The Harvest is Truly Great

“In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”

“If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”

John 7:37-39, 14:15-18, King James Version

During Jesus’ final discourse with His disciples on the day before His crucifixion, He forewarned them one last time of His impending death. He also predicted other troubling events that would occur leading up to His death and thereafter (e.g., Judas betraying Jesus, Peter’s denial of Jesus, the disciples’ desertion the night of Jesus’ arrest, the ongoing persecution His disciples would face for His sake; John 13:21-38, 15:18-20, 16:28-32). Because of the sorrow He sensed in His beloved disciples in response to the information He was sharing with them, Jesus also spoke great words of comfort to them (John 14:1-4, 27, 16:33). Included in His words of comfort was the promise that He wasn’t going to leave them comfortless once He returned to His Father after His death. Instead, as Jesus told them, if they loved Him and kept His commandments, He and His Father would send the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, to abide with them forever (John 14:15-18, 16:5-7).

The Holy Spirit (who is also referred to as the Holy Ghost, Spirit of the Lord, and Spirit of God, for example), a co-equal member of the Trinity with the Father and Jesus Christ, has played a vital role in Earth since the beginning of creation (Genesis 1:1-2). The Old Testament depicts Him as empowering select people to accomplish very specific tasks (e.g., Gideon, King Saul, Samson; Judges 6:34, 14:5-7, I Samuel 10:9-11). In the New Testament, before Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension, the Holy Spirit also appears to be selective, with people like Zacharias, Elisabeth, and John the Baptist being described as being “filled” with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:11-45, 57-79). The Holy Spirit even played an active role in Jesus’ earthly ministry (Luke 4:14, John 1:32-33). While through Him Mary conceived Jesus, the New Testament writings also indicate that it was through the Holy Spirit that Jesus cast out demons, healed the sick, and was resurrected from the dead (Matthew 1:18, 12:28, Luke 4:18, Acts 10:34-38, Romans 8:11).

Just as the Holy Spirit had been a part of Jesus’ ministry, Jesus wanted His disciples to know that the Holy Spirit, as their Comforter, would be there for them also as they continued the work that He had begun on Earth (i.e., sharing the Good News of salvation). Thus, during Jesus’ final discourse with them before His death He promised the disciples that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, would teach them and guide them to the truth, remind them of all that He had taught them during His time on Earth, and tell them of the things to come (John 14:26, 16:13). After Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and during the forty days He remained with and continued to teach His disciples before finally ascending into Heaven, He also told them that the Holy Spirit would empower them to tell others about Him in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the Earth (Acts 1:1-8).

In addition to Jesus, the Old Testament prophets also prophesied about the Holy Spirit. Through the writings of Ezekiel, for example, we learn that God promised that He would not only give His people a new heart and spirit but would also put His very own Spirit within them so that they would walk according to His ways (Ezekiel 36:22-28). Joel, as another example, prophesied about a day when God would globally (rather than on select people) pour out His Spirit on His people giving them the ability to prophesy and “dream dreams,” for example (Joel 2:27-29). Even Moses, before these prophets, yearned for the day when all of God’s people would be filled with His Spirit (Numbers 11:28-30). Given the select empowerment the Holy Spirit provided in their day, Moses’ yearning is understandable and highlights how monumental it was for Jesus to proclaim that not only would the Holy Spirit be available to all who loved and obeyed Him but that His presence would be abiding.

It is in the book of Acts that we see the fulfillment of the prophecy of the Holy Spirit. According to Acts, before Jesus ascended into Heaven to return to His Father (after having spent 40 days with the disciples following His resurrection from the dead), He commanded His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:1-5). As the disciples obediently waited together in a room during the celebration of Pentecost in Jerusalem, “there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting” (Acts 2:1-2). Thereafter, “there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:3-4). In other words, the Holy Spirit gave them the ability to speak in languages that they had never learned before. In response to this beautiful demonstration of the Holy Spirit’s power, a multitude of bystanders from every nation who were in Jerusalem at the time became “amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?” (Acts 2:5-8).

In response to the curiosity of the multitude, Peter, who once denied Jesus out of fear of being associated with Him, now, being filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit, publicly delivered an impassioned sermon about the Holy Spirit, a testimony of Jesus, and a call for the crowds to repent of their sins (Acts 2:14-40). Thereafter, on that very day, thousands from the crowd became followers of Christ (Acts 2:41). Moreover, from that day forth, the disciples who once fearfully fled from Jesus as He was being arrested, thereafter became increasingly courageous because of the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Despite the threat of the persecution they faced for being followers of Christ, they continued to spread the message of salvation boldly as the Holy Spirit continued to convict the recipients of this message to accept the gift of salvation and turn away from the life of sin.

