But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you (John 14:26).
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:1-4)
The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters (Genesis 1:2).
In Matthew 28:19, the church is commanded “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, …”
The three persons of the Godhead - the Trinity – are God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity, and He is very present and at work throughout the Word of God. From Genesis to Revelation the Holy Spirit is active and involved.
The Holy Spirit has several unique and very interesting names and/or titles. Some of them are: the Holy Ghost, the Helper, the Comforter, the Counselor, the Hand of God, the Breath of God. The Holy Spirit is a Fire, He is a River, He is the Anointing, He is Kingdom of God, He is the Blessing, He is grace, and the list could go on and on.
Every name, or title of the Holy Spirit has great insight and meaning behind it. And believers could easily do a whole Bible study on each name or title. We are very wise to consider and meditate on the titles and names of the Holy Spirit.
Let’s consider two of His titles.
The Holy Spirit is the Comforter.
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you (John 14:26 KJV).
Why do we need a comforter? One reason that we need a comforter is because so often, life can hurt. Life can bring pain, pressure, and difficulty. It can sting and burn.
Sadly, often people look for ways to alleviate the pain of life in many of the wrong places. Too many try to soothe their pain with alcohol, drugs, and wrong relationships. Sometimes people indulge in unhealthy lifestyles just to try to numb the pain of life.
The blessed Holy Spirit can comfort us in ways that no one or nothing else can.
When a person accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit, the Source of all comfort, enters their heart and life. And with the Holy Spirit comes, peace, joy, wisdom, and encouragement to name just a few of the blessings.
Now, very often, we believers must allow ourselves to be stirred up by the Holy Spirit inside of us to sense His presence. Yet He is always there.
We can be stirred by the Spirit by reading the Word of God. We can be stirred by the Spirit by praising and worshipping the Lord and by expressing thanks and gratitude to God. We can receive and sense His comfort and encouragement that only He can give.
The Holy Spirit is a Fire.
And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned” (Exodus 3:2–3).
And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night (Exodus 13:21).
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:2–4).
The Holy Spirit, who is the Presence of God, is a fire; a supernatural fire. In the natural, fire burns, and consumes things. Yet the fire of the Holy Spirit does not consume, but gives life, grace, and light to that which is lights upon.
In Exodus 3, the burning bush was not consumed, but it had the light of God on it, and it stood out and pointed Moses and the world to God.
The Holy Spirit within the heart of a believer does the same thing. The fire of the Holy Spirit does not consume us, but it burns within us in a way that causes the world to be pointed to Christ through us and our lives.
When the fire of the Holy Spirit is burning brightly within us, He gets the attention of the world and points the world to the Savior who lives inside of us.
Our job is to live in such a way that the fire of the Holy Spirit within us is allowed to burn brightly. And this can happen daily through our lives as we live to continually “add fuel” the fire.
How do we do that?
Our life of faithful obedience to Christ and our intimate walk with him determines how bright the fire of the Holy Spirit burns within each of us.
Obedience to the Word of God can cause the fire of the Holy Spirit to become a “bonfire” within us.
Neglecting to obey the Word of God and disobedience to it can cause the fire of the Holy Spirit within us to be “quenched” (1 Thessalonians 5:19).
When we as believers read and meditate on the Word of God daily, we are pouring “fuel on the fire” within.
When we spend time in prayer daily, we pour “fuel on the fire.” When we praise and worship the Lord, giving thanks to Him, we pour “fuel on the fire.”
When we are involved daily in sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and doing the work of making disciples, we pour “fuel on the fire.”
The fire of the Holy Spirit is truly a fire that burns in the heart of every believer in the world.
Yet a very important question each of us is wise to ask is this: How big and bright does the fire of the Holy Spirit burn inside of me?”
The ball is in your court.
