The Person, Work, and Presence of the Holy Spirit

Devotional

Day 1: The Person of the Holy Spirit: Fully God, the Third Person of the Trinity.

The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force but a distinct person of the Godhead, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Son. He is very God of very God, sharing the same divine essence, power, and eternity. This truth is the foundation of our communion with God, allowing for a relationship that other faiths cannot offer. His personhood means He can be known, fellowshipped with, and sadly, even sinned against. [37:21]

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 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 1:1-2 ESV)

Reflection: In what ways does your understanding of the Holy Spirit shift when you consider Him not as a vague force, but as a divine Person with whom you can have a relationship? How might you intentionally relate to Him as a Person this week?

Day 2: The Spirit’s Work in the Old Testament: Preparation and Promise.

The Holy Spirit has been actively at work from the very beginning of creation, brooding over the waters to bring forth order. Throughout the Old Testament, He uniquely filled individuals like Bezalel for craftsmanship and empowered the prophets to speak God’s words. The Spirit’s presence was often temporary and specific, a reality that prompted Moses’ longing for a day when God would put His Spirit upon all His people. [43:39]

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather for me seventy of the elders of Israel... And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them.” … And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it. (Numbers 11:16, 25 ESV)

Reflection: Moses expressed a deep desire for all of God’s people to be prophets and have His Spirit. As a New Covenant believer who has the Spirit, how does this Old Testament reality deepen your gratitude for the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit you have received?

Day 3: The Centrality of the Spirit in Christ’s Ministry.

The entirety of Jesus’ earthly ministry was accomplished in the power of the Holy Spirit. Though fully God, He lived as a man, relying on the Spirit without measure for His teaching, healing, and overcoming temptation. Jesus Himself declared that the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him, anointing Him to preach good news and proclaim liberty. His miraculous works were done not by His divine power alone, but by the Spirit. [48:44]

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness... And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. (Luke 4:1, 14 ESV)

Reflection: Jesus, the sinless Son of God, depended completely on the Holy Spirit for His ministry. What does His example teach you about your own need to depend on the Spirit’s power rather than your own strength for daily life and obedience?

Day 4: The Promise and Arrival of the Spirit for the Church.

Before His departure, Jesus made a profound promise: it was for the disciples’ advantage that He go away so that the Helper, the Holy Spirit, could come. This Spirit would guide them into all truth, convict the world, and glorify Christ. This promise was gloriously fulfilled at Pentecost, when the Spirit empowered the once-fearful disciples to boldly preach the gospel, founding and establishing the early church. [01:01:04]

“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” (John 16:7 ESV)

Reflection: Jesus said it was better for us that He send the Spirit. In your current circumstances, what specific challenge or area of your life might you need to approach with this perspective, trusting that the Spirit’s presence and power is exactly what you need?

Day 5: The Spirit’s Abiding Presence and Ministry in the Church.

The Holy Spirit was given to permanently indwell the church collectively, making believers God’s temple. He guides the church, as seen when He directed the sending of missionaries, and He unifies us as one new humanity. The world often pressures the church to conform to its agenda, but the Spirit calls us to be faithful to our primary calling: to be a dwelling place for God where He is worshiped and His gospel is proclaimed. [01:10:18]

In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:22 ESV)

Reflection: The church is called a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. How does this truth shape your view of the local church’s purpose, especially when faced with external pressures to prioritize social activism over worship and the proclamation of the gospel?

Sermon Summary

Acts 19 opens with a confrontation between incomplete conversion and the fullness of Christ’s work: twelve disciples who knew only John’s baptism receive baptism into the name of Jesus, and Paul lays hands so the Holy Spirit falls, producing tongues and prophecy. The narrative situates that episode inside the larger movement of Acts, where witnesses spread the gospel from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth by the Spirit’s power. The Holy Spirit proves neither incidental nor ornamental; the Spirit stands as a distinct person of the Trinity, coequal with Father and Son, who eternally shares the divine essence and now mediates God’s presence to creatures.

Scripture traces the Spirit back to creation, employs the Spirit to equip artisans and prophets in Israel, and then concentrates the Spirit’s work in the New Covenant. John the Baptist announces one who will baptize with Spirit and fire; at Jesus’ baptism the Spirit descends without measure, enabling the incarnate King to preach, heal, and resist temptation by the Spirit’s power. The Spirit receives the mission to abide with believers, guide them into truth, convict the world, and glorify the Son. Pentecost then inaugurates a new, corporate reality: the Spirit gathers a multiethnic church, empowers proclamation, distributes gifts, and directs mission.

The Spirit’s ministry appears both personal and corporate. Individually the Spirit comforts, convicts, and quickens; corporately the Spirit dwells in the church as God’s temple, governs councils, commissions missionaries, and disciplines sin among members. The Spirit operates sovereignly—God determines when, where, and how revival and giftings manifest—yet God invites prayer, hearing, and obedience so churches might recognize and follow the Spirit’s leading. Practical application places worship, gospel proclamation, and fidelity to Scripture above cultural pressure; the Spirit’s chief aim remains the glorification of the Son and the formation of a dwelling place for God by His presence. The closing summons calls for attentiveness to the Spirit’s work, corporate expectation for His presence, and faithful dependence on the Spirit to sustain the church until the end.

