The Holy Spirit is the greatest part of the modern world. God literally lives in the heart of those who come to him.
The sheer size and magnitude of this greatness is the most vital part of a modern relationship with God, and this difference-maker completely revamps every aspect of every life.
In order to maximize a relationship with God, understanding and seeking more of the Spirit is the foundation of everything else. In mankind's heart can live the heart of God, and when someone actively seeks this out, it is the greatest thing they could ever experience.
First Step
The first place to look when examining the Holy Spirit is when it flooded down upon the Apostles. On the day of Pentecost, there was a radical and amazing outpouring of God’s grace upon the people of God, and it happened on a large scale. It filled each and every heart in the room who wanted it. “They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.” (Acts, NIV).
Additionally, it wasn’t just a strong effect in quality; it was a large effect in quantity,
“Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.” God’s plan went beyond quality, but He also wanted quantity.
This means that in His kingdom, there is room for even me and you.
This means that the Holy Spirit applies to us in our daily lives, because it’s willing to pour onto us in our daily lives. Every piece of God that the Holy Spirit pours out is relevant and important to every person on Earth. This even extends to the time before Pentecost. It’s very common to find people who can’t piece the significance of Pentecost together, because Pentecost is referred to as when the Holy Spirit came, and time and time again people before Pentecost receive the Spirit.
“So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David.” (1 Samuel, NIV).
“Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him.” (Daniel, ESV). “Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a young goat.” (Judges, ESV).
There are two truths that are evident in the Bible. One: the Holy Spirit has been around forever and it has been working forever. Two: something changed on Pentecost that remade the value of the Holy Spirit. The question to ask is: what about the Spirit changed?
What definitely didn’t change is the Holy Spirit itself or what it did.
If modern Christians were granted the Spirit in a better or larger way, then that wouldn’t be fair to the people in the Old Testament. This doesn’t match God's character, “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality” (Peter, NIV). It’s not fair to David if modern Christians get a better Spirit just because we’re more recent.
What God is changing isn't the Spirit itself, but how we understand the Spirit.
In the Old Testament when someone was healed, it was considered a work of the Father; when someone was blessed by God, it was love from the Father; and when someone did something powerful, it was by the strength of the Father. However, now we speak of the gifts of the Spirit.
All of these supernatural powers that existed in the Old Testament remain, but now their source is considered the Spirit and not the Father.
The gifts of the Spirit are miraculous. “to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.” (Paul, ESV).
Before the cross, God was our father, our friend, and our Lord. However, now God is us.
The difference is that God is no longer thought of as our friend, but he abides in our hearts. We have Spiritual unity with God.
This is deeper than making us like God. Instead, it is God removing us. John the Baptist explained this when he declared, “He must increase, I must decrease.” (John, ESV). The most common block when people think of sanctification, when they think of becoming more like Christ, is that they think of it as change. In reality, it is so much bigger and better than a changed heart. It’s a remaking.
God tears down the old heart, man decreases, and we get a new one: God’s.
His heart is now in the chest of Christians and it will continue. This is evident when people read the words of Saint Paul and they accept them as Gospel doctrine. How can a man establish God’s beliefs? It’s because Paul’s heart no longer remains. Paul was put to death, he was crucified with Christ, and now only the Spirit remains.
This is the natural state of the heart of man.
In Psalm 37, David prayed, “Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever.” (David, NIV). King David speaks of a departure. The reaction when God and sin mix is a divide between them. They don’t abide together. David said that the Spirit will dwell forever after He has fled the evil. It’s a deeper and more important path.
This means that when the Holy Spirit is in one's heart, their wicked heart’s natural state is to diminish because it cannot abide with the Spirit.
Sanctification is the natural course of man. The only actions that people take hinder the natural process. When Jesus was before the high priests prior to his crucifixion for a trail, he was told, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” (High Priest, NIV). Jesus is in the face of death and being scolded by the people who were supposed to lead his Church. He responded in an unorthodox manner, “But Jesus remained silent.” (Matthew, NIV). Jesus did nothing because the only effect his actions could have had was problematic.
When Christians find themselves consistently slipping up, departing from the Spirit in their speech or action, they need to stop speaking and talking so that God can take control.
God commands us in Psalms, “Be still, and know that I am God” (God, NIV). If the Holy Spirit is going to act for someone they have to stop acting on their own. It has come time for people to start stepping out in faith and trusting that, even if they aren’t ready, the Holy Spirit will act for them. God outlines that the only effect mankind has on their heart is negative and one must relinquish control to their Heavenly Father.
Real World Application
Inside someone’s heart, when they give control to God, they become transformed. However, what has been unanswered is what happens outside their heart. What does action through inaction look like practically? Jesus outlines this when he commands, “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” (Christ, NIV).
Action by inaction looks like being in the moment.
It is entirely possible that anyone reading this will die before they ever finish reading. Nothing in the future is certain, and the righteous act is going to change constantly as a situation progresses.
Why would God want people preparing for the future and outlining an action that won't be applicable by the time it comes?
Jesus famously commanded, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” (Christ, NIV). Because this command increases joy and mental health, it almost sounds like a suggestion. It feels optional to the human heart because it’s put in place to bring joy.
However, it is still a command from God. It’s not optional and it’s not a suggestion. It goes deeper than bringing joy.
This same principle is outlined in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The story goes that a son took his father's money and squandered it on prostitutes and wine. After he finds himself in a hungry pit of despair, he decides that he will go to his father weak and begging, and offer himself as no longer a son but a servant. Jesus narrates, “And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.” (Christ, NIV). It’s easy to miss this minute detail in the overarching lesson of God accepting those who have turned. Everyone has found themselves in the shower thinking about all the things that they should have said in an argument they had earlier, or scripting an argument that they’ll have later. However, every time these scripts are acted upon they take an unexpected turn, because the other person also has actions they get to make.
It’s not realistic that someone is going to give the monologue they rehearse in the shower, and it’s less realistic that the other person will listen, because maybe when you go to your dad to offer yourself as a servant he is going to sweep you off your feet and give you lavish goods.
Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will take over in the moment. Even by worldly standards planning ahead is a poor choice. The outside application of the Spirit taking over is not doing things by mind worldly understanding and being in the moment.
God changed something radically on Pentecaused. He completely revamped the way we think of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the new focal point of God and it has given us unity with the Father. We have reached time to give Him control and surrender to the Spirit because the natural state of a Christian is to be less with God being more. The way to do this is to actively trust in faith that He will act for you when the time comes.