Lord, I Believe; Help Thou My Unbelief

¹³ But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.

John 16: 13 &14

Jesus told his disciples that when he returned to his Father,
he would send the Holy Spirit to guide, teach and equip them through his power.
On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out on all the believers.
After Peter preached, about three thousand people received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Who is the Holy Spirit?
He is the third Person of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
In Genesis 1: 2b we are told, ‘and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters’.
Therefore God’s Spirit was actively involved in the Creation (Job 33: 4; Psalm 104: 30).
Throughout the Old and New Testaments the Holy Spirit was assigned to particular people to carry out particular tasks.
He was with Jesus throughout his ministry on earth.
Jesus describes the Holy Spirit as ‘another Counsellor’
The Holy Spirit possesses the attributes of God.
He is equal in every way with the other Persons of the Trinity – the Father and the Son.
The Holy Spirit is a comforter and an encourager and performs several roles: for example,
He is present everywhere (Psalm 139: 7,8); knows all things (1 Corinthians 2: 10–11);
has infinite power (Luke 1: 35); he grieves when we sin (Ephesians 4: 30);
assures us of salvation (Romans 8: 16);
helps us to pray, and to understand and to obey God’s Word;
gives us gifts to serve the Lord as he knows best (1 Corinthians 12: 4).
In Galatians 5: 22 he sets out the fruit of the Spirit:
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control
as these are some aspects of God’s character which we should emulate.
Some Christians accept God and Jesus, but not the Holy Spirit:
they deny his existence and power.

Growing up as a young Christian I was not really made aware of the ‘Holy Spirit’
and the role which he should play in my life and the development of my faith.
I have come to this reality in my mature years as a Christian.
His presence in my life has enriched my personal faith in Jesus.
I still have a lot to learn in relating to the Holy Spirit day by day.

Let us pray:
Father, help me to ask myself: how much of the Fruit of the Spirit can be seen in my life?
Gracious Lord, thank you that you sent your Holy Spirit to be with us for ever.
May we be open to his guidance.
Grant to your Church: the power of the Father,
the saving love of the Son
and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel.

Amen

Father God, we pray for those who are mourning the loss of loved ones,
for persons who are anxious for themselves and their families.
Please give our leaders wisdom and courage so that they make right decisions for the good of all.
Have mercy on a world where many have lost hope and look to the future with fear.
Send your healing power into the doubts, pressures and anxieties of the world.
Please strengthen our hope and faith in you,
and help us to show compassion, love and light towards others daily.

Amen

Glynne Gordon-Carter