If you’ve just joined us, you’ll see that I am studying the book of Acts, but I’m studying it topically so we’ll be going through it several times looking at different aspects each time. In the past few posts, I shared a discussion of the baptism in the Holy Spirit based on the prepositions that are used in the Bible related to baptism. On the right side of this blog there is a link that takes you to the location where notes and mp3 files of these studies can be found. There is a chart of how the word baptism is used with various prepositions. There are also two versions of the study notes – one without the “answers” and one with. The mp3 files are unedited recordings of the adult Sunday School class at Faith Baptist Church in Mattawan Michigan where I teach. The whole list of resources is here.
One of the topics that I thought was important to look at was the comments of Christ about the Holy Spirit prior to His coming on the Day of Pentecost. In John 14:16 and 26, for example, Jesus told the disciples to ask the Father and He would give the Holy Spirit. He told them that the Father would send them in Christ’s name and that His mission would be to teach them and to bring to remembrance the things which Christ had taught.
In John 15:26 Jesus said that He would send the Spirit from the Father. He called Him the Spirit of Truth.
And finally in John 16:7, 13 we are told that the Holy Spirit would convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment and would guide us into all truth.
From these passages I believe we can get an overview of how the Spirit is supposed to come and what He will do. In several of these passages we gain the understanding that both Jesus Christ and the Father are involved. He comes in the name of Christ and sent by Christ from the Father. He comes at the request of the Son. This shows us how caring Christ is for His disciples and consequently for us in that He did not want to leave us without His very presence in our lives. In John 14: 16-18 Jesus says, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever – 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. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”
As far as the ministry of the Spirit is concerned, we can see that He has a convicting work in the world and a teaching work in the lives of believers. The focus of that teaching is on the mission and work of Christ. In John 14:26 we read, “He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” And in 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. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.”
So if we wonder what the content of the Holy Spirit’s teaching is going to be, we can see it in the previous verse. He will glorify Christ and will take what is Christ’s and declare it to us. Much of the emphasis on the Holy Spirit among Christians is on the Holy Spirit Himself, but the Holy Spirit never lifts Himself up, but always focuses on Christ.
As far as His ministry to the world is concerned, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. (John 16:8) Sometimes we think that we can do the convincing; that it is somehow our job to change people’s minds. We know that we can present the truth and even argue persuasively and passionately for it, but it is the Holy Spirit’s job to do the convicting and convincing. And, I might add, He is better equipped to do so. He knows exactly what sort of motivation will work on which people. After all, He is God. He is all-powerful and can fully be trusted to accomplish what God intends to do in the world.
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