The Efficacy and Essentiality of the Holy Spirit - Part Two
“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” John 14:16-17 (KJV)
Last week, we touched on the fact that the Holy Spirit enjoys efficacy and is essential to our existence as followers of faith in Jesus Christ. Remember that the word efficacy advances the concept of the capacity for producing a desired result or effect; the ability to accomplish or do something.
Some time ago I was laboring in love to lay down a foundation of understanding with respect to the Holy Spirit. The individual I was ministering to had experienced a life devoured by drugs and depression. God, by His gregarious and generous grace, moved the person I was ministering to open their heart for the gospel.
Therefore, for the purpose of procuring a position of understanding about who the Holy Spirit is, how He works in our lives (efficacy) and that He gives life (efficacy and essentiality), I employed an illustration.
First, we read John 3:6-8 together:
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” (KJV)
Then, I had the individual grab a box of tissues and pull a tissue up so that it extended out of the box but remained in the box. Then I asked the person to hold the box of tissues in front of his or her face and blow. I then proceeded to ask the person a series of questions as to what happened: “What happened to the tissue when you blew air on the tissue? Did you see your breath with your eyes? No, because your breath is transparent. So if you did not see it with your eyes, how did you know that your breath was the influence?”
The person responded, “I heard the breath leave my lips. I felt it leave my lips and I saw the tissue move.”
Likewise, we cannot see the Holy Spirit but He moves us to action. We can hear His voice in our hearts. We feel and know His presence and peace because He lives in us.
The good Lord will always lead us if we listen to Him and lay down our agenda in order to advance His agenda. It was the efficacy of the Holy Spirit that helped the individual to whom I was speaking come to an understanding that recovery treatment and working through the steps were very helpful. However, the person believed that he or she needed an eternal influence in their life. The influence that I shared with the person was a Person (God the Holy Spirit). He is not the friendly ghost but the Holy Ghost. He is not electricity but He will power your life for victory and the lights will always be on! He is the third Person of the triune God; three distinct Persons, one divine essence as recorded in Scripture.
For instance, we see all three engaged and present at our Lord’s baptism.
“And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of Goddescending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Matthew 3:16-17 (KJV, emphasis added)
The apostle Paul closed his second epistle to the Corinthian church by acknowledging and asking the Godhead to guide and bless them.
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.” 2 Corinthians 13:14 (KJV, emphasis added)
In conclusion, the Bible says that those who elect to embrace the Holy Spirit’s leadership in their lives are called His children.
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Romans 8:14 (KJV)
Question: Is He the most influential person in your life?
For the Glory of God,
PBKSR