Question 1

When do I receive the Holy Spirit?

Accepted Answer

Ephesians 1:13-14Now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.God gives us the Holy Spirit when we believe in Jesus Christ. In fact, it is through the promptings of the Holy Spirit that we are able to believe in Christ.Ezekiel 36:25-27“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.”Acts 2:16-18“What you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike—and they will prophesy.’”The gift of the Holy Spirit was promised long ago but was not made available to all believers until Jesus Christ was resurrected and ascended into heaven. Peter’s preaching at Pentecost marked the dramatic outpouring of the Spirit, fulfilling the prophecies of old.Luke 11:11-13“You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”Though the Holy Spirit lives within us, we can pray expectantly that God will release more and more of the Spirit’s power in our lives. When we foster an active relationship with God, his Holy Spirit will become more active in our lives.Luke 12:11-12“And when you are brought to trial in the synagogues and before rulers and authorities, don’t worry about how to defend yourself or what to say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what needs to be said.”Acts 1:8“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”The Lord gives us an extra measure of the Holy Spirit’s power whenever we need special power and courage to witness for him.

Question 2

In what ways does the Holy Spirit help me?

Accepted Answer

John 15:26“But I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me.”1 Corinthians 2:12We have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.The Holy Spirit helps us understand God and his deep truths.Romans 8:6So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.2 Corinthians 3:16-18Whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.Galatians 5:16-17So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.Galatians 5:22-23The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!1 John 2:20You are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and all of you know the truth.1 John 2:27You have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie.Revelation 2:7“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, showing us right from wrong, good from bad, and God’s way versus the way of the world. Not only does the Holy Spirit show us what is good, he also fills us with a desire to do what is good.Romans 8:26-27The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.The Holy Spirit helps us to pray. We can take great comfort and confidence in the fact that our prayers—as inadequate as they often are—are heard, understood, and responded to through the loving intercession of the Holy Spirit.1 Corinthians 6:19Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,Ephesians 5:18-20Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.The Holy Spirit gives us the power and desire to resist temptations that would dishonor God or hurt us.Romans 8:16His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.The Holy Spirit fills us with the assurance that we are children of God, saved from sin and death.

Question 3

What does someone filled with the Holy Spirit look like?

Accepted Answer

Galatians 5:22-23The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!The Holy Spirit produces many good qualities in our lives. This doesn’t mean, for instance, that everyone who is kind is a Christian or even that all Christians are kind. It does mean, however, that all Christians should be becoming kinder through the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.Acts 4:8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, . . .Acts 4:31After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.Acts 7:54-55The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand.The Holy Spirit fills us with boldness to speak his truth. Even after being arrested and interrogated, Peter was bold in speaking God’s truth. Even when his life was in danger, Stephen was a bold witness of Christ’s coming glory. When we have the Holy Spirit working in us and we are prayerfully following his prompting, we can speak and act with this same boldness, knowing God’s will shall be done.

Question 4

Is the Holy Spirit the same as my conscience?

Accepted Answer

1 Timothy 4:2-3These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead. They will say it is wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods. But God created those foods to be eaten with thanks by faithful people who know the truth.Titus 1:15Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted.Hebrews 2:14-15Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.Everyone—believer or unbeliever—has a conscience. Our consciences are an inborn instinct of what is right and wrong, planted by God. But our consciences are not infallible. Sometimes, they become numbed to evil and corrupted. Other times, they become judgmental about matters that aren’t even sinful, crippling us with guilt and shame. Unlike our conscience, the Holy Spirit is perfectly good and incorruptible. When our conscience speaks, we should listen with discernment. It may be drawing something important to our attention. When the Holy Spirit speaks, however, we should always obey. Much of spiritual maturity is learning to distinguish the Spirit’s voice.

Question 5

What are the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and how do I discover mine?

Accepted Answer

Romans 12:6-8In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.1 Corinthians 12:4-6There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.1 Corinthians 12:27All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.The Holy Spirit gives believers gifts so we can bless the rest of the body of Christ. And he gives each believer a unique mix of gifts.

Question 6

How do I discern the Holy Spirit’s voice?

Accepted Answer

1 John 4:1-3Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.To discern whether the Holy Spirit is speaking to us, we must consider the content. The Holy Spirit never contradicts the truth of God’s Good News about Jesus.John 14:26“But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”John 16:13-15“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’”The Holy Spirit only speaks in agreement with Jesus’ teachings and God’s will.Ephesians 4:30-31Do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.The Holy Spirit is saddened by sin.1 Thessalonians 5:19-22Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil.Any claims of the Holy Spirit’s guidance should be held against God’s standards of good and evil.John 10:4-5“After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”John 10:27“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”Just as a sheep learns to recognize the voice of its shepherd, we are learning to recognize God’s voice. Through studying God’s Word, through prayer, and through following Christ in our daily lives, we will become more familiar with who God is and what his voice sounds like.