The Holy Spirit is not an option but a must for the Church. We can’t possibly do what God has called us to do without the works of the Holy Spirit. The works of the Spirit mentioned in the Bible are too many to tell the number of. In this post, I will briefly share three indispensable works of the Holy Spirit that I find fascinating:
1. No One Can Come to Christ Except by the Holy Spirit
Jesus says, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws Him” (John 6:44, NASB).This verse refers to a work of the Holy Spirit. For He is the means by which God draws us.
We may say to those who are lost, “You just need to submit and accept Christ as your Savior.” But no one can do that without the aid of the Holy Spirit. That’s why He is indispensable in the Church’s quest to win the lost to Christ.
When I accepted Christ as my Savior, I did not sense the Holy Spirit being a part of the process. When we come to Christ, it may feel like a totally natural process, but it’s far from that. According to Jesus, no one can come to Him unless God by the Holy Spirit draws Him.
2. Only the Holy Spirit Can Bring Conviction about Sin and Judgment
“When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment,” Jesus told His disciples (John 16:8, NIV). As I preacher, I can preach “fire and brimstone,” making some people tremble in the pews. But without the Holy Spirit at work, once the sermon is over, the fear and trembling stops.
Only the Holy Spirit can penetrate the spiritual barriers that render men unreachable by the gospel. No level of verbal skills in communicating the gospel can bring about conviction relating to personal sin and judgment. That is exclusively the work of the Holy Spirit as we minister the Word of God or share our witness for Christ.
3. The Holy Spirit Imparts Spiritual Gifts for the Edifying of the Body
In chapter 12 of his first epistle to the church at Corinth, Paul the apostle discusses nine spiritual gifts. “All these [gifts of the Holy Spirit] are the work of one and same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines,” he writes (1 Cor. 12:11, NIV). In other words, it is the Holy Spirit who imparts these gifts to us. Through these gifts, we can minister to the body of Christ in ways that transcend the natural realm. When believers gather together, these gifts operate to edify the body.
The above works of the Holy Spirit are indispensable for the Church. We can’t possibly accomplish what God has called us to do through the means of the flesh. That’s why Jesus instructed His disciples to not depart Jerusalem until they had been endued with power from on high (Luke 24:29). The same applies to us today.
Copyright © 2022 by Frank King. All rights reserved.