“You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.” (Romans 8:9 NIV)
It was a typical Sunday morning, for the most part, Worship service began after Sunday School, right on time at 11:00 a.m. in those days. A teenage boy attended and usually sat in back, in the pews, the pews farthest away from the pulpit. He was not the only one, but was joined by most of the other youth, quietly playing Connect the Dots, Tic-Tac-Toe, and passing notes back and forth. Well, this particular Sunday, he sat up in the outer pew section, close to the front of the church. To be more precise, he sat on the fourth row, right beside his faithful mother. His mom was typically quiet, but quite into the service. I guess she would be characterized by the word incitement instead of excitement, but her attention rating would be characterized as extremely high. She definitely did not come to church out of any obligation or to offer others the opportunity to see a well-tailored, beautiful dress that she had made herself, or to admire her hair without a strand out of place. She did not wear a hat, but her head was lifted up toward heaven, the place from whence commeth our help.
Three choirs sang, the Senior Choir who sang a lot of holy anthems, the Chancel Choir that sang hymns you can find in the National Baptist Hymnal even to this very day. The third choir was called “The Gospel Choir.” If they were singing today, they would rank right up there with the Sunday Best choirs. The director was animated, the choir delivered, the Divine was praised, and dormant congregation members could not hold their peace. The son thought, “What is this?”
On one of The Gospel Choir’s two selections, on this typical Sunday, the teenage boy’s mother suddenly, surprisingly stood up and started shouting and waving her hands. The son did not really understand this because he had never witnessed his mom do that before. He gently tugged at the lower part of her dress, hoping not to be seen, trying to make his mom sit down. The mother did not pay it any attention and kept shouting and jumping. The son thought, “She got the Holy Spirit.” Is that the answer to “What is This?” he pondered.
You see, the son had yet to learn that the Holy Spirit does more than make you shout! Later in life the son would learn that the Holy Spirit, “He,” not “it,” He was the One who helped his mother accept the call of Jesus Christ to salvation. Still later in life he realized the truth in the verse above, applicable to all who are one of Christ’s disciples based on their confession of faith. As time went on, the son found out that the Holy Spirit was on His job 24/7 in the life of the believer. The famous preacher/teacher, Dr. Charles Stanley shared these Characteristics of the Holy Spirit on Monday, March 20, 2000. The Holy Spirit within us:
- Convicts us!
- Regenerates us!
- Indwells us!
- Seals us as a child of God!
- Teaches us!
- Reminds us of truths at the specific time we need them!
- Guides us!
- Reveals truth to us!
- Comforts us!
- Gives us spiritual gifts!
- Bears fruit through us!
- Empowers us!
The answer to the question, “What is this?” can be found in Jesus’ words, “And behold I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high (Luke 24:49).” You do know that God is a Promise-Keeper, don’t you? You do know from your study in Acts, “Didn’t He do it?” Amen!
If you are a believer, the Holy Spirit dwells within you. He is not a come and go part of the Godhead. We are blessed with the privileges He gives us all day, every singles day. Let the quote below speak to you and may the Holy Spirit be seen working in your good deeds, your witness, your service, your thoughts and actions in any environment. Have a power-filled day! Be blessed!
“If we aren’t filled with the Spirit, it’s because we’re living beneath our privileges.” (Quote by D.L. Moody)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King