I am a fan of Francis Chan, the author of Crazy Love and The Forgotten God. He’s a great speaker and is tremendously challenging. I will one day share information from his books, but that will be another day. Today I will share just a glimpse of the Forgotten God.
The Forgotten God is actually the Holy Spirit. Some faith traditions quote The Apostles’ Creed, which says, “I believe in the Holy Spirit.” Author J. B. Phillips once said, “Every time we say [this] we mean that we believe that [the Holy Spirit] is a living God able and willing to enter human personality and change it.”
With the introduction of the Star Wars movies, sometimes we forget that the Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force. The Bible describes The Holy Spirit as God. He possesses the attributes of God:
- He is present everywhere (Psalm 139:7-8)
- He knows all things (1 Corinthians 2:10-11)
- He has infinite power (Luke 1:35)
- He does things that only God can do:
- Create (Genesis 1:2)
- Give life (Romans 8:2).
The Holy Spirit is equal in every way with the other Persons of the Trinity—the Father and the Son.
The Holy Spirit is a Person who engages in personal ways with us:
- He grieves when we sin (Ephesians 4:30)
- He teaches us (1 Corinthians 2:13)
- He prays for us (Romans 8:26)
- He guides us (John 16:13)
- He gives us spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:11)
- He assures us of salvation (Romans 8:16)
The Holy Spirit indwells us if we have received forgiveness of sin through Jesus. He desires to transform us so that we become more and more like Jesus. Let’s cooperate with the Spirit by reading God’s Word and relying on His power to obey what we learn.
I’ve heard it said and believe this to be true: the Christian who neglects the Holy Spirit is like a lamp that’s not plugged in. He is the power of God working through us.