Clothesline 298 "Gifts of the Spirit"

Who is the Holy Spirit? That was a question on the minds of the apostles when Jesus was talking to them at the Last Supper.

He says many things to them on that special night. He tells them not to be troubled but to believe that God is always with them. He tells them there is a place in heaven prepared for each one of them. He tells them that if they believe, they will do even greater works than he has done. He says to ask him for anything, and he will do it. Then he talks about “the Advocate, the Paraclete, the Spirit of Truth.” Up until now the apostles understood him…well, sort of. But this statement completely confuses them. What is Jesus talking about? In hindsight, we know he’s talking about the presence of God on earth after Jesus’ Ascension…the Holy Spirit. This Holy Spirit will be Jesus’ spiritual presence in His people today and always.

Even today, it’s difficult for us to get our arms around the Holy Spirit. Nicky Gumbel, the creator of the ALPHA program, told a story of an incident that happened when he was teaching a group of young people about prayer. He asked them, “How many of you pray to God the Father?” Several hands went up. Then he asked, “How many of you pray to Jesus, God the Son?” Many more hands went up. Then he asked, “How many of you pray to the Holy Spirit?” NOBODY raised a hand. After a few uncomfortable minutes, a young boy raised his hand and said, “Sir, the boy who prays to the Holy Spirit isn’t here today.”

Some may think that the Holy Spirit has been commandeered by the Pentecostals, or by those who speak in tongues. But the truth is those are only two of what we call The Gifts of the Spirit…only two! There are many more…some that may surprise you. We’ll talk more about them next week, but for today…as we wait for the Sunday of Pentecost… pray to the Holy Spirit, asking Him just what he has in store for you, what gifts might he want to give you to bring you closer to Him, or to shine His light on someone else. You might be surprised at his answer!