Presented by Lisa Bishop

About a year ago I was heading to dinner with a friend, and as we were about to get in her car, I noticed she opened her door without a key. She just grabbed the door handle, and the vehicle was magically unlocked. To my amazement, I blurted out, “Wow, that’s so cool! You can open your door without using the key.”  Surprised by my excitement, my friend looked at me a bit strangely and said, “Doesn’t your car do that?” I confidently replied, “No, but I wish it did.”

Well, fast forward to the next day when I’m getting ready to hop in my car. Instead of clicking my key fob, I decided to reach for the door handle to see if my car had the same key-free superpower. To my surprise, I heard a “click,” and just like that, the door was unlocked with my key still in my pocket. Now, as I tell you this story, I am aware you may be thinking it’s rather odd that I am just figuring this out. But the truth is I had my car for four years yet had no clue of this amazing capability. Yes, I know, somewhat embarrassing. The power to unlock the door key-free was always there. I just didn’t know it, and because I was unaware, I was unable to experience the benefits that were mine to enjoy and appreciate.

So, what does this have to do with the Holy Spirit? Now before you think I am reducing the Holy Spirit to some superpower at our disposal, that is not the point. The point is, just like I was unaware of the power of technology right under my nose, we often neglect the presence and power of the Holy Spirit who is in us and at work in all who have surrendered their lives to love and follow Jesus. If you are a Christian, the moment you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior you received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, and while humanly there is no way to perfectly and completely understand the Trinity, the Bible is clear that the one true God exists eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Spirit. We often neglect the Holy Spirit. Sadly, many churches do not talk about or acknowledge him, and many Christians are not aware of his power and presence in their lives. Let me be the first to say I am not an expert on the Holy Spirit, but I have grown in my encounters with him and my relationship with him over the years. I have experienced his love and power at work in my life. So, I want to deepen our understanding of who the Holy Spirit is and his role in the life of every believer.

One of the first things to note is that the Holy Spirit did not first show up on the scene in the New Testament. The opening lines of Genesis tell us that the Spirit existed in the beginning. Genesis 1:1-2 says, In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

The Holy Spirit was at work in specific people in the Old Testament, and we see his presence and power working in and through people all throughout the New Testament. He existed all along. Notice how I said, “He.” The Holy Spirit is a person, not an “it.” The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit has all the attributes of personality and is not merely an impersonal force. In the Gospel of John, Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit as “He.” Jesus also referred to the Holy Spirit as the Comforter or the Counselor. And we know from Scripture that in addition to many other attributes, the Holy Spirit gives hope, convicts people of sin, exhorts, comforts, strengthens, intercedes, and encourages. An impersonal force cannot do this, but the Holy Spirit, God himself, can. When we experience the presence of the Holy Spirit we are experiencing the very presence of God.

In John 16:7, 12-13 we hear the words of Jesus as he prepares the disciples for his departure from earth. He tells them, But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away,