By Joseph Ametepe
Introduction
• Pentecost Anniversary comes and goes each year with believers doing very little to really familiarize themselves with the Person and Works of the Holy Spirit, whose coming on the Day of Pentecost gave birth and life to the Church. Christmas and Easter are well celebrated by believers all over the world. This is well and good. But it seems to me that we are not big on celebrating the anniversary of the coming of the Person of the Holy Spirit in power. Please, understand that I am not advocating for the commercialization of Pentecost Anniversary. That is not what I have in mind. My purpose is to promote a desire among God's people to grow in their understanding of Who the Holy Spirit is and What He's been sent to do in and through us in order for us to fulfill the Great Commission and thus advance the kingdom of God in our generation. It is for this cause I felt led to write this write article. My goal also is to give you a tool to dig into the Word to learn more about the Spirit and His works. So I have chosen to give a list of Bible references instead of writing them in full. I pray you will take the time to look at each reference to discover the truth for yourself. The story of the Spirit's special manifestation on the Day of Pentecost is recorded in Acts 2. Please take time to read it in order to refresh your memory.
• In this article, I have chosen to write about the personal names of the Holy Spirit. Just as God the Father and God the Son have several different personal names, so the Bible presents several personal names of the Holy Spirit. Knowing them will help you relate to the Spirit better. Also, I have listed several pertinent divine qualities of the Holy Spirit. And finally, the particular works the Holy Spirit performs are listed. Studying and understanding these works will greatly help you in your Christian worship, witness, walk, and work.
A. Personal Names of the Holy Spirit
• The Spirit of God (Genesis 1:2; Exodus 31:3; Numbers 24:2).
• The Spirit of the Lord (Acts 5:9; 8:39).
• The Breath of the Almighty (Job 32:8; 33:4).
• The Spirit of the LORD (Yahweh) (Judges 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 2 Samuel 23:2; 2 Chronicles 20:14).
• Your Spirit (Psalm 104:30; 139:7).
• Your Good Spirit (Nehemiah 9:20; Psalm 143:10).
• Your Holy Spirit (Psalm 51:11; Isaiah 63:10).
• His Holy Spirit (Isaiah 63:10,11).
• His Spirit (Numbers 11:29; Isaiah 34:16; Romans 8:11).
• The Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18; Mark 12:36; Luke 1:15; Acts 1:8).
• The Spirit of wisdom (Isaiah 11:2).
• The Spirit of understanding (Isaiah 11:2).
• The Spirit of counsel (Isaiah 11:2).
• The Spirit of power (Isaiah 11:2).
• The Spirit of knowledge (Isaiah 11:2).
• The Spirit of the fear of the LORD (Isaiah 11:2).
• The Spirit of the Lord GOD or the Sovereign LORD (Isaiah 61:1).
• My Spirit (Genesis 6:3; Zechariah 4:6; Ezekiel 39:29; Matthew 12:18; Acts 2:17-18).
• The Spirit (Ezekiel 2:2,3; 3:12; Mark 1:9, 12; John 7:39; 1 John 5:6).
• The Spirit of grace and supplication (Zechariah 12:10).
• The Spirit of the living God (2 Corinthians 3:3).
• The Spirit of truth (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13).
• Another Helper or Counselor (John 14:16)
• The Helper or Counselor, the Holy Spirit (John 14:26).
• The Helper, or Counselor, Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor, [Greek, Paracletos] (John 16:7).
• The Promised Holy Spirit (Acts 2:33)
• The Spirit of Jesus (Acts 16:7).
• The Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9; 1 Peter 1:11).
• The Spirit of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:19).
• The Spirit of His Son (Galatians 4:6).
• The Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11).
• The Spirit of glory and of God (1 Peter 4:14).
• The Spirit of adoption (sonship) (Romans 8:15).
• The Spirit Himself (Romans 8:16; 26).
• The Spirit of grace (Hebrews 10:29).
• The Spirit of your Father (Matthew 10:20).
