No. 501 "Who Is the Holy Spirit, and What Does He Do?" September 27, 2026

No. 501 "Who Is the Holy Spirit, and What Does He Do?" September 27, 2026 "The Holy Spirit? Isn't that basically just God's power?" More people think this way than you'd expect. Some connect the Holy Spirit with strong emotions. Others think of Him as a kind of divine assistance that shows up when things get hard. But the Spirit Scripture introduces to us isn't a force or a feeling. The Holy Spirit is God Himself, relating to us personally. He is one person of the eternal Trinity, together with the Father and the Son (Matthew 28:19). He thinks and speaks (Acts 13:2), works according to His own will (1 Corinthians 12:11), and is personal enough that we can actually grieve Him (Ephesians 4:30). Facing the cross, Jesus said something startling to His troubled disciples: "It is for your good that I am going away" (John 16:7). The Spirit's coming was never a stand-in for Jesus' absence. It's how God makes the salvation Christ accomplished — through the cross and the resurrection — real and present among us. The Holy Spirit doesn't draw attention to Himself; He testifies about Christ (John 15:26). Think of a stage lighting technician — shining light on the actor while staying hidden in the dark himself. That's how the Spirit works: always illuminating Jesus. So wherever the Spirit is genuinely at work, it isn't people who grow larger in our eyes. It's Jesus. The Spirit also opens our eyes to see sin for what it is (John 16:8) and gives us new birth (Titus 3:5). He lives within us, producing love, joy, and self-control as fruit (Galatians 5:22–23), distributing gifts to build up the church (1 Corinthians 12:11), and empowering us to be witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Here's a distinction worth making. Feeling the Spirit and trusting the Spirit are not the same thing. Emotional warmth and the beginning of obedience are not the same thing. Feelings can run hot today and cool off tomorrow — but the change the Spirit works in us runs deeper than emotion. It shows up in our thoughts, our words, and our choices. All of this points in one direction: the Holy Spirit doesn't exist to elevate us — He exists to exalt Jesus. So depending on the Spirit isn't waiting around for a vague feeling. It's seeking truth in God's Word. It's repenting honestly when we're convicted of sin, without making excuses. It's serving others with the gifts the Spirit gives, not with our own strength. The more the Spirit works, the larger Jesus becomes in our sight. So today: am I acknowledging the Holy Spirit not as some vague feeling, but as the personal God who walks with me? Let's listen to Him, obey where He leads, and keep our eyes fixed on the Jesus He keeps showing us.