How does the Holy Spirit work in us?

This is something I've been looking at more and more lately.

Last week I was thinking a lot about just how the Holy Spirit works in our lives. I was in the kitchen cleaning up one evening when I just felt the need to pray. I usually don't depend on feelings a whole lot because they can be wrong, but then I thought, Well, it could be the Holy Spirit prodding me to pray, so I guess it couldn't hurt. So I prayed in front of my messy kitchen counter, just a simple prayer to thank the Lord for saving me. I always listen to sermon pod-casts or Christian radio shows (like Greg Laurie or Wretched Radio) on my iPod while cooking or cleaning. I put my iPod on and Greg Laurie started preaching on the Holy Spirit. Hmmm..... My wife came home from work a few minutes later. She sat down at the table and I turned my iPod off. Right off the bat, she started asking questions about the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, and all that sort of business. Huh? Interesting. The next morning, I went to church at Calvary Tucson. Pastor Furrow got up and began his sermon. You'll never guess what he was preaching about. OK, I knew you would guess -- the Holy Spirit. God, are you trying to tell me something?, I thought. Hmmm. It was an awesome sermon too. After they service, they usually sell the DVD video of the sermon in the church's book store in the building right next door. I just had to go over and buy the DVD. I took it home and popped it in the DVD player while eating lunch with my family.

My pastor spoke about how he used to attend charismatic pentecostal churches when he was younger (like I did). He said he loves the brothers there and agrees that the Holy Spirit and all the spiritual gifts are for still intended for us today also, but that in church, things are to be done decently and in order (1 Corinthians 14:40) and not all crazy-like, with the falling down and the running around and "hanging from chandeliers" and everyone speaking in tongues all at once.  He was being funny when he mentioned that "that's why we don't have chandeliers in our church", but I knew exactly what he's talking about. I had seen a lot when I was a teenager in a charismatic pentecostal church called The Apostolic Church in the Faith of Jesus Christ, which is a (mostly) Spanish-speaking fundamentalist/modalist type of church.

OK, I didn't explain how the Holy Spirit works in our lives in this post. This is a very important topic and I don't want to attempt to teach others on it, but rather ask my readers (if you there are any) to share their knowledge on the subject of how the Holy Spirit works in us today.

Thanks for reading!

Heaven

It's been a little while since the last time I wrote on this blog. My Mom passed away a week ago. I am comforted only because I know for a fact that she is now with our Savior in the "present" heaven. I know this because the Bible explains to us that we are saved by faith (Eph. 2:8,9). My Mom understood that she was in need of a savior, just like the rest of us. She believed that God sent his only Son (John 3:16) to become the perfect, blemish-free sacrifice in our place. He took all of our sins, past, present, and future, upon Himself and died on the cross at Calvary. He rose on the third day, conquering death. If we receive this free gift (Rom. 6:23, Eph. 2:8,9), repent, and put our faith in him, he is faithful to save us from His wrath.

Romans 1:16-23 says it clearly:

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel (the good news that he paid the fine for our sins), for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures."

I'll see you in heaven some day, Mom, because Jesus paid for my sins as well. Love ya.