Flames of fire and docile doves are both used as modern day pictures of the Holy Spirit. This third Person is no doubt the most misunderstood of the triune God. Is His role simply of comfort in distress and trial, or is He the powerful force behind the faith-healers and tongue speakers? Do we possess all of His power at salvation, or do we need to demonstrate some manifestation of His presence to be sure of His filling? The very word spirit evokes some mystery in our minds as we wrestle with these and other questions.
While some religious leaders emphasize the Holy Spirit exclusively, others avoid Him altogether. Some believe that through the power of the Spirit, we can have anything we ask for, while others are skeptical of this “errand boy” mentality. To be sure, there is much confusion, and that is not what God intended.
Jesus began to speak to His disciples about His departure from them: “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2). These words raised the eyebrows of these early followers as they contemplated life without Him. So later on Jesus said, “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: for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you” (John 14:16–17).
While there is much to digest in this early reference by Christ to the Spirit, one phrase stands out in verse seventeen: “Even the Spirit of truth.” Later, Jesus further explains in trying to comfort them concerning His departure: “But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. 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. 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. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 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 16:5–13).
Scripture makes it clear that when we trust Jesus Christ as our Saviour, the Holy Spirit takes up residence within us. “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19). Notice the words of Paul concerning this, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death…But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his” (Romans 8:1–2, 9).
Thus, being saved, we have His Spirit within us, but how do we enact His power? Remember what Jesus said in His earlier teaching: He always referred to Him as the “Spirit of truth.” Jesus states in John 17:17b, “Thy word is truth.” You see, the Spirit and the Scriptures are linked together. This is why when we sin (violate the clear teaching of Scripture), the Holy Spirit is grieved. “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:30-32). No one living in outright contradiction to truth can experience the power of the Holy Spirit. Nor can anyone claim to be doing the work of ministry through the power of the Holy Spirit who does so in violation to the truth of God’s Word. The Holy Spirit guides people to Christ through the truth of the Bible.
The key to Holy Spirit power is to saturate the man, the method, and the message with the truth! People often ask me when I started memorizing Scripture. It was in October of 1978. I was with my wife and one-year old son holding revival meetings in Coleman, Wisconsin, for a Christian school. We had several chapels during the day, but there were no services at night. Coleman was a town of about three-hundred people, and when five o’clock in the evening came, everything closed.
The first night, being bored to tears, I went into the gymnasium and shot baskets for about two hours by myself. The next night I did the same. While I was getting a good workout, somehow those “one-on-me” games were not curing my boredom. The next day I announced to my wife that I was going to go in the school and memorize some Scripture. I had been convicted about doing so since my college years but just hadn’t gotten around to doing it. I began with the subject of Hell (since I preached on it a lot), and by the end of the week I had about twenty-five verses down cold. Quite frankly, I thought that was the end of any attempt to be a “walking Bible.”
The next Saturday we traveled to Hadley, Michigan, for meetings and upon arrival the pastor and I sat down to discuss some plans. He informed me that Monday night was designated as “Awana Night,” and he was confident that several unsaved parents would attend. As Monday approached, I decided to preach a message on the subject of Hell. As I stepped into the auditorium that night, I was thrilled to see it filled with visitors (thirty-six unsaved adults to be exact). I preached on Hell, but instead of reading the verses I had used before from my notes, I was now quoting them. I can’t really explain it, but I sensed great power flowing through those words of truth as I spoke them. When the invitation was given, eighteen of those adults walked the aisles and trusted Christ as Saviour!
Needless to say, I was hooked! The next morning I was inside the church at 4:00 am memorizing more verses. I had discovered a valuable secret—the Spirit and the Scriptures are a match made in Heaven. God’s power flows through God’s truth! Ponder the words of Jesus in John 6:63: “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” Fill your mind and your message with that truth. As you speak, as you witness, as you pray, as you counsel, as you teach and preach—use His Word instead of your own, and watch what happens.
