I decided to convert an old Toyota Sienna into a camper van.  My kids thought I was crazy (and I guess I am).  I had fun doing the conversion myself.  Now folks who follow behind me on the road may be puzzled by the 3-prong household plug that pokes out of my van.   I tell people that’s where I connect my redneck Tesla to the charging station.

Power is necessary to redneck Teslas and to Christians in general.  Our gracious God understands this, and He provided the Holy Spirit to be our charging station.

So, what do we know about the Holy Spirit?   He is not an “it” or a “something,” nor is He the holy “influence” of the Father.  Seven times Jesus referred to Him as a “He” in John 16.  For instance, “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth.” (John 16:13).  He is a full-fledged person possessing intellect, emotion, and a will.  

Granted, He is a different kind of person, existing as a spirit.   But He has the capacity to manifest Himself in a physical form such as He did at the Baptism of Jesus.  Then He appeared in a form that compared to a dove (Matthew 3:16).  

What’s more is that He is a “holy” Spirit – a member of our triune Godhead.  He possesses the same attributes as God.  He is all knowing (1 Corinthians 2:10-12); all powerful (Job 33:4); omnipresent (John 14:16); and eternal (Hebrews 9:14).

All three were present at the Baptism of Jesus.  The Father spoke from heaven, the Spirit descended from heaven, as the Son was dipped in the waters of the Jordan (Matthew 3:16-17)

And He plays an extremely important role in the life of the believer.  When Jesus ascended to heaven, He made sure that His replacement descended and took up residence in the life of a every born-again Christian.  The apostles and their brethren were gifted on the day of Pentecost.  Believers today receive Him the moment we come to faith (Ephesians 1:13).

His role is to teach us (John 16:14); to convict us of sin (John 16:8); to intercede for us (Romans 8:26) to guide us (John 16:13); to gift us (1 Corinthians 12:4-11); and especially to empower us.

Before Jesus left, He wanted His disciples to know that the Spirit would be sent to energize their efforts.  He told them to, “Stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high” – Luke 24:49. Like an American Express Card, they were not to leave home without it.

This Pentecostal power filled their prayers so that the supernatural became a reality (Acts 12:5-8). It bathed them in courage and conviction to be bold witnesses of the risen Christ (Acts 1:8).  It strengthened their battered hopes (Romans 15:13); and provided a means with which to resist the caustic influence of sin (Ephesians 3:14-21). He empowered them, and today empowers us to live victorious lives.

And this power is continuously supplied.  We don’t need to stop every 272 miles and plug into an EV charging station and sit there baking beneath the windshield for 10 hours. 

This power is always there for us, unless we should offend the Spirit.   Because this power comes through a person, we can sometimes disappoint and even grieve that person through spiritual insensitivity, disobedience or rejection (Ephesians 4:30).  When this happens, the power goes poof!

And there amid the 12- lane highway of life, during rush hour, with the draft of semis shaking our car – we helplessly sit – powerless.   

But because He is a gracious and forgiving God, He welcomes a contrite plea for forgiveness and will respond to a request to be filled again (Ephesians 5:18).  He is our recharging station, and how blessed we are that He resides within us. 

If your spiritual batteries are full, good for you!  If not, talk to the Holy Spirit about it.   

A Prayer: Lord, more power please!

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you!

Scripture passages are from the NETBible®