• The Spirit of wisdom and revelation (Ephesians 1:17).
• The Spirit of holiness (Romans 1:4).
• The Spirit of life (Romans 8:2).
• The Holy One (1 John 2:2).
• One Spirit (Ephesians 2:18; 4:4; 1 Corinthians 12:13).
• The Same Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8-9, 11).
• The Eternal Spirit (Hebrews 9:14).
B. Pertinent Divine Qualities of the Holy Spirit
• Eternal (Hebrews 9:14).
• Good (Nehemiah 9:20; Psalm 143:10).
• Holy (Psalm 51:11; Isaiah 63:10-11; Mark 1:8; Luke 1:35; John 14:26; Acts 1:8).
• Love (Romans 15:30; Galatians 5:22).
• Omnipresent (Psalm 139:7).
• Omniscient (Isaiah 40:13, 28; Psalm 147:5; John 14:26; 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:10-11).
• Omnipotent (Isaiah 11:2; Romans 15:13, 19; Luke 1:35; John 3:5-8; 16:8-11). While these passages do not specifically state that the Spirit is omnipotent, they certainly indicate that He has power which presumably only God has.
• Glory (1 Peter 4:14).
• Grace (Hebrews 10:29).
• Life (Romans 8:2).
• Truth (John 14:16; 15:26; 16:13; 1 John 4:6; 5:6).
• Wisdom (Isaiah 11:2; Ephesians 1:17).
C. Particular Works of the Holy Spirit
• The Holy Spirit anoints believers (Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38; 1 John 2:20, 27).
• The Holy Spirit baptizes believers into the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13).
• The Holy Spirit brings God's truth to the remembrance of believers (John 14:26).
• The Holy Spirit bears witness to the spirit of believers that they are God's children (Romans 8:16).
• The Holy Spirit calls sinners to believe in the gospel (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14).
• The Holy Spirit comforts believers (John 16:7 [Comforter]; Acts 9:31).
• The Holy Spirit commands believers (Acts 8:29; 10:19-20; 13:2).
• The Holy Spirit contends with man (Genesis 6:3).
• The Holy Spirit convicts the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment (John 16:8).
• The Holy Spirit counsels believers (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7 [Counselor]).
• The Holy Spirit creates (Genesis 1:2-3; Job 33:4; Psalm 104:30).
• The Holy Spirit is the One by Whom believers cry out "Abba! Father!" (Romans 8:15).
• The Holy Spirit discloses or declares to believers what is to come (John 16:13-15).
• The Holy Spirit directs certain individual believers into a specific kingdom work (Acts 6:29; 11:12;13:2).
• The Holy Spirit distributes spiritual gifts to believers (1 Corinthians 12:4-11).
• The Holy Spirit emboldens believers to speak God's word with conviction (Acts 4:31).
• The Holy Spirit empowers believers for service (Judges 3:10; 6:34; Matthew 12:28; Acts 1:8; Romans 15:9; Ephesians 3:16).
• The Holy Spirit endues believers with divine power to confront the enemy of righteousness (Acts 13:9-11).
• The Holy Spirit enlightens believers (Ephesians 1:17-18).
• The Holy Spirit enables believers to worship God (John 4:23-24; Philippians 3:3).
• The Holy Spirit equips ordinary believers to do extraordinary things (Judges 3:10-11; 6:34-35; 11:29,32; 13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:14-15; Acts 3:1-10; 6:8).
• The Holy Spirit fills believers (Exodus 31:3; Luke 1:14-15, 41, 67; Acts 2:1-4; 4:31; Acts 9:17; 13:9, 52;Ephesians 5:18).
• The Holy Spirit gives life (John 6:63; Romans 1:4; 2 Corinthians 3:6; 1 Peter 3:18).
• The Holy Spirit generates Christ (Matthew 1:18, 20; Luke 1:35). This, however, was a one time work of the Spirit. He will not do this again.
• The Holy Spirit guides or illumines believers into all the truth (John 16:13).
