“But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.”
1 Corinthians 2:10-12 NLT
The Bible is full of references to the third member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, but His work and presence in believers are often played down or even ignored. Why is that? But before we draw any conclusions, we must look at some Bible verses. The first mention of the Holy Spirit is in Genesis 1:2, “The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters”. The picture here is of a world in chaos, without any sort of structure, but the Holy Spirit was present, perhaps providing an indication that no matter what is going on in the world today, regardless of the chaos and strife, regardless of the ecological concerns, and regardless of any other challenges faced by human beings, He is still present, “hovering” over what is going on. At the other end of the Bible, in the Book of Revelation, the Holy Spirit is not explicitly mentioned, but there are references to the “sevenfold Spirit before His throne” (Revelation 1:5) and in other verses that denote the presence of God’s Spirit. And in between these two Books, the Holy Spirit is mentioned many times, though more so in the New Testament. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit was granted to various people for specific tasks, as we read in Exodus 1:3, “I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts”. If we think about this for a moment, the craftsman in question, Bezalel son of Uri, would previously have been a slave in Egypt, working to build the pyramids demanded by the Pharaoh in power at that time. So, where else would he have acquired the skills necessary to make the Tabernacle and all inside, at God’s command, except through the power of God’s Spirit? We read in the following two verses in Exodus, “He is a master craftsman, expert in working with gold, silver, and bronze. He is skilled in engraving and mounting gemstones and in carving wood. He is a master at every craft!”. What a transformation, from a bricklayer to a goldsmith. And then we read about King Saul in 1 Samuel 19:23, “But on the way to Naioth in Ramah the Spirit of God came even upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy all the way to Naioth!”. The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament was there to resource and bless individuals, and even gave them messages for the people, just as He decided. But the prophet Joel could see something else that was to come and he prophesised about the work of the Holy Spirit in “the day of the Lord” (Joel 1:15 and 2:1), bringing a time of judgement for the wicked and salvation for the repentant as we read in Joel 2:12, “That is why the Lord says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning“. And then we read, “Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on servants—men and women alike” (Joel 2:28-29). The Book of Joel is remarkable in its foretelling of the future.
In the New Testament, something significant was recorded. In Mark 1:9-10, we read, “One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptised him in the Jordan River. As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove”. John saw what was happening and could sense the Holy Spirit’s presence in this God-man before him. In John 14, we see that Jesus started to prepare His disciples for what was soon to come. In John 14:16-17, we read, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognise him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you”. I wonder what the disciples made of this. Could they have started to feel a little excitement building within them? They would have known through their knowledge of the Scriptures about the Holy Spirit and the impact that He had on the saints of old. After all, Jesus’ promise wasn’t a maybe, dependant on other things, because He assured them, “But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you” (John 14:26). In one of His post-resurrection appearances, Jesus said, “ … Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:21-22). Of course, the disciples didn’t receive the Holy Spirit at this moment, but it was a reminder to them, a foretelling, of what was to come.
And then there was that momentous day that changed the course of history. Acts 2:1-4, “On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability“. No-one was left out because “everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit”. And we also note that “everyone … began speaking in other languages”. In the commotion Jews present for the Feast of Pentecost came to find out what was going on and we read, “They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other” (Acts 2:12). Peter stepped forward and “shouted to the crowd”, starting with the prophecy from Joel that we read earlier. This in itself was remarkable because Peter wasn’t a Jewish scholar, well-versed in the Hebrew Scriptures. He was a rough and ready fisherman, but with two qualities – he had spent time with Jesus and had just been baptised in the Holy Spirit, who we know would bring to his remembrance what he needed to say.
The Holy Spirit came with an introduction that shook Jerusalem and started Christianity as we know it. And today He still continues His work as he hovers over the earth, ministering to believers everywhere. Can we, pilgrims, feel the presence of God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit, within us? Are we tuned into His frequency so that His messages fill our hearts and minds? If not, then we need to get before God and ask. Jesus said, “So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him” (Matthew 7:11). We pilgrims only have to ask our Heavenly Father and He will gladly answer us, graciously gifting us more and more of His Spirit.
Dear Lord God. We thank You for never leaving us as orphans, devoid of Your presence in our lives. We do not worship a distant and uncommunicative God, aloof and inaccessible. We thank You for all that You have done for us and Your work in our lives, transforming us to become more like Jesus. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 