The Holy Spirit, God's strategic weapon...

The senior pastor of our congregation has been teaching about the Holy Spirit for that last few weeks. What a breath of fresh air...literally. In Acts chapter 2, the disciples gathered together on Pentecost, when "suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting." (v. 2) Again I say, "What a breath of fresh air."

In the Old Testament we read in a number of passages that a particular person was "filled with the Spirit of God." Bezalel, the seventy elders, Balaam, Gideon, Jephthah, Lehi: these are just a few of the men upon whom the Spirit of God rested from time to time. But in the Old Testament, this condition of being filled with the Spirit, or having the Spirit upon them, was a temporary condition. It is not until Jesus has completed his work on the cross, been buried and raised again, and ascended to the right hand of the Father, that we see the Holy Spirit coming to indwell the saints permanently.

Can you understand, Christian soldier, how blessed we are that Jesus went to the Father and sent the "Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."? Prior to Pentecost, Jesus himself was the only one who was indwelt by the Holy Spirit as a condition of his being. Paul told the church at Rome, "Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." (Romans 8:17). Let that sink in. We are heirs of El Eljon, the God Most High, and we are co-heirs with Jesus himself. That means that what He inherits, we inherit, too. One of those things is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus told the disciples, "It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. ⁸When He comes, He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: ⁹in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; ¹⁰in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; ¹¹and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned." (John 16:7-11) If Jesus had remained on the earth, only a small percentage of the world's population could have had contact with Him, simply because of logistical considerations.

On the other hand, after Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father, He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell the believers. This was a masterpiece of military strategy. How many more people could be influenced by the Holy Spirit through millions of believers in whom He dwelt than could be influenced by one man, indwelt by the Holy Spirit! Jesus told the disciples, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." (John 14:12) Why? Jesus had a 3 1/2 year ministry on earth. Most of the saints have a much longer time to minister to other people. In addition, as He told us, unless he went to the Father, the Holy Spirit would not come to indwell the believers. The Holy Spirit dwelling in the saints is the post-ascension manifestation of God on earth.

So, our Commander-in-Chief has a battle strategy to outnumber the enemy, by filling each of His soldiers with the Holy Spirit, and sending us forth into the world. "When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me." (John 15:26, emphasis added). Jesus told Pilate, "For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." (John 18:37, emphasis added) And to the disciples He said, "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32)

The Father's battle strategy is to multiply the warriors, fill each one with the Holy Spirit, and send them forth into the world, armed with the truth. Our mission as Christian soldiers, again, is what? To free the prisoners of war, whom Satan has enslaved. How do we do that? By arming ourselves with the Sword of Truth, which is the word of God, and following our commander into the fray. Jesus said the Helper, the Holy Spirit, Whom He would send, would "teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." Lieutenant, He cannot bring to your remembrance all things that Jesus said to you, if you don't let Jesus speak to you. How? READ THE WORD!