ESSENTIALS PART 4: THE HOLY SPIRIT
Here is a recap of Sunday’s message from Pastor Steve, “Essentials Part 4, The Holy Spirit”
We continued our Essentials series by turning our attention to the Holy Spirit, the often misunderstood, sometimes avoided, yet absolutely essential Person of the Trinity. Pastor framed the series with a simple image, if all you could take with you was what you could carry in your backpack, what would truly be essential to following Jesus. As he prepares to travel to Ghana, he reminded us this is not about comfort or excess, but about what is necessary. In the same way, the Christian life cannot be lived on spiritual extras alone, it must be built on essentials.
Pastor reminded us of the foundations already laid in this series, meditating on God’s Word, standing on conviction with boldness, and understanding our role as the church. Now we came to the question many believers struggle with, who is the Holy Spirit, and why is He essential. Pastor acknowledged that many Christians believe in the Holy Spirit, but far fewer live with Him, talk to Him, pray in Him, or move in His power. While God the Father and Jesus are often easier to conceptualize, the Holy Spirit requires faith, surrender, and trust. Like the wind Jesus described, we cannot see Him, but we can feel His presence and witness His power.
Using the illustration of driving in a snowstorm, Pastor compared life in the Spirit to engaging four wheel drive. Every believer has access to the power of the Holy Spirit, but many are content trying to navigate life in spiritual two wheel drive. Scripture makes it clear that the Holy Spirit was not optional for the New Testament church, and Pastor challenged us to ask why we would settle for less power than God has made available.
The context of the message centered on Jesus’ final conversations with His disciples in John 14–16. Knowing His time was short, Jesus prepared them for life without His physical presence. The disciples were afraid, confused, and deeply unsettled, yet Jesus promised something shocking, it was better for Him to go away. Pastor walked us through how Jesus introduced the Holy Spirit as the Advocate, the One who would be with them and later be in them. This promise pointed forward to Acts, where Jesus commanded them to wait for the Father’s gift, the Holy Spirit, before attempting to live out their calling.
As Pastor worked through Jesus’ words, we saw that the Holy Spirit would teach, remind, testify, convict, guide, and bring peace. The disciples’ desire for Jesus to remain physically present mirrors our own longing, yet Jesus insisted that the coming of the Spirit would be a greater gift. What felt like loss was actually preparation for empowerment.
Pastor then addressed the core questions of the message. First, who is the Holy Spirit. He clarified that the Holy Spirit is not a force, feeling, or atmosphere, but God Himself. As the third Person of the Trinity, He is fully God, eternal, personal, and equal with the Father and the Son. Defined by role rather than gender, the Spirit is God’s indwelling presence who empowers, guides, convicts, and continues the work of Jesus in every believer. The Holy Spirit was sent so the ministry of Jesus would not end, but expand.
Next, Pastor highlighted what Jesus specifically emphasized about the Holy Spirit. The Spirit would be with us and in us, teach us all things, remind us of Jesus’ words, testify about Jesus, and convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Pastor reminded us that conviction is not condemnation, it is clarity. The Spirit exposes sin, reveals righteousness, and awakens the fear of the Lord, all for the purpose of transformation, not shame. When the Holy Spirit truly moves, Jesus is magnified, not people, platforms, or personalities.
The application shifted our focus to how the Spirit works before anything becomes visible. In Genesis, the Spirit hovered over chaos before God spoke creation into order. Pastor encouraged the church to find rest in knowing the Spirit is always at work in unseen ways, preparing hearts, environments, and futures long before results appear. The Spirit specializes in hovering over chaos and bringing life, meaning, and purpose.
Finally, Pastor explained what happens when believers are baptized in and filled with the Holy Spirit. Two realities emerge, fruit and gifts. The fruit of the Spirit shapes our character, transforming who we are in private, producing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. The gifts of the Spirit empower our calling, enabling us to serve the body, reach the lost, and reveal Jesus through prophecy, healing, teaching, encouragement, and more. Pastor emphasized that both are essential, fruit without gifts limits impact, and gifts without fruit lead to immaturity.
The service ended with a clear invitation, do not live life in spiritual two wheel drive. We were created to be filled, led, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Pastor called the church to surrender their chaos, allow the Spirit to convict and shape them, and to bear fruit while releasing gifts for the glory of God.
Practical takeaways:
• The Holy Spirit is not an optional add on, He is essential to the Christian life.
• The Holy Spirit continues the ministry of Jesus in every believer.
• Conviction from the Spirit brings clarity, not condemnation.
• The Spirit works in the unseen before transformation becomes visible.
• Fruit shapes who you are, gifts empower what you do, both are necessary.
Images that stuck:
• The Spirit hovering over chaos before God speaks life and order.
• The Spirit magnifying Jesus, not people or platforms.
• A believer empowered to look like Jesus and help others experience Him.
Below are the verses that were read during the message.
Romans 13:14 (AMP)
But clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah), and make no provision for [indulging] the flesh [put a stop to thinking about the evil cravings of your physical nature] to [gratify its] desires (lusts).
Romans 13:14 (NLT)
Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.
John 14:1 (NLT)
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.”
John 14:15–17 (NLT)
“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.”
Acts 1:3–4 (NLT)
“During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.
4 Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, ‘Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before.’”
John 14:25–27 (NLT)
“I am telling you these things now while I am still with you.
26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
27 ‘I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.’”
John 12:26–27 (NLT)
“Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.
27 ‘Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, “Father, save me from this hour”? But this is the very reason I came!’”
John 16:5–15 (NLT)
“But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going.
6 Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you.
7 But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you.
8 And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.
9 The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me.
10 Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more.
11 Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.
12 ‘There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now.
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.
14 He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me.
15 All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, “The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.”’”
Genesis 1:2 (AMP)
“The earth was formless and void or a waste and emptiness, and darkness was upon the face of the deep [primeval ocean that covered the unformed earth]. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters.”