Here is one more idea to help make the teaching about the Holy Spirit come alive and be visible.
Object Lesson: The Person of the Holy Spirit
Prop: Pen
Far too often, we hear the Holy Spirit being referred to as some mystical force or unknowable entity. Jesus went to great lengths to dispel what I call the “weirdness factor” about the Holy Spirit by insuring that His disciples heard from His very lips that the Holy Spirit was a Person that they could know. How do I know this? When Jesus introduced the Holy Spirit to His followers, not once did He show the Holy Spirit to be a force or an invisible, mysterious “it”. Instead, we find in John 14 – 16, Jesus purposefully refers to the Holy Spirit 19 times with personal pronouns including “He”, “Him”, and “Himself”.
How is this significant? Try as you might, you can’t know an “it”. A great example would be my Cross pen (a great pen for a preacher to have … “Cross” … get it? … anyways). I love my pen. It is big and heavy and is great to write with. But as much as I love my pen, “it” has never told me that “it” loves me back. “It” has never told that “it” loves the way that I hold “it”. “It” has never told me that being in my hand makes “it” feel secure. Why? Because my pen is an “it”.
On the other hand, you can KNOW a PERSON. A PERSON can and will COMMUNICATE with you.You can SEE the FEELINGS/EMOTIONS of a PERSON.
There is no wonder that Jesus over and over and over again emphasized the “Personhood” of the Holy Spirit. In doing so, Jesus turned the “mystical” into the “knowable”. It would be wise for us to do the same thing!
The Holy Spirit can confirm truth to our hearts. He can bring feelings of peace. He helps those who mourn. He is a Comforter. Great post. The more we can realized the reality of all things “gospel”, the great impact they will have on our lives.