10 Things You May Not Know About The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit's names and symbols  just begin to describe Him.

BY JUDITH FOLKERTS

GOD  /  CHURCH

​When Jesus left earth, He was sure to leave us well cared for. The Holy Spirit is truly with us always, and His He is more to us than any person could ever be. Here are some things about the Holy Spirit that help us to see just how amazing He is.

​1. The Holy Spirit is also called the Paraclete. In Greek, one of His names is parakletos (par-ak'-lay-tos), which translates in English as paraclete. This word means comforter, counselor, advocate, which are 3 of the many functions that He has in our lives. Jesus said of Him;
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“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 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.”
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2. The Holy Spirit is signified in Scripture by various symbols, including a cloud, fire, and water. He guided Israel through the desert in Exodus 31:21-11; “By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.”

In Isaiah 44:3, the Holy Spirit is described as being poured and quenching, like water; “For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground, I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring and my blessing on your descendants.” In other verses, Scripture likens Him to rain and rivers.

He also is compared to fire. Acts 2:3-4 describes His arrival at Pentecost; “They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”

His traits of gentleness and peace are just a couple of facets of His complex personality.
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3. The Holy Spirit is not a dove. In Matthew 3:11, Jesus describes Him as “one who is more powerful than I.” He is meek, but not fragile. In John 1:32, John describes what he saw, “Then John gave this testimony: ‘I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on (Jesus).’” 

The Holy Spirit’s arrival is described in several accounts in Scripture as being like or as a dove. His traits of gentleness and peace are just a couple of facets of His complex personality. He is like a dove, not an actual dove.

4. The Holy Spirit if given to us in two measures. When we are born again, all believers receive Him. God as Father, Jesus and The Holy Spirit are all inextricably bound. When we accept Jesus’ gift of salvation through repentance, He comes into us. We receive the benefits and traits of the Holy Spirit at that moment of belief. Ephesians 1:13-14 says,

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”
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There is a second baptism called the Baptism of the Holy Spirit where He is given in more power. In John16:7, Jesus makes a promise to  His believers, “But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”

This second baptism is available to all of us when we ask to receive it.

In Acts 2:4, The Holy Spirit comes, as promised, to Jesus’ followers who are waiting and praying passionately for Him in the Upper Room; “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”  This second baptism is available to all of us when we ask to receive it.

Many spiritual gifts come with this baptism. It is because Jesus sent the Holy Spirit after Him that He was able to tell us, "Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing,and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." It is the Holy Spirit who enables us to work through Him to do these great things.

5. The Holy Spirit is sometimes attributed with a familial maternal roll as part of the Godhead. While God is seen as The Father, Jesus can be seen as the Son and Brother. Hebrews 2:11-12 says, “Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. He says, ‘I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises.’”

While the Holy Spirit is never described as specifically maternal, His rolls as advocate, encourager and comforter can sometimes be seen as traditionally feminine in nature. For that reason, He is seen by some as partially filling the third traditional family roll as mother. In general, His purposes are by no means limited to traditionally maternal rolls, however,  like God and Jesus, is ultimately masculine.

6. The Holy Spirit has many names. Helper (John 14:16), Comforter (John 14:16), Spirit of Adoption (Romans 8:15), Spirit of Truth (John 16:13) and Breath of the Almighty (John 33:4) are examples. 
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The word ghost, in some translations, does not carry the modern connotations of darkness that it sometimes holds today.

7. The Holy Spirit is also called The Holy Ghost. The word for Spirit is pneuma (pnyoo’-mah) in the Greek, which means, wind, breath, spirit. The King James Version of the Bible translated these traits to the English word ghost which traditionally indicated a spirit. The word ghost, in some translations, does not carry the modern connotations of darkness and apparition.  Most modern translations use the name Holy Spirit.

8. The Holy Spirit is referred to as The Seven-Fold Spirit. Isaiah 11:2 talks about the Holy Spirit as having seven facets;

​“The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him--
    the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and of might,
    the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—“

Revelation 5:6 also refers to His seven-fold personality; “Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.”

9. The Holy Spirit brings change, revival and anointing. The Holy Spirit lovingly responds to our prayers for more of Him. He imparts His fruit in our lives;  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-26) 
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The Holy Spirit lovingly responds to our prayers for more of Him.

He also gives us individual spiritual gifts for the benefit of Christ’s body, the Church. Paul gives us one of the New Testament's  lists in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11;
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“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.”
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The Holy Spirit is unpredictable, and submitting to Him brings surprises. He has good things for all of us, always building individuals and the body of Christ up. He knows God’s purposes for us and works with us to that we may confirm to His image and purposes.

10. The Holy Spirit is our personal intercessor. The Holy Spirit has us covered. When we feel alone and in need of prayer, He intercedes for us. Romans 8:26 says, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”

When we are overwhelmed, discouraged, in need of wisdom or afraid, He ministers to our needs. He prays for us when we are unable to pray for ourselves. He also prays through us when we submit to His gift of unknown languages and pray in tongues. 

John 16:13 says of the Holy Spirit; “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” He provides truth and revelation in our lives, and is a friend to us, always. In fact, Jesus said of Him, in John 14:16, that He will “help you and be with you forever.” His concern for us is infinite. His love for us is matchless. He is worthy of our praise.