Session 5 of 9

Foundations

Who is the Holy Spirit?

Read

¹⁵If you love me, keep my commandments. ¹⁶I will pray to the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, that he may be with you forever,— ¹⁷the Spirit of truth, whom the world can’t receive; for it doesn’t see him, neither knows him. You know him, for he lives with you, and will be in you. ¹⁸I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you. ¹⁹Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more; but you will see me. Because I live, you will live also. ²⁰In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. ²¹One who has my commandments, and keeps them, that person is one who loves me. One who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and will reveal myself to him.” ²²Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, what has happened that you are about to reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?” ²³Jesus answered him, “If a man loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him. ²⁴He who doesn’t love me doesn’t keep my words. The word which you hear isn’t mine, but the Father’s who sent me. ²⁵I have said these things to you, while still living with you. ²⁶But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you. ²⁷Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, give I to you. Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.

John 14:15–27

Think

The Holy Spirit is sometimes the forgotten person of the Trinity. But Jesus told his disciples it was good for them that he was going away, because then he would send the Spirit (John 16:7).

The Spirit isn’t a force or an influence; he is God, personal, and he lives in everyone who trusts Jesus. He helps us understand the Bible, prompts us to pray, assures us we’re God’s children, and gives gifts to build up the church.

Most of all, the Spirit makes us more like Jesus. Paul calls this “the fruit of the Spirit”: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Fruit grows slowly, but it does grow.

We can’t control the Spirit, but we can welcome him. Ask God to fill you with his Spirit; he loves to answer that prayer (Luke 11:13).

Talk it over

1. Jesus calls the Spirit a “Counselor” or “Helper”. What kind of help do you most need?
2. Which part of the fruit of the Spirit would you most like to grow in?
3. Have you ever had a sense of God prompting you? What happened?

Learn by heart

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22–23

Pray

Holy Spirit, come and fill me. Make me more like Jesus.