It's Up to Him

Oh, the Holy Spirit does so much! Let's take a look at eight of the things he does during his busy schedule--in particular, the things that he does in us. But, before we do, did you know that he's autonomous?

The Holy Spirit decides on his own what he's going to do in us. He does what 'seems good to him.' Jesus has given the Spirit autonomy with us. So the Spirit determines what he’s going to do.

It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything… (Acts 15:28).

The Spirit makes up his own mind, and that’s good for you and me. Why? Because the Holy Spirit makes his decisions in love. For example, he decides not to burden us, he decides what to teach us, and he decides which gifts to give each of us. These things are all good for us. They come from the Holy Spirit, who loves us.

1. The Holy Spirit shows us the proper interpretation of the Bible.

The author of the Book of Hebrews explains that the Holy Spirit reveled to Moses the layout of the Temple complex. As the autor of Hebrews interprets the layout, he explains that the Holy Spirit was instructing us through the layout. That is, the Temple's blueprints reveal truths that go far beyond architectural design.

The Holy Spirit was showing by this [the revelation he gave to Moses concerning the layout of the Temple] that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed… (Hebrews 9:8)

That's a cool thing to understand: what the design of the Temple means. That's a rather advanced study. People do all levels of study from the basics to complicated interpretations of the Last Times.

How do you know that what you have interpreted is from the Holy Spirit? It’s easy. If you have gotten an interpretation, and no human teacher has taught it to you, then you’ve received a revelation from the Spirit.

Do you meditate on the Scriptures? Do you dig into them for your own personal enrichment? Do you study on your own? If so, then the truths you have learned must be from the Holy Spirit. They are not of human origin. No human transmitted them to you.

... know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture becomes a matter of someone’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God (2 Peter 1:20-21; NASB).

Trust, but verify your revelations. If they match up with the Bible, then they came to you through the Holy Spirit. How can we know? (1) Because the Holy Spirit inspired the Scriptures, and (2) because he doesn't contradict himself.

2. The Holy Spirit reveals great truths to us.

The Holy Spirit revealed something to God’s prophets and apostles: that Gentiles will receive an inheritance in the Kingdom along with the Jews. That's a special revelation. Have you come to understand it? If you have, it’s because the Holy Spirit has revealed it to you. It was hidden for many generations, but now the Holy Spirit has revealed it to us!

… the mystery of Christ [that through the Gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel]… has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets (Ephesians 3:4-6).

How many other revelations does the Spirit have for us? They are innumerable. For example, he can reveal us what the judgments mean in the Book of Revelation and Daniel's 70 Weeks. He can show us how events will unfold during the Last Times. The Holy Spirit will lead us into all Truth.

The Holy Spirit can also give us the gift of 'word of knowledge' so that we speak things revealed directly from him. That's a ministry useful for helping people in times of darkness and confusion. For example, he can reveal to you that someone should not travel to a certain place. If they listen, you've helped them with a word of knowledge.

3. The Holy Spirit 'bears witness with us.'

How does the Holy Spirit testify with our spirit? How does he 'bear witness with us'? Firstly, since this is an action he takes alongside our own individual spirits, it happens inside us. It happens on a level which goes deeper than our conscience, deeper than our mind, and deeper than our soul. It's deep!

Have you ever experienced a profound sense of peace? Have you ever felt the assurance that you are right with God? That's the testimony of the Spirit.

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children (Romans 8:16).

The Spirit can act as a witness to things in the same way that a human being does. He lets people know what he knows.

We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit… (Acts 5:32)

The Holy Spirit witnesses to certain realities. Which ones? Well, any realities he chooses to witness to. He will speak through the Scriptures, through prophecies, through teachings, words of wisdom, words of knowledge, dreams, and other revelations. He is a faithful witness to the Truth and he has no limitations. His ministry is as varied as the cultures, temperaments, and personalities that color our human race.

4. He testifies about Jesus.

Anything true you have learned about Jesus you learned through the Holy Spirit. How do we know that? Because it is the Spirit's job is to testify about Jesus. Whether you realize it or not, he revealed Christ to you.