• The Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus Christ (John 16:14). This is the supreme passion of the Person of the Holy Spirit.
• The Holy Spirit helps believers in their weakness (Romans 8:26).
• The Holy Spirit indwells believers (Genesis 41:38; Numbers 27:18; Daniel 4:8; John 14:17, Romans 8:9,11; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; Galatians 4:6; 1 John 3:24).
• The Holy Spirit inspires (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21).
• The Holy Spirit intercedes for believers (Romans 8:26-27).
• The Holy Spirit internalizes the presence of Jesus Christ so that Christ dwells by His Spirit in the hearts of believers (John 14:17).
• The Holy Spirit is the One by Whom believers come to know the things freely given to them by God (1 Corinthians 2:12).
• The Holy Spirit makes certain believers overseers in God's church (Acts 20:28).
• The Holy Spirit is the One through Whom God pours out His agape love into the hearts of believers (Romans 5:5).
• The Holy Spirit prevents believers from speaking the Word or going to a place God has not intended for them to go at a particular time (Acts 16:6-7).
• The Holy Spirit produces the fruit of the Spirit or Christlikeness in believers (Galatians 5:22-23).
• The Holy Spirit promotes true freedom in the lives of believers (2 Corinthians 3:17).
• The Holy Spirit is the One by Whom believers put to death the practices or misdeeds of the body (Romans 8:13).
• The Holy Spirit regenerates sinners (John 3:3-6; Titus 3:5).
• The Holy Spirit renews believers (Titus 3:5).
• The Holy Spirit reveals truth to believers (Luke 2:26; John 14:26; 16:12-15; Acts 21:11; 1 Corinthians 2:9-13; Ephesians 1:17).
• The Holy Spirit sanctifies believers (Romans 15:16; 1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2).
• The Holy Spirit seals believers in Jesus Christ to inherit full redemption (2 Corinthians 1:22; 2 Corinthians 5:5; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30).
• The Holy Spirit searches all things (1 Corinthians 2:10).
• The Holy Spirit selects certain individual Christians in the church for missions work (Acts 13:2).
The Holy Spirit sends out God's chosen missionaries to His chosen mission field (Acts 13:2).
• The Holy Spirit speaks (John 16:13; Acts 8:29; 10:19-20; 13:2; 21:11).
• The Holy Spirit is the One by Whom believers speak and teach spiritual truths (1 Corinthians 2:13).
• The Holy Spirit subdues the sinful fleshly desires in believers (Galatians 5:16-17).
• The Holy Spirit sustains and speaks through believers in their persecution (Acts 4:8-12; 5:19-20; 6:10;7:55-60).
• The Holy Spirit teaches believers (John 14:26; 1 Corinthians 2:13; 1 John 2:20, 27).
• The Holy Spirit testifies about Jesus Christ (John 15:26; Acts 5:32; 1 John 5:6-8; Hebrews 10:15).
• The Holy Spirit transforms believers into the image of Jesus Christ their Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18).
• The Holy Spirit universalizes the presence of Jesus Christ making Him accessible to believers everywhere (John 16:7).
• The Holy Spirit warns believers of dangers ahead of them (Acts 20:23).
Conclusion
• My prayer is that through this article, your heart will be challenged to learn more about the Person of the Holy Spirit and His works. I believe that the more familiar we become with the Holy Spirit and His works, the more He will be pleased to use us significantly and successfully in accomplishing the Great Commission. The early disciples and those who came after them, grew in their understanding of who the Holy Spirit is and what He's been sent to do through them. No wonder they were greatly used in their generation to further God's kingdom. The Bible itself testified to this: "And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundance grace was upon them all" (Acts 4:33). It is now our turn to give our testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ with great power generated by the Spirit of God. Therefore, let's use this Pentecost and others to come, if the Lord tarries, to know the Holy Spirit and His works better.
• "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you" (John 14:16-17).
• For further studies on the Person and Works of the Holy Spirit, read the article entitled: "The Spirit's Role in the Presentation of the Gospel."