Q&A with Pastor Chris - What is the Ministry of the Holy Spirit?
Q&A with Pastor Chris - What is the Ministry of the Holy Spirit?
Question: What is the work of the Holy Spirit, and how do you know when the Holy Spirit has left you?
Answer: What is the work of the Holy Spirit? The work of the Holy Spirit is to carry out God’s will and purpose for your life and to help you understand the word of God, to help you see those things that the Spirit of God has brought into your life, to help you know God and to bring you the presence of God. And [then] to enable you with the power of the Spirit to do great things for God, to become a witness [an effective witness] for Jesus Christ. So, all of that is the work of the Holy Spirit.
Now, the second part of your question is, “…and how do you know when the Holy Spirit has left you?” The Holy Spirit will not leave you, except you leave God! You will have to go into apostasy for the Holy Spirit to leave you. That means you will have to completely reject Jesus Christ before the Holy Spirit could leave you. So, He will not leave you except you totally reject Jesus Christ; and, no Christian would reject Jesus Christ. As long as you’re a Christian, you have not rejected Jesus Christ; the Holy Spirit will not leave you. Now, St John’s gospel chapter 14, when you read from verse 16, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.” So, the Holy Spirit has come to abide with you forever! [Continues verse 17] “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.” [John 14:16-17] So, He’s come to abide with you forever; the Holy Spirit will not leave you. In St. Mathew’s gospel chapter 28 and when you read, in verse 20 He says, “…lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age.” [Matthew 28:20] So, He’s with you by the Holy Spirit [through the Holy Spirit]. And then, also, in Ephesians chapter 1 from verse 13, He says, “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” [Ephesians 1:13-14] So, the Holy Spirit is the earnest [the deposit] of the purchased possession. He is the earnest, the deposit, the down-payment; that’s what it means. So, since the Holy Spirit has been given as the down payment until the completeness (the completion, the final consummation) of the eternal salvation; when all that God planned in Christ is brought to pass, when everything is completed - that’s the end of the age - it says the Holy Spirit remains with us; so, the Holy Spirit will not leave you.