The Holy Spirit is a Divine Person, co-equal to the Father and the Son. The Spirit is sometimes referred to as the “forgotten member of the trinity” remaining content in the shadow of the other members. I am grateful there has been a renewed interest in pneumatology over the past 150 years. 

There are many misconceptions about the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit has been abused and misrepresented in countless ways. Sketching such abuses is beyond the reach of this article.  I contend that if we had a better grasp of the Spirit’s ministry, we wouldn’t expect things of the Spirit that the Spirit doesn’t do. And we wouldn’t give credit to the Spirit for things the Spirit never did. 

Here are five ministries of Spirit:

First, the Spirit dwells with and in believers. In speaking of the Holy Spirit, Jesus said in John 14:17, “You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (ESV). The Spirit is not just near Christian’s, he is in them. He is the “indwelling Spirit” who empowers God’s people to live the Christian life. 

Second, the Spirit teaches believers. Jesus said, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26). As believers study and meditate on God’s Word, and the Spirit illuminates or gives understanding to them.  

Third, the Spirit testifies about Jesus. Jesus said, “But when the Helper comes….he will bear witness about me” (John 15:26). The Spirit does not testify about himself. The Spirit exalts and bears witness to Jesus. Jesus said, “He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:14). Rather than elevating himself, the Spirit works to point the believer to the sufficiency of Christ. The Spirit is the “shy” member of the Trinity.  

The Spirit and the Son are so closely aligned that Scripture sometimes links them together. Paul writes in Phil. 1:19, “for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance” (see also Rom. 8:9).

Fourth, the Spirit is our advocate. The word translated “Helper” (ESV) in John 14:16, 26, 15:26, and 16:7 comes from the Greek word “parakletos”. This word can also be translated as advocate or counselor, and carries with it the idea of one who comes alongside of another to assist, defend, and provide comfort. 

Fifth, the Spirit intercedes for believers. Rom. 8:26 explains, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” At some point, every believer feels the despair of not knowing how or what to pray. When you experience this, Christian, take heart. The Spirit is interceding.      

Though this list is not exhaustive, it does introduce us to the ministry of the Spirit. These are among the reasons why Jesus told his disciples, “it is to your advantage that I go away” (John 16:7). Jesus’ departure after his death and resurrection would result in a new measure of the Spirit’s presence and power.  

Life in the Spirit

God designed the believer to be dependent upon the Holy Spirit. Not just in a small, limited manner, but in an all-encompassing way. Christian’s are not meant to live in their own strength and wisdom, without dependence upon the Holy Spirit. Our natural self-reliance must be shattered in such a way that we see our desperate need for the power of God to govern and sustain our lives.  

We live in a culture and an age that loves power, but it is always the power of man, and never the power of the Holy Spirit. As Jesus reminded his disciples, “apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). God’s people must come to a place of brokenness and humility where they are convinced that apart from the mighty working of the Spirit of God, they can do nothing. 

Jesus’ own life serves as a model for Spirit dependency. Luke 4:1 says, “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days being tempted by the devil.” The believer should desire to be led of God in everything and be “filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18). We must be reliant upon the Spirit to produce in our lives the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) and the character of Christ. 

The Necessity of Faith

Spirit dependency is vitally linked to faith. Jesus said, “For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move and nothing will be impossible for you” (Matt. 17:20-21). When we are fully dependent upon the Spirit, it will result in a life of faith. The bible says, “For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23). It is always true that a life not fully dependent upon the Holy Spirit, does not honor God. 

One of the things that should characterize the people of God is a willingness to attempt great things for God. When you are led of the Spirit, you will not limit your Christian service to small, attainable ministry endeavors. You will take faith-filled risks. You will sacrifice your comfort and even your very life (Mark 8:35) for the gospel.   

Much of the work of the American church is simply the work of man. We point to our big buildings and big budgets, and say, “look at what God has done!” All too often, ministry leaders have tried to build God’s church in the world’s ways. It is time to stop relying on tricks and gimmicks and cry out to God to work in us and through us, and to increase our faith. 

The Spirit and the Word

Our theology of the Holy Spirit (pneumatology) must always remain tethered to the text of Scripture. Many pastors and Christian leaders today claim to be “Spirit-filled” and yet they execute their ministries with little regard for Scripture. They claim new revelations from God, and yet they fail to obey what God has already given in the Bible. The Puritan Richard Sibbes said, “Those that care not for the word are strangers to the Spirit, and they that care not for the Spirit never make a right use of the word.”  

We must never drive a wedge between knowing and studying God’s Word (Ezra 7:10) and having a Spirit-filled life and ministry. They are wed together. The people of God would do well to remember the words of Jesus. “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13). This “truth” is contained in the word of God, and it the truth that Jesus came to testify about (John 18:37). 

A simple but eminently useful prayer would be, “Holy Spirit, help me to be obedient to God’s word. Help me to honor Christ. And help me to depend upon you in everything.” 

“Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.” (Zech. 4:6)