What does the promise of the Holy Spirit mean? The answer to this question will be answered next week in lesson five, "The Promise Accomplished". According to that lesson, the promise was fulfilled at "the outpouring of the Holy Spirit the day of Pentecost."

On the day of Pentecost—about ten days after Jesus’ final ascension to heaven—the disciples were baptized with fire, thus fulfilling the announcement of John the Baptist: "After me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (Matt. 3:11 NIV). The book of Acts says that when the Holy Spirit came over the disciples on the day of Pentecost, "they saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:3–4 NIV).

On that occasion, the Holy Spirit enabled the disciples to be witnesses, "declaring the wonders of God" in different languages (Acts 2:11 NIV). But that was by no means the first action of the Holy Spirit in the world. It had been working here since the creation (Gen. 1:2), and it was involved in the incarnation (Matt. 1:20).

In this week’s lesson, we read, "the Messiah would baptize the repented ones with the Holy Spirit" (see Sabbath, April 15). But those who "repented" had already received the influence of the Holy Spirit in their lives, obviously, because no one is able to recognize that Jesus is Lord if the Holy Spirit does not work on one’s heart and mind (1 Cor. 12:3).

Thus, the promise of the Holy Spirit was not about a work of the Spirit in the lives of humans that would start in the future, but about the specific and special empowerment that the Church would receive to testify about Jesus and his gospel—the "good news" of free salvation. Paul speaks about the Holy Spirit’s enabling work when he mentions the "gifts of the Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:28; John11:30; Eph. 4:11–16). When the fourth Gospel says "up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified" (John 7:39 NIV), it refers to this special action of supernatural empowerment that started on the day of Pentecost.

The Holy Spirit does other things on behalf of humans, as well. Paul refers to this when he speaks about the "fruit of the Spirit" (Gal. 5:22–24). The Holy Spirit enables humans to live according to the divine commandments, as Yahweh told the Israelites through the prophet Ezekiel (36:27), and as Paul attests in 2 Corinthians 3:3. Both texts underscore the work of the Holy Spirit on human hearts. We must be willing to follow the Holy Spirit. Our works of obedience are not our own but those of the Spirit, who works powerfully to transform our hearts.

When Jesus announced to his disciples that he would ask the Father to give them another parakletos (John 14:16), he also told them that the Spirit already "lives with you" (14:17). Furthermore, he said that the Holy Spirit "will be in you" (ibid). God has always been present in the world and in our individual lives; the spiritual nature of God allows him to dwell within our being. For this reason, Jesus told the Samaritan woman that God is not limited to any temple, either in the Samaria or in Jerusalem, for God is spirit. The genuine place of worship is in the spiritual encounter between God and each of us that takes place in the intimacy of our lives (John 4:23–24).

The fact that Jesus did not find it opportune to "witness" about the superiority of Jerusalem over Samaria undoubtedly shocked the pious Jews. Surely it was also shocking for faithful Samaritans to learn that Jesus did not support their claims. It is as though Jesus were saying today that those who adore the Spiritual Being need not be in a Christian temple, Jewish synagogue, or Moslem mosque, for God can transcend all religious limits and meets personally those who seek him with sincerity. Or one might imagine Jesus saying that the truth of a spiritual encounter occurs in the inner space of our hearts—not in a Seventh-Day Adventist, Pentecostal, or Catholic church.

If Jesus said these words today, surely they would scandalize Seventh-day Adventists and other Christians. Yet if we wish to follow the Holy Spirit, we must set aside our proud sectarianism and destroy the idols we have made of our parochial religion—just as the Jews and Sarmaritans needed to do.

This quarter’s Sabbath School lessons have a distinct doctrinal overtone, which is manifested in their concern that we hold orthodox beliefs about the Holy Spirit. However, we must go beyond doctrinal and intellectual matters. We must ask ourselves how doctrine can make us better and happier Christians.

Here are some practical suggestions.

If we believe that the Holy Spirit is God and that it dwells within us, we need not go anywhere else to have a personal encounter with God. We cannot escape the Spirit’s presence, nor do we need to wait for a specific moment. We need only notice his presence within ourselves and realize that he is always with us. However, we can also meet the Holy Spirit and encounter God personally when we gather in corporate worship, which is undoubtedly God’s will, seeking to build community. Having that personal encounter, in turn, facilitates our worship together.

God is love; he does not discriminate. This is also a characteristic of the Spirit. We can be sure that nobody is separated from God and nobody is ever outside his sphere of love.

If we feel lonely, let us remember that the Holy Spirit always accompanies us.

If we feel unable to reach our Christian goals, let us understand that the Spirit of God enables us.

If we feel weak, let us trust the Spirit who strengthens us.

If we feel sad, let us seek for the Counselor within us.

If we feel lost, lets go to the Spirit and ask for guidance.

If we feel the ground vanish beneath our feet, let us remember that the One who sustains us dwells within us.

Jesus Christ has given us the promise of the Spirit. We need only accept it and receive it while extending our hand of our faith and praying that the Holy Spirit manifest its presence in our lives.

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