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Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you (John 16:7, ESV).
If Jesus is sending us a “helper” who works free of charge, we should take full advantage of this help. Of course, Jesus is talking about the Spirit. With Jesus at the right hand of the Father, when we become His followers, we get the infilling help of the Spirit (Acts 2:38).
Since the Spirit is our “without a paycheck” helper, let’s understand the Spirit’s job description. Below I’ve listed the five-fold ministry (job description) of the Spirit. Please read to the end, as I will tell you how to hire (or activate) the help of the Spirit.
- Convict
He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment (John 16:8).
Nothing works well in the Kingdom of Jesus without the conviction of our sin or missing the mark of God’s holiness. In our “no one sins” culture, we get all sorts of loony diagnoses for our emotional difficulties. It’s a lot easier (though difficult because of pride) to just confess, receive forgiveness, and begin the path of healing.
Which indicates the following item in our Helper’s job description …
- Truth
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth (John 16:13).
The Bible emphatically teaches that because of our lusts, prejudices, and ambitions, we thrash about in our lives, blind to the truth (2 Corinthians 4:1-6). The Spirit is light, and there is no darkness in Him (Psalm 139:11-12).
Fortunately, our Helper has a huge spotlight to prepare us for the path that we are to walk, which leads us to the next item on the Spirit’s job description …
- Leading
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God (Romans 8:14, NLT).
Whew, it’s good to know that we don’t have to figure out our path. God will reveal it to us. Since He created us with a purpose before time, God has a vested interest in showing us His will.
The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you” (Psalm 32:8).
Pray this prayer regularly: “God, convict me of my sin, show me the truth of who I am in Christ, and lead me!”
This is a prayer that God will answer. Now it’s time to look at the following item in the job description …
- Fruit/Character
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
Conviction … Truth … Leading … brings us to an uncompromising character, filled with the Spirit’s power, so that we display the final item on the Spirit’s job description …
- Gifts
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good (1 Corinthians 12:7).
All the gifts are available today; they are limited by the quenching and grieving of the Spirit because we don’t activate them in truth, His leading, love, and maturity.
In summary, we activate the Spirit by taking steps of faith in all five areas of the Spirit’s job description, and as we progress down this path of spiritual maturity, we release the Spirit’s power.
Amen! Love this!