THE HELPER'S ROLES

In the last post, we talked about some of the many ways the Holy Spirit helps us live for God. The Helper has many roles He plays in our lives and most of them fit into one of three categories: 1) His pre-conversion ministry; 2) His ministry at conversion; and 3) His post-conversion ministry. It's interesting to compare His work with some of the commonly observed "roles" or occupations we see carried out in our current culture.

In His PRE-CONVERSION MINISTRY

The HELPER is like a PROSECUTING ATTORNEY

in His role of convicting people of sin

The Helper/prosecuting attorney helps convict people of sin in three ways. (1) He helps people see their sin and helps bring them to salvation by pointing out their unbelief. (2) He prosecutes people concerning righteousness by helping them see themselves in relationship to Jesus and opening their eyes to the truth that they do not measure up to His righteous standard. (3) He convicts people of judgment by enabling them to see the judgment of Satan and sin at the cross of Christ. "And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." John 16:8

The HELPER is like a CROSSING GUARD

in His role in restraining us from sin

Crossing guards protect children from harm by restraining them from running into the path of traffic. No matter how bad things might seem in our world, they are not as terrible as they might be if the Holy Spirit were not present in the world to restrict the persuasive influence of sin. As the Crossing Guard who protects us today, "He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way [at the return of Christ]" 2 Thessalonians 2:7


In His ministry at CONVERSION

the HELPER is like an INTERIOR DECORATOR

in His role of renewing spiritual life

"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of REGENERATION and RENEWING of the Holy Spirit." Titus 3:5 This regeneration gives us new life, makes us part of God's family, and gives us eternal life. The eternal life He gives us is not just the everlasting life we will one day experience in heaven. It is a NEW quality of life here on earth as well. The Holy Spirit is like an interior decorator who take a shabby old house and renovates it, making it like new.

The HELPER is like an APARTMENT MANAGER
in His role of indwelling the believer

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is like the manger of an apartment building. He lives in the building to tend to problems, to make sure the building is not damaged and to help people enjoy the apartment complex.

"Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?" 1 Cor. 6:19 The Holy Spirit's indwelling of our physical body is the basis on which He helps us in every other area of our lives. When we realize that the Helper indwells us we should: 1) yield our bodies to God (Rom.12:1); 2) assist Him by properly caring for our bodies, keeping them pure and clean; and 3) by glorifying God in our bodies by doing those things that please Him.

The HELPER is like a NOTARY PUBLIC
in His role of guaranteeing our salvation

The Holy Spirit seals us with Himself to guarantee our salvation. "You were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession." Eph.1:13-14 The Holy Spirit is our Notary Public in that He guarantees God's "signature." He seals the salvation God has given us against the day when we fully experience it in heaven.

In His POST-CONVERSION MINISTRY

the HELPER is like an ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

in His role in filling us for service

The Holy Spirit comes every time we ask Him to fill us for service, just like an administrative assistant is available to perform a job until it is completed. When the Holy Spirit fills us, He fills us with His grace and power - He fills us with His ability to accomplish the task God has set before us. ". . . be filled with the Spirit." Eph. 5:18

The HELPER is like a SEARCH COMMITTEE

in His role of setting us apart unto God

The Holy Spirit is our sanctifier, which means he helps us become holy. Actually, the word "sanctify" means to set apart. The Holy Spirit sets believers apart FROM sin and TO God.
A Search Committee does the behind-the-scenes (internal) work of searching out the proper person for a position. This is usually a very private process. Then the committee works externally (or openly) as it recommends that person and prepares the way for the candidate to get the position. The Holy Spirit, like a Search Committee, works internally in our lives to make us holy, and externally in heaven to secure our position/standing before God where we are declared righteous (justified), standing perfect before God.

The HELPER is like a TEACHER

in His role in explaining spiritual truth to believers

He is the teacher of spiritual truth. He illuminates the scriptures as we read or hear them so that we can understand spiritual truth and how it applies to our lives. This does not mean we don't need human teachers. It simply means that the HOLY SPIRIT is the Teacher who causes us to understand whether or not a human teacher is involved in the process. "But 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." John 14:26

the HELPER is like a LAWYER

in His role in presenting our prayers to the Father

The Holy Spirit is our Attorney who presents our case before the judge. The Holy Spirit is also the Intercessor who prays for the believer and with the believer, and in the place of the believer. Why? Because we do not always know what to pray or even the best way to approach God in prayer. Perhaps we come begging when we should be worshiping Him. We are human and God is infinite. So, the Holy Spirit makes sure the believer always prays properly in the same way a lawyer makes sure his client's plea is submitted properly to the court.

No matter how the believer prays or what the believer prays, the Holy Spirit makes the words come out right when presented to our Father in Heaven. "He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God." Rom. 8:27