Who is the Holy Spirit?
We know the Holy Spirit is one of the three Persons of the Trinity. But what does He do, and what does He mean in our lives?
This is the question we explored during Youth Group this week.
Before Pentecost, Jesus’ disciples were full of fear, hiding in that room behind locked doors. But after Pentecost, after the Holy Spirit descends on them like tongues of fire, they were full of courage. They were inspired to go out and preach the Gospel (Acts 1 & 2). At Confirmation, we were sealed with the Holy Spirit, and filled with the same inspiration.
With the Spirit of God within us,
- We have the courage to face difficult situations;
- We are never alone, because He is always with us, ready to guide, encourage, comfort, and challenge us;
- We have a true friend who always wants what is best for us;
- We are given the wisdom to know what is right and what is wrong;
- We are empowered to do things we would not otherwise be able to do;
- We are transformed from selfish, fearful people into people who are willing to risk our lives just to tell other people about Jesus;
- We become the best version of ourselves;
- We can know and do God’s will; and
- We can maintain joy, even in the midst of suffering.
All of this is possible because we receive gifts through the Holy Spirit – 7 of them, to be exact. We were given these gifts at Baptism; those gifts were strengthened and matured in us at Confirmation. Here’s how Matthew Kelly defines the Gifts of the Holy Spirit:
- Wisdom – The ability to discern what is true, right, and lasting. Wisdom enables us to see life from God’s perspective. It helps you to establish the right priorities in your life, and leads you to think and act in mature ways.
- Understanding – Allows you to look beyond the shallowness of the world and see the lasting truth in every situation, by recognizing how Gos is working in our lives.
- Counsel – The right judgement that allows us to see what is right and what is wrong, and the prudence to act accordingly.
- Fortitude – The courage and strength of will to do what you know you should, even if that means personal loss or suffering.
- Knowledge – The ability to see thins from a supernatural viewpoint. In particular, to know what God is asking of you.
- Piety (aka Wonder & Awe) – A loyalty to God that manifests as generous love and affectionate obedience. This is the gift that allows you to love and worship God as He deserves to be loved and worshiped.
- Fear of the Lord (aka Reverence) – Helps us to grasp God’s greatness and our dependence on Him. As a result, we are filled with enormous respect for God and we dread above all offending Him or being separated from Him. Our Jewish ancestors believed that fear of the Lord was the beginning of wisdom. Of course, it is not a fear like we usually think of fear today. It is more like an overwhelming sense of not wanting to disappoint the One who has done (and continues to do) so much for us. (Decision Point, Session 8.2, page 196-97)
Every day, we face situations that require these gifts. We face forks in the road and must make big and small choices every day. Each time this happens, if we pause, we will notice that we are being prompted – encouraged, inspired, or reminded – to act in a way that is good and noble. This is the Holy Spirit, speaking to us through our conscience and our “gut”. God wants us to have a happy, fulfilled life, and His Spirit wants to help us have that life. Therefore, learning to listen and recognize those promptings is one of the most important skills to develop, and it can only be developed through daily prayer.
If we are filled with the Holy Spirit, listen to His promptings, and use the gifts we have been given, our life will be filled with something we call the Fruits of the Spirit. Jesus says that you can judge a tree by its fruits: “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit” (Matthew 7:18). When we examine our lives and find these fruits, we know we are using the Gifts well. When we don’t find these fruits, we know we need to work on using our Gifts properly. The Fruits of the Spirit are:
- Love – To love God above all things and to love others as God calls us to.
- Joy – This is more than just being happy. It is a feeling awakened by the possession or expectation of something good. And this joy can be present deep within us even when things don’t go our way.
- Peace – The serenity and tranquility that flows from order. The world can make our lives disoriented and chaotic. God wants to bring order to our lives – and with that order comes a deep and abiding sense of peace.
- Patience – Enables us to endure inconvenience, difficulties, and hardship without complaint.
- Kindness – Concern for others who are in trouble or in need.
- Goodness – Doing what is good and right in every circumstance.
- Generosity – To give freely of our time, talent, and treasure beyond what justice requires.
- Gentleness – To be submissive to God and considerate of others.
- Faithfulness – To be reliable and trustworthy.
- Modesty – The moderation of our speech, dress, and behavior.
- Self-control – The control of our desires so that we can focus them on that is good and right.
- Chastity – The moderation of desire for physical pleasure according to right reason, faith, and state in life. (Decision Point, Session 8.3, page 200-01)
If you take the time to consider what you truly want out of life, I bet you’ll find that you desire a life full of these fruits of the Holy Spirit. So, we have a choice: to welcome the Holy Spirit into our lives, or to reject His gifts. If we choose to welcome the Spirit into our lives, He will invite us to join in His work – encouraging and inspiring others.
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Announcements:
- Next Youth Group meeting – February 26
- My challenge to the teens – Practice either the Prayer Process (Session 4.3) or reading your Bible (page 125) daily (or both!).
- March 12th – No regular meeting; Heart Mini-Marathon downtown. Contact me for more info!
- WinterJam 2017 is this Friday, February 17, at USBank Arena. Visit http://2017.jamtour.com/ for details! This is a family-friendly event. All genres are represented; all music is Christian. If you are available, I highly recommend it!
Youth Group 