Thanks be to God for sending his Spirit to us! Generations waited for this time to come, hoping in the Promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit. Waiting and waiting for God to grant us this greatest of gifts. Jesus had to die first, and be resurrected, but the time finally came. Whether you thank God for this ministry of the Spirit or not is up to you, but you'd do well to thank him.

When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of Truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me (John 15:26).

Think of how dark your thoughts were before you knew Christ. Light has come into your life, and it’s because the Spirit has enlightened you. He has testified to you about Christ.

Think of the levels of darkness human culture reached before the Spirit of God came at Pentecost. From that point in history, humanity has in large part been freed from false gods, grotesque religions, and unbridled sin.

There used to be cities in which every man was homosexual. But now the Spirit has revealed Christ to humanity. The Spirit has come and has convicted the World of sin, righteousness, and judgment.

5. The Spirit circumcises human hearts.

Circumcision of the heart? What is this ministry? It sounds strange, but circumcision of the heart is when the Holy Spirit marks a person on the inside. It's when he leaves a mark upon the spirit of man.

… a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit… (Romans 2:29)

This should not sound foreign to you because you know that other spirits can alter the spirit of a person. That is, demons can do something similar.

Now, it's no fun to talk about demons, but with them we have a point of comparison. The Holy Spirit can mark a man's spirit and a demon can also mark a man's spirit. We have a point of comparison as we look at the actions of impure spirits and the Spirit of Holiness.

The change wrought within a person by an unclean spirit is profoundly negative. In comparison, the change wrought within a person by the Holy Spirit is profoundly positive. In both situations, transformation is guaranteed. Either the Holy Spirit or an unclean spirit will transform a person, depending on which one we allow access to our heart.

6. The Spirit pours God’s love into our hearts.

Wow. Could this be true? How does the Holy Spirit perform such a wonderful thing as to pour God's love into our hearts?

God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5).

The Spirit of God reveals to us how forgiving God is, how generous God is, and how God rewards those who seek him. He reveals the grace of our inheritance in the Kingdom, and makes us understand that God gives glory--the greatest demonstration of God's love to us.

When we understand all these things, then the Spirit inspires the same kind of love in us, so that God's love is in us. This is because the Spirit pours it into our hearts.

7. The Spirit compels us to do things.

He compels us to do things we otherwise would not do, like blessing our enemies, being hospitable to a stranger, or traveling to a dangerous place. Do you ever feel like you should do something you don’t want to do? It very well may be the Spirit compelling you.

… Paul was compelled by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews… (Acts 18:5)

… compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem (Acts 20:22).

You’ll know it is the Holy Spirit compelling you when you feel the urge to do something which you and your companions don't exactly want. Your task will seem like something beyond your thoughts and beyond your friends' thoughts. And it will normally require courage or boldness--if the Spirit is compelling you to do it.

8. The Spirit distributes gifts as he pleases.

The Spirit has his own will. Although he only says what Jesus wants him to say, the Spirit can do whatever he wants to do. The result is that in the Church, “who gets what” is up to the Spirit.

Now to each one, the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that One Spirit…

All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines (1 Corinthians 12:7-11).

Another Bible version renders the passage as 'just as he [the Spirit] wills.'

But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as he wills (1 Corinthians 12:11; NASB).

And further on in 1 Corinthians we find the same idea: that the Holy Spirit divvies out the gifts as he pleases.

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them (1 Corinthians 12:4).

So, we see that the Holy Spirit has autonomy in his will. He chose on Pentecost to give the gift of 'the tongues of men'--human languages. What gifts has he chosen to distribute today? Which ones have you received from him?

And here is one more passage which proves that the Spirit distributes gifts as he pleases:

God also testified to it [this salvation] by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will (Hebrews 2:4).

'According to his will' it says! According to his will, that is, the Holy Spirit's will.

Now, some might argue that the possessive pronoun his refers to God in this verse. That's grammatically possible. The grammatical structure allows for either God or the Holy Spirit. So that could work according to the laws of grammar, but does it work according to the laws of logic? No.

We interpret the Bible in context. Since 1 Corinthians 12:4 and 11 make it abundantly clear that the Holy Spirit distributes gifts according to his will, we confidently interpret the pronoun his in Hebrews 2:4 to refer to the Holy Spirit too.

The Bible has a consistent message and zero contradictions.