Pentecost and the Ministry of the Holy Spirit

The Lord Jesus introduced the ministry of the Holy Spirit in John 16:7–16 with the following words: “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. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you. A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.”

This is a wonderful summary of the things the Holy Spirit does here on earth.

“And when he comes, he will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” The Holy Spirit’s primary ministry is to teach people in this fallen world about sin, God’s judgment, and hell. He is the one who can touch hearts, so it must be clear that we ourselves cannot save anyone for eternity. We can only share the Gospel, give our personal testimony, or pray for someone—that is our task. Reaching out to touch hearts and convince them of Jesus Christ is the task of the “morning dew,” the “living water” (these are epithets of the Holy Spirit), because He is the water that causes the “seed” (the Gospel) to grow, and only He knows when the time is ripe to bring in the harvest.

Everything is in His hands. I say this especially to Christians who pray for family or friends. Give them the Gospel and let the Holy Spirit do His work. Do not overdo your efforts, so that the person to whom you give the Gospel is not annoyed, but trust in the Lord and His timing. (Mark 4:26–29)

We cannot see God with our eyes, but we know He is there, and sometimes we can even feel and experience His presence. How can we be so sure of this? His Holy Spirit gives us the assurance of this in our hearts, and does so in such a powerful way that people become martyrs and even die for this conviction. This is supernatural and not normal.

“And as for judgment, the ruler of this world has already been judged.” The Holy Spirit also gives us victory over Satan. Through this, we are able to identify sin, as well as recognize the devil’s traps and attacks, and fight against the devil with prayer and the use of the “weapon of the Word of God.” (James 4:7)

“But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but will speak only what he hears, and he will declare what is to come.” The Holy Spirit leads us step by step into all truth so that we may understand the depth of God’s Word, the lordship of Jesus, and His eternal reign. Yes, without the Holy Spirit, we could not understand the Bible. It is “sealed,” and only the Holy Spirit can open our understanding. (1. Corinthians 4:1)

The “seal” is the reason why there are so many pastors who do not understand the Bible and regard it as a liberal book. These pastors are not born again and therefore do not have the Holy Spirit in their hearts. They are false shepherds who lead themselves and many others to ruin.

The Holy Spirit brings about a positive change within us. As a result of conversion to God, various qualities are mentioned: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The Bible calls these the “fruits” of the Holy Spirit, because He brings them about in us. (Galatians 5:22)

The Bible also mentions a number of “spiritual gifts” as special gifts, all of which are supernatural in nature and are essentially tools for Christian ministry. Since the enemy (Satan) grants supernatural abilities to his servants, it stands to reason that God provides His children with the means to effectively counter him.

“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.” (1. Corinthians 12:7-11)

It is important to note here that not everyone receives all gifts, but rather that each person receives one or more different gifts—though not all of them—so that the church may complement one another.

“Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Can all interpret? But earnestly desire the greater gifts.” (1. Corinthians 12:29–31)

Unfortunately, to their own detriment, the majority of Christians do not concern themselves with the spiritual gifts, or declare them to be “no longer present today.” But this assumption is completely wrong, for even today there are thousands of warriors for Christ who exercise these supernatural gifts daily. Furthermore, there is also a biblical promise regarding this, which reads: “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:38–39)

The Holy Spirit also shows us how we can partake in the Kingdom of God and collaborate in its completion. He guides us on the path we are meant to walk, and the Holy Spirit bestows upon us wisdom, revelations, and prophecies. He conveys to us what God is speaking in heaven. He does not speak His own thoughts, but rather proclaims God’s plans to us, so that we may act in accordance with His will or prepare ourselves for future events. I would like to point out that, nowadays, there are many false prophets within the churches who proclaim erroneous things. How can we recognize them? The words of a true prophet never contradict the Bible, and their prophecies must come to pass 100%! If a prophecy is not fulfilled, it is a sure sign that God did not speak it. Either the person—who calls themselves a prophet—was merely sharing their own thoughts (which accounts for approximately 90% of all cases of false prophecy within the church), or that person is being led by an unclean spirit. In either case, that person must never again utter a prophecy! (Deuteronomy 13 / Deuteronomy 18)

Therefore, I recommend testing every prophecy against the Holy Scriptures as well as against its actual results. Do not, under any circumstances, believe everything you hear from so-called “prophets.”

“He will glorify Me, for He will take what is Mine and declare it to you.” Last but not least, the Holy Spirit will always glorify Jesus Christ! He will glorify neither Himself, nor any other person, nor an angel, nor anything else; therefore, I view praying to the Holy Spirit as problematic. No one in the Bible ever prayed to the Holy Spirit—neither Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, nor the prophets, nor Jesus, nor the disciples, nor the apostles. Consequently, there is no indication that any of us should do so, even though many people within the charismatic movement practice it this way. Yes, the Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity of God, but praying to Him is simply not biblical.

The Holy Spirit is like our “permanent Wi-Fi connection” to Heaven—provided we belong to Jesus—and we can never lose that connection, because the Spirit lives within every born-again Christian. Indeed, He is far more than just the connection; He is the very presence of God within us. He is the fulfillment of Jesus’s words: “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.’” (John 14:23)

The Bible states that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit; however, He does not receive our prayers—He is the connection. He always glorifies Jesus and points back to Him; therefore, in my view, it makes sense to pray to Jesus rather than to the Holy Spirit. (1. Corinthians 6:19)