The Holy Spirit is My Friend
When I was young, we had all kinds of animals. I’m quite sure it was because my dad missed the farm where he grew up. He said it was because he did not want us to miss the experience (at least as much as he could provide). And provide, he did.
We moved outside of the city limits (and I think the neighbors were rather glad as he had recreated his multi-acre farm on a one-acre lot in town). In the new location, we had even more animals on 5 acres. I know it sounds like I did not like it, but this is just for effect in the article. I really enjoyed it, hence my ownership of a large potbelly pig for a few months!
All of this is moving toward a point. We had a number of goats through the years. At one point in time, we had a cow and a goat that lived together inside an electric fence enclosure. They were the odd couple of animals. They were best friends.
They were so close that when the goat got out of the fence and was rambling all around the place, it took the cow to make him come home. I could lead the cow outside the fence and toward the area to which the goat had run and, every time, the goat would see his friend and begin following as I led them both back inside the enclosure.
The Holy Spirit may be the most misunderstood member of the Godhead. We seem not to be able to find a balance in our teaching about Him. Either we push Him into the corner as though He is to be acknowledged but never allowed to do anything or we pull Him into the center of the room where He is allowed to take total control with no limits. The proper view of the Spirit lies somewhere between these two extremes.
The Spirit is not a powerless, inactive, inanimate object. He is still as powerful as He has ever been. He is still a member of the Godhead. He is still active in the world today. However, He is not active in the same ways that He has been in the past.
In former times, He has provided men with the ability to prophesy about the future (Numbers 11:25; I Samuel 10:10; II Peter 1:21). He gave the apostles the ability to speak with languages they had not studied (Acts 2). Through Him, first century Christians were given the ability to perform all kinds of miraculous wonders (I Corinthians 12:3-11).
The miraculous age ended with the writing of Scripture (I Corinthians 13:8-12). When the perfect had come, then the part would be done away (verse 10). And, yet, the Spirit did not cease to be active.
For sure, the Spirit intercedes for us to the Father when we pray (Romans 8:26). The Spirit also indwells Christians (Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 6:19; Ephesians 1:13). We are also warned, “Do not quench the Spirit.” (I Thessalonians 5:19) Why? Because the Spirit is real! He is our Friend!
— Mike Johnson
