/christcrucified00saphgoog

13. The Holy Spirit, Christian Foundation Five,  www.bible-teaching-about.com/theholyspirit.html

14. The Holy Spirit, Christian Foundation Five,  www.bible-teaching-about.com/theholyspirit.html

15.  The Filling of the Holy Spirit by John F. Walvoord, www.walvoord.com/article/163

16.  God’s Sufficient Spirit by John MacArthur www.gracetoyou.org/

Additional Resource:

4 Signs the Holy Spirit is Speaking to You by Mark Ballenger www.applygodsword.com/4-signs-the-holy-spirit-is-speaking-to-you/