For the many years that I was a Halfway Christian — walking around with a false sense of salvation — I was missing the fullness and the blessings of being a born-again believer. One of them was the fullness (and I use that word again because it’s the best description) of the Holy Spirit. Most Christians and Catholics understand the Trinity or the Triune God — God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), God the Holy Spirit (Ghost) — but unless you’re truly born again, then you can’t experience the Holy Spirit.
Until I became born again and I attended a Bible-believing, Bible-preaching church where the true Gospel of Jesus Christ is taught — not the watered-down, feel-good imitation you find in Progressive and Catholic churches — I didn’t get it either. I also didn’t know what I was missing!
What is the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit?
It took a lot of Bible studies and sermons for me to understand that as a believer, I have the power of the Holy Spirit inside of me! That’s called the INDWELLING of the Holy Spirit. If you are not born again, you don’t have the Holy Spirit in your heart. Thus, you are missing all the power and assistance that the Holy Spirit provides.
What are the 7 Roles of the Holy Spirit
This list comes from one of the many Bible Study Plans in the free YouVersion Bible App. It’s an excerpt from “Set My Heart on Fire: Ignite Your Confidence, Boldness, and Passion for God” by J. Lee Grady.
1 – Re-generator — giver of new life
When you repent of your sins — stop sinning — and surrender your life to Jesus, He gives you a new life. You are born again! The Holy Spirit in you gives you a whole new perspective on the world. Jesus told us…
I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.
John 3:5 NLT
2 – Empowered —
…too often the American church has tried to confine the Holy Spirit, muzzle Him, constrain Him, or shoot Him with a tranquilizer gun so we can maintain control. I fear that in some cases we have begged this wild Spirit of God to stay away from us so we can play our tame version of church without His unexpected interruptions. If we are honest, we will admit that the church has become so weak, timid, and compromised with the world that we do not even remotely resemble the powerful Christians in the first century who bravely preached the gospel, worked miracles, and even gave their lives in martyrdom to serve Christ.
J. Lee Grady
Jesus told us…
And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.
Luke 24:49 NLT
Paul told us…
Do not stifle the Holy Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 5:19 NLT
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:7 NLT
This reminded me of a little terrier that her owners brought to a grassy area. She’s stifled — restrained — if she’s on the leash or being held. Naturally, she’s a bundle of energy! Once you let her free, she runs, and runs, and brings joy to you just by watching her. That’s what the Holy Spirit is like.
Even after I was born again, but not yet baptized, I was still missing something, and that was the Holy Spirit. I was attending one of those churches, the United Church of Christ, which didn’t teach the power of the Spirit. You have to be Charismatic. Nevertheless, I didn’t know the power of the Holy Spirit until after I was baptized as an adult.
3 – Our Guide —
The Spirit has access to all the wisdom and knowledge of God. When we abide in Him, He leads us continually into truth—causing us to grow and mature spiritually. The Holy Spirit is like your internal GPS, except that He never gets confused or offers wrong information. But if you want to know the Holy Spirit’s guidance, you must learn to discern His voice and His subtle nudgings.
J. Lee Grady
The Apostle John writes…
But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.
1 John 2:27 NLT
4 – Uniter —
The Greek word used for fellowship, koinonia, appears here (Acts) for the first time in the Bible and then is used 18 times throughout the New Testament. Koinonia, which also can be translated as “partnership,” is a supernatural grace that causes Christians to love one another deeply. It was not possible before Pentecost because it is a manifestation of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Just as the Spirit’s dunamis power enables us to heal the sick or work miracles, His koinonia knits our hearts and binds us together.
After the outpouring of the Spirit in Acts 2, koinonia caused the early disciples to share their possessions unselfishly (vv. 44–45) and to share meals often (v. 46). Many people decided to become Christians when they witnessed this loving community (v. 47). Koinonia was an essential ingredient in the New Testament church. It is what connected Paul, Timothy, Luke, Titus, and Priscilla and Aquila as a team.
It is what held the early Christians together in the face of persecution and caused them to lay down their lives for one another. We must return to koinonia—but you can’t download it or fake it. We will have to scrap artificial, event-driven programs if we want to have the relational Christianity of the Book of Acts. And we will have to invite the Holy Spirit to do His work of connecting us with our brothers and sisters in Christ with His supernatural bond.
J. Lee Grady
5 – Intercessor —
The Holy Spirit, and only the Holy Spirit, can intercede between us believers and God. Mary and the Saints can’t. They were human. They died. Don’t expect an answer to prayer from dead people.
Occasionally, my prayers become emotional, I get choked up, and don’t know what to say. That happened when a dear friend of mine was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I knew that the Holy Spirit knew my heart and was interceding for me.
Paul tells us…
26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
Romans 8:26 NLT
We read in the Psalms…
2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
Psalm 30:2 NLT
and you restored my health.
6 – Comforter —
No matter what I’m going through, I’m never alone when I pray.
Jesus told us…
15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 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. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.”
John 14:15-16 NIV
22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
John 20:22 NLT
7 – Refiner — Sanctifier
We all need refining. As we are, we are not good enough to get into heaven. The job of the Holy Spirit is to convict us when we stray. For a long time, even after I was baptized, I tried to live with one foot in the Kingdom and one foot in the world, and the Holy Spirit kept convicting me. That guilty feeling wouldn’t go away until I broke off the unhealthy relationship. I love how J. Lee Grady puts it…
He moves the furniture around in our lives in order to cleanse us of resentment, anger, shame, addictive behavior, and so many other things that can create distance between us and God. I encourage you to open your heart to the Spirit’s fire.
J. Lee Grady
When was the last time you cleaned under your fridge? It amazes me what rolls under there! Moreover, that’s how the Holy Spirit cleans up our acts. He’ll dig for the dirt that’s keeping us from sanctification and bring it to the light. No more dark, hidden closets full of nasty skeletons. You become right with God and ready for Heaven!
What are You Waiting For?!
There’s no reason why you can’t benefit from the true salvation of Jesus Christ right now!
If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…
