We live in an era when the work of God’s Holy Spirit has come to the fore in spectacular ways. The rise of pentecostalism and its offshoot, the charismatic movement, has caused many of the branches of Christianity to become more aware of the Holy Spirit, not only as a doctrine, but also as a person…real and active in people’s lives. 

The real presence of the Spirit in the church has been recognised and has even altered our worship style from formal to a greater measure of freedom of expression. 

However…

…as often happens, this “freedom” has led to some excesses outside of the Biblical pattern…excesses which have been attributed to the work of the Holy Spirit but have nothing to do with His work in salvation, sanctification, or the day-to-day Christian life. 

What have the “miraculous” manifestations of, for example, gold dust or gold feathers falling on a congregation…gold fillings in teeth…people acting like animals during a worship service…or even ”holy laughter” or “falling under the power” have to do with the evidence of His presence, power, or work? 

“The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Real faith in God does not need outward signs. 

“A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Can this verse also be applied to those who need the above kind of signs to convince them that the Holy Spirit is present and at work? 

“For we live by believing and not by seeing.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

So, what does the Bible teach us about the work of the Holy Spirit?

There is no clearer summary of the Holy Spirit’s work than in Jesus’ own words shortly before His death. He wanted His disciples to understand that His departure was not loss but gain because the Holy Spirit in them would be far more to them than His presence with them. 

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

If the Holy Spirit was coming to be Jesus’ “other self”…one just like Himself…to be in them, then what would He do? It is reasonable to think that He would carry on where Jesus, in His physical presence, had left off. He would make real inside them what Jesus had done and was about to do for them. His entire focus would be Jesus…

“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭25‬-‭26‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

‭‭John‬ ‭16‬:‭7‬, ‭13‬-‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Since these were Jesus’ final significant words to His disciples before His departure, would it not be reasonable to think that He would tell them what was most important for them to know before He left them? Where do any of the frivolous “signs” feature in these precious moments, and yet… these are things are treated as part of the “work” of the Spirit!

We need to take Jesus’ words seriously and use them to measure everything that is attributed to the Holy Spirit. 

Salvation is what Jesus did to reconcile us to the Father…to provide forgiveness of sin…to erase our guilt…and to reinstate us as God’s beloved children. The Holy Spirit is powerfully active in convincing us of sin…

“When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me;”

‭‭John‬ ‭16‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…raising us from spiritual death to spiritual life…

“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…revealing Jesus to us…

“All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

‭‭John‬ ‭16‬:‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…and making real in us what Jesus did for us through our faith in Him. 

Sanctification is the process by which the Holy Spirit restores in us the image of Jesus, setting us apart from sin to God, and transforming us into the likeness of the Son…

“…who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The Holy Spirit sanctifies us…

…convinces us that we are righteous…

…and witnesses in us that we are God’s children…

…The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The third and significant work of the Spirit is in the day-to-day walk we have with Jesus. The Spirit lives in us and leads us…He is the reality of Jesus’ presence in us, supplying for us the life of Jesus to live out who He is in us to the world around us. 

“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God…”

The Holy Spirit provides the grace, power, and wisdom to overcome the flesh in us…to obey Jesus as Lord…and to navigate the tests and temptations that life in a fallen world presents. 

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ NIV

Can you see, then, that the real signs of the presence and work of the Holy Spirit are in not spectacular manifestations but in the slow and steady transformation of God’s people into the image and likeness of Jesus…reproducing the character of Jesus described as the fruit of the Spirit…

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

These are the real signs that the Holy Spirit is present and working. 

We can conclude with confidence that, if Jesus is not the focus, then the Holy Spirit is not the one doing the work.