The Mystery of the Holy Spirit

Here are a few thoughts and verses from this morning's message to reflect on:

There has never been a time when the Holy Spirit has not been active in history. Genesis 1 says “the Spirit moved over the face of the deep”. My very favorite Biblical description of the Holy Spirit is in John 3:8. It speaks to the mystery of the Holy Spirit when it says… “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." Just think of the wind of recent hurricanes. You can’t see the wind, but you can certainly see it effects and feel it!!

A few more thoughts:

Many of us do not recognize the Holy Spirit at work around us, because we don’t know what he looks like. I am afraid that the HS is undervalued, underrecognized, underappreciated and underutilized in too many of our lives!!

Excerpt from Mark Batterson’s book, "Wild Goose Chase"

The Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit that has always intrigued me. They called him An Geadh-Glas or the Wild Goose. I love the imagery and implications. The name hints at the mysterious nature of the Holy Spirit. Much like a wild goose, the Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed. An element of danger and air of unpredictability surround Him. And while the name may sound a little sacrilegious at first earshot, I cannot think of a better description of what it's like to live a Spirit-led life than Wild Goose Chase. I think the Celtic Christians were on to something that institutionalized Christianity has missed out on. And I wonder if we have clipped the wings of the Wild Goose and settled for something less-much less-than God originally intended for us.

I think that we will see the Holy Spirit at work more in our lives, when we see him at work more in scripture. The Word of God shows us the Holy Spirit as.

• Water fertilizing and nourishing the weak and cleansing those that need purified. (Psalm 1:3, Eph. 5:26)
• Fire giving light to those in dark and burning away our impurities. (John 5:35, Mal. 3:2,3)
• Oil that consecrates and dedicates to holiness, comforts the grieving and heals the sick! (Luke 4:18, Heb. 1:9, Luke 10:34)
• Still small voice that guides us into truth, speaks conviction, comfort and encouragement. (John 16: 13, Heb. 3:7-11, John 16:7-11, John 14 26, Matt. 10.20)
• POWER to Witness!! (Acts 1:8)
• And certainly, the Holy Spirit is the source of godly FRUIT (fruit of the spirit) and the source of the GIFTS (gifts of the spirit).