In addition to what has already been described, here are other functions of the Holy Spirit in relation to the followers of Christ: 

The Holy Spirit gives new life and a new identity: Once the Father and Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to dwell within a person (through faith), that person then becomes born again as an adopted child of the Father and a joint heir with Christ to the blessings of Heaven (Romans 8:9-17).

The Holy Spirit unites Christian believers as one people: Within the Kingdom of God, the new identity Christians receive because of the Holy Spirit supersedes their earthly identity or whatever demographic label society has ascribed to them. Even though the Christian Church as a whole consists of people from different backgrounds, the Holy Spirit’s role is to unite them by the common faith they have in Christ and the fellowship that He engenders (I Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 2:22, 4:1-6).

The Holy Spirit sanctifies: Through His sanctifying and transforming power, the Holy Spirit sets believers free from the power of sin and daily helps them walk contrary to the lust of the flesh by producing within them the fruit of righteous living (e.g., love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; Galatians 5:16-25; Romans 8:2, 15:16).

The Holy Spirit is the seal of salvation: The presence of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of Christian believers, as evident by His transforming power and the fruit that He produces within them, serves as a guarantee and proof that they have been redeemed from condemnation and have eternal life (II Corinthians 1:21-22; Ephesians 1:13-14). Moreover, the Holy Spirit’s presence in the lives of Christian believers provides just a foretaste on Earth of what they will experience when and after Jesus returns to take them to the home that He has prepared for them.   

The Holy Spirit gives hope and love: In a world that can be unloving and unreliable, at times, it can be easy for people to lose hope and experience feelings of disappointment. For Christian believers, however, the Holy Spirit pours out love into their hearts and with that love and because of His power they can abound in hope no matter what they face (Romans 5:3-5, 15:13).

The Holy Spirit strengthens and intercedes: Although the physical body of Christian believers may become worn down by the challenges of life and the aging process, the Holy Spirit is there to provide spiritual strength so that they can persevere as they serve Christ (Ephesians 3:13-16). Moreover, even when they are feeling weak and don’t know what to pray for, the Holy Spirit is there within them and right beside them interceding on their behalf to the Father with groanings that cannot be uttered with words (Romans 8:26-27).  

The Holy Spirit provides spiritual understanding, wisdom, and discernment: Understanding the teachings of the Bible may not always be easy; however, the Holy Spirit provides Christian believers with the wisdom and understanding that they need to understand and apply spiritual truths (I Corinthians 2). Moreover, although Christian believers may encounter false doctrines, the Holy Spirit is there to give them the spiritual discernment to follow sound doctrine and reject those false doctrines (II Timothy 1:14-15)

The Holy Spirit gives gifts: The Holy Spirit dispenses talents and abilities to Christian believers and gives them the power to use the abilities they had before they were saved to glorify God and edify others (I Peter 4:10-11, I Corinthians 14:12,). On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit enabled the disciples to speak in other languages. Other gifts the Holy Spirit may bestow include teaching, exhorting, giving, and hospitality, just to name a few (I Peter 4:11, I Corinthians 12:4-11, Romans 12:3-8).

Conclusion

Taken together, through the book of Acts and the rest of the New Testament we see unmistakable evidence of how indispensable the Holy Spirit is to the growth of the Christian Church, as a whole, as well as the spiritual growth and health of the Christian believer, in particular. The Holy Spirit convicts people of sin, enables those who accept the gift of salvation through faith to become adopted children of the Father, and serves as the unifying force within the Christian Church. He gives Christian believers spiritual understanding, wisdom, and discernment, as well as talents and abilities to glorify God and edify others. His presence in their lives assures them that they have been saved and will reign in eternity in paradise. In addition, He empowers and emboldens them, fills them with hope and love, intercedes on their behalf, and strengthens them when they are weak.

Given all the roles the Holy Spirit plays in the lives of Christian believers, what should be their response to Him? Well, they should live with the spiritual awareness that He abides with them and thus rely on and trust in His power. They should not grieve Him by sinful actions, words, or thoughts (Ephesians 4:30-32). Instead of resisting or ignore His prompting (e.g., whether to repent, love others, be kind or forgiving), Christian believers should lovingly and promptly submit to His will so that His influence in their lives doesn’t become stifled (I Thessalonians 5:19). In addition, they should respond with gratitude and praise that He has been given to them as a precious gift.

Indeed, may Christian believers everywhere always recognize what a marvelous privilege it is that the Father and Jesus would send such a wonderful Comforter as the Holy Spirit into their hearts!