The Holy Spirit: Your Helper, Guide, and Life-Changer

Jul 24

This is part of a series giving an overview of theology and Neighborhood Church’s doctrinal statement. (Introduction, The One True God, The Lord Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit, The Bible, Humanity, Salvation, Church, Christian Life, Angels, Satan, Demons, Future Life)

Have you ever wondered who the Holy Spirit really is and what role He plays in your life? Maybe you've heard about God the Father and Jesus the Son, but the Holy Spirit feels more mysterious. You're not alone in that feeling. Many people have questions about the third person of the Trinity (the belief that God exists as three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—while remaining one God).

Recently at Neighborhood Church, we explored what the Bible teaches about the Holy Spirit. Just like Margaret Hamilton played a crucial but often unknown role in the Apollo 11 moon landing as the computer scientist who developed the flight software, the Holy Spirit plays an essential role in our spiritual lives that we might not fully understand.

The Holy Spirit is Fully God

Before we dive into what the Holy Spirit does, it's important to understand who He is. The Holy Spirit isn't just a force or energy—He's a person who is fully God, equal with the Father and Son. We see this throughout Scripture, from Genesis 1:1-2 where the Spirit of God was involved in creation, to Matthew 28:18-19 where Jesus puts the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together as equals in the Great Commission.

The Holy Spirit also played the primary role in giving us Scripture itself. As 2 Peter 1:20-21 tells us, "no prophecy was ever the product of the will of man. But men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." This means we can trust the Bible because it comes from God Himself through the Holy Spirit's work.

Your Personal Helper and Guide

In John 16:7-8, Jesus told His disciples something surprising: "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. But if I go, I will send him to you."

Jesus was saying it's actually better for us to have the Holy Spirit than for Jesus to physically be here on earth. That might sound hard to believe, but think about it this way: when Jesus was on earth, He could only be in one place at a time. The Holy Spirit, however, can be with every believer everywhere at once.

The word "Helper" means someone who comes alongside to aid and assist—like a personal counselor or legal advocate who's always in your corner. The Holy Spirit does three main things in this role:

He convicts us of sin - showing us what's wrong in our lives
He points us to Jesus' righteousness - showing us what's right
He reveals that Satan has been judged - showing us our old master has been defeated

But the Holy Spirit doesn't just convict us; He also guides us toward truth. As John 16:13 says, "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth." He's like a counselor who not only tells you what you're doing wrong but also shows you the right direction to go.

Importantly, John 16:14 tells us that the Spirit's job is to glorify Jesus, not Himself. This helps us stay balanced in how we think about the Spirit's work—His goal is always to point us to Jesus and help us grow in our relationship with Him.

Growing Spiritual Fruit in Your Life

The Holy Spirit doesn't just help us come to faith; He continues working in our lives to help us become more like Jesus. Galatians 5:16 tells us to "walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh."

This creates a kind of internal battle. Our old nature (what the Bible calls "the flesh") wants to pull us toward things like selfishness, anger, jealousy, and other destructive behaviors listed in Galatians 5:19-21. But the Holy Spirit wants to produce different fruit in our lives.

Galatians 5:22-23 gives us the beautiful list: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control."

If someone could walk up to your life and pick a piece of fruit, what would they find? Would it be something bitter and harsh, or something sweet and life-giving? The amazing thing is that these fruits aren't just for our own benefit—they're meant to bless the people around us. When the Spirit grows patience in you, your family benefits. When He develops kindness in your heart, your coworkers experience it.

Being "filled with the Spirit" means allowing Him to have more and more influence in your life. It's about submitting to God's Word (which the Spirit helped write) rather than rebelling against it. The more we cooperate with the Spirit's work, the more these beautiful qualities grow in us.

If this list feels overwhelming, remember Jesus' words in Matthew 26:41: "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Your flesh may be weak, but the Spirit is willing and able to help you grow. That's why prayer is so important—we can ask God to help us let go of fleshly desires and instead grow spiritual fruit.

Spiritual Gifts: Tools for Serving Others

The Holy Spirit also gives every believer spiritual gifts—special abilities meant to help other people in the church. 1 Corinthians 12:7 tells us, "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good."

These gifts aren't for our own benefit or to make us feel important. They're tools to serve others and build up the church. 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 lists various gifts like wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, and prophecy, but this isn't an exhaustive list.

Think of the church like a human body. 1 Corinthians 12:12 says, "For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ." If everyone were an eye, the body couldn't hear. If everyone were an ear, it couldn't see. We need different people with different gifts working together.

The key is using these gifts in love. 1 Corinthians 13:1 reminds us that even the most impressive spiritual gifts are meaningless "if I have not love." The Spirit wants to use our gifts to show Christ's love to others, not to compete or show off.

Living in Step with the Spirit

So where does this leave us? If you're a follower of Jesus, the Holy Spirit is already living in you. He's your Helper, Guide, and the one growing spiritual fruit in your life. But are you cooperating with His work?

Here are some questions for reflection:

Are you looking to put Jesus first in your life this week? Remember, the Spirit's job is to point us to Jesus, not to Himself.
What fruit do you need the Holy Spirit to help you grow? Is it patience with your family? Kindness toward difficult people? Self-control in your habits?
Is there a fleshly desire you're nurturing that's hindering that growth? The Spirit can't grow patience in you if you're feeding your anger, or develop self-control if you're constantly indulging your impulses.
How can you use the gifts God has given you to help others follow Jesus? Your gifts aren't for personal gain but for building up others in love.

The amazing truth is that you're not alone in this journey. Just as Jesus promised, He didn't leave us as orphans when He returned to heaven. He sent the Holy Spirit to be our constant companion, Helper, and Guide. The Spirit has all the resources of heaven at His disposal and knows exactly what we need to grow spiritually.

Whether you're just beginning to explore faith or you've been following Jesus for years, the Holy Spirit is ready to help you take the next step. He wants to convict you when you're going the wrong way, guide you toward truth, help you grow spiritual fruit, and use your gifts to bless others.

The question isn't whether the Spirit is able—He is. The question is whether we're willing to let Him work. As we cooperate with His leading, we'll find ourselves becoming more like Jesus and experiencing the joy of being used by God to bless the people around us.

That's the beautiful work of the Holy Spirit in our lives—and it's available to anyone who puts their trust in Jesus.