“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever”, John 14:16
In the Old Testament, every covenant is sealed with blood and marked with something. For example, the covenant of Moses that applied to the Israelites was sealed by the blood of the lamb and marked by the circumcision of every man in Israel. In the New Testament, a covenant is sealed by the blood of Jesus as the lamb of God and marked with Holy Spirit.
Jesus’ teaching on the last night before he was crucified is about knowing the Holy Spirit and his role. After His resurrection, Jesus prohibited his disciples from leaving Jerusalem until they are filled with the “Father’s promise” which is the Holy Spirit that will give them power from the highest place. Other than power, those who receive the Holy Spirit will have the seal of salvation. “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” Ephesians 1:13.
The Church era is also the Holy Spirit era, where everything comes from the Father, is done in the name of Jesus and is carried out by the Church with the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit. Actually, the Holy Spirit was clearly seen in the times of the Old Testament. God’s spirit was present at the time of creation, Genesis 1:2. Then in the book of Exodus, we see that Bezalel was filled with the spirit of God and he was able to perfectly carve difficult carvings for the needs of the holy tabernacle during the time of Moses. Bileam was also “visited” by the spirit of God and he was able to prophecy and bless Israel, Numbers 24:2. In the Old Testament, when the Holy Spirit is upon someone, it signifies that there is anointing that will give off power and wisdom upon that person. David was aware of the guidance of the spirit of God in his life and he wrote in Psalm: “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?” Psalm 139:7.
In the New Testament, Jesus promised His disciples that the Holy Spirit will come upon them. This was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost when the tongues of fire physically came upon 120 disciples and they were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. In the New Testament, the role of the Holy Spirit is to comfort and accompany us in facing all kinds of challenges, as well as substitute for Jesus in this world.
By seeing how beautiful the Bible illustrates the ministry of the Holy Spirit, it is only correct for us to ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit daily. Also, guard it well so that our lives won’t have spiritual leakage that is caused by sin, disobedience and worldly desires. God bless.
Source: Article from GBI Gatot Subroto, Jakarta