Key Takeaways

1. Kingdom exists in the Holy Spirit The kingdom proves less about external rites and more about inward reality: righteousness, peace, and joy that the Spirit effects. Spiritual life means participation in God’s reign by the Spirit’s presence, not merely adherence to rules or rituals. Christians must look for evidences of spiritual fruit rather than cultural affirmation. [44:56]
2. Spirit empowers the ministry of Christ Jesus accomplishes every authoritative act—preaching, healing, resisting temptation—through the Spirit poured out without measure on the incarnate Son. The Spirit does not add to Christ’s deity; the Spirit enables the human mission of the divine Mediator. Believers should expect ministry shaped and sustained by Spirit-power, not mere human technique. [48:16]
3. Spirit dwells corporately in church God intends the church to function as a temple: a dwelling place of the Spirit where corporate worship, mission, and discipline occur. The Spirit guides councils, commissions missionaries, and convicts communal sin; the local assembly experiences God’s presence when built on apostolic truth. Churches must cultivate practices that make space for the Spirit’s communal work. [69:13]
4. Spirit works sovereignly and freely The Spirit moves when and where God wills; the Spirit resists being controlled or domesticated by human agendas. Prayer and attentiveness refine discernment, but God alone ordains revivals and directional leads. Humble dependence and patient listening preserve fidelity to the Spirit’s timing and purposes. [71:26]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[23:26] - Opening and Practical Notes
[24:04] - Scripture Reading: Acts 19:1–8
[25:29] - Prayer and Worship
[26:02] - Context: Paul, Apollos, Ephesus
[35:32] - Outline: Person, History, Ministry
[35:56] - The Person of the Holy Spirit
[40:07] - Old Testament Work of the Spirit
[44:31] - New Testament: Spirit and the Kingdom
[46:35] - Spirit in the Life of Christ
[57:11] - Pentecost and the Church's Empowering
[69:13] - The Spirit’s Corporate Presence
[70:46] - Practical Lessons and Applications
[77:00] - Closing Prayer and Benediction

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
Acts 19:1–8 (ESV)
And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. There were about twelve men in all.

---

Observation questions

What did Paul ask the disciples in Ephesus when he first met them, and how did they respond?
What specific actions did Paul take after hearing they had only received John’s baptism?
What visible signs accompanied the coming of the Holy Spirit upon these twelve men?

---

Interpretation questions

Why might these disciples have been unaware of the Holy Spirit, even though they were called “disciples” and had received John’s baptism? [32:51]
How does this event illustrate the difference between an incomplete understanding of God’s work and the fullness of life in the Spirit?
In what ways does the laying on of hands and the resulting gifts demonstrate the Spirit’s sovereign power rather than human control? [01:11:26]

---

Application questions

The kingdom of God is not about external rituals but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Where in your life are you most tempted to focus on outward practices rather than the Spirit’s inner work? [44:56]
Jesus carried out his entire ministry—preaching, healing, resisting temptation—in the power of the Spirit. How might your approach to serving God change if you relied more on the Spirit’s power than your own ability? [48:16]
The Holy Spirit dwells in the church as a temple, guiding worship, mission, and discipline. What practices could your small group adopt to better cultivate the Spirit’s corporate presence among you? [01:09:13]
The Spirit works sovereignly and cannot be controlled by human agendas. How can you grow in patient dependence and attentive listening to the Spirit’s timing rather than pushing your own plans? [01:11:26]
The world often pressures the church to prioritize social action over worship and truth. How can you guard against this pressure and keep first love for Christ and faithfulness to Scripture central? [01:15:37]
The Spirit is given to comfort, guide, and assure believers they are not orphans. In what area of your life do you most need to experience the Spirit’s presence as a comforter and helper today?

Sermon Clips

Well, if you would go back to acts chapter one verse eight where he said, you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the world. He also said this, but you shall receive power when the holy spirit has come upon you. Their enablement and power to carry out this mission was the work of the holy spirit. That is why often the book of acts is called not the acts of the apostles, but the acts of the holy spirit. It is his work ultimately that is bringing about this radical change in the world. [00:29:39] (40 seconds) #SpiritEmpowersWitnesses

If God were not a triunity, a trinity, there would be no relationship. And we could have no relationships. In Islam, there is no relationship. You don't have a relationship with God in the sense that you do in Christianity. And only because you have in this one God, three distinct persons, yet one in essence and only one God and yet three persons. And the Holy Spirit is one of those persons, Very god of very god, light of light, truth of truth, thus the holy spirit. [00:39:05] (39 seconds) #TriuneGodRelates

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

What is the personhood of the Holy Spirit?

How does the Spirit empower Christ and church?

Why were John's disciples rebaptized into Jesus' name?

The Person, Work, and Presence of the Holy Spirit

Devotional

Day 1: The Person of the Holy Spirit: Fully God, the Third Person of the Trinity.

Day 2: The Spirit’s Work in the Old Testament: Preparation and Promise.

Day 3: The Centrality of the Spirit in Christ’s Ministry.

Day 4: The Promise and Arrival of the Spirit for the Church.

Day 5: The Spirit’s Abiding Presence and Ministry in the Church.

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

The Person, Work, and Presence of the Holy Spirit

Share