Lynne Little Ministries - Higher Realm

Part Three - Spirit Unleashed

• Lynne Little

Share episode

Questions? Comments? Text us!

The Holy Spirit remains a profound mystery to many believers, often acknowledged but rarely understood in His fullness. This deep dive into the nature and personhood of the Spirit illuminates why Jesus made the remarkable statement that it was "better" for Him to leave earth so the Comforter could come.

When we speak of the Holy Spirit, we must first recognize His complete deity. Scripture reveals His divine nature through His role in creation ("the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters"), His life-giving power, and the apostle Peter's clear declaration that lying to the Holy Spirit is lying to God Himself. Yet despite this scriptural clarity, believers often inadvertently relegate Him to a position of lesser importance than the Father or Son—a misconception Jesus Himself corrected by placing the Spirit on equal footing within the Trinity.

Perhaps most transformative is understanding that the Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force but a divine Person who can be intimately known. Jesus emphasized this by repeatedly using personal pronouns when describing the Spirit's work. He speaks, leads, convicts, reveals, and can be grieved—all attributes of personhood. This understanding changes everything about how we relate to Him. As Lynne poignantly shares from her own experience with grief after losing her daughter, "The comforting presence of the Holy Spirit became as real to me as a family member." This living presence—God's "stand-in" who reaches us without physical limitations—waits to be recognized and welcomed into our daily lives.

Ready to deepen your understanding of the Holy Spirit's role in your life? Join us next week as we explore the many names of the Spirit and how they reveal His character and purpose. Subscribe now and discover the divine presence who is not far away in the cosmos, but near—waiting "patiently in line" to be acknowledged in your life.

Lynne Little:

You are listening to Higher Realm with Lynn Little. Our program highlights biblical strategies for moving through life's difficulties and finding your path to healing. We tackle issues particular to those who have experienced painful loss in any form. Lynn is the founder and president of Lynne Little Ministries and the author of Missing Lisa, apparent Grieves and Finding God in Death and Life A Passage Through Grief. Now here's Lynne.

Lynne Little:

Hello and welcome. Today we'll continue our dialogue about the present-day ministry of the Holy Spirit by focusing on the question who is the Holy Spirit? By focusing on the question who is the Holy Spirit? Now the answer to that question that we'll explore will by no means be a definitive. Our God is infinite and His ways beyond our finite understanding, But the subject certainly is worth studying for a myriad of reasons. And the Word does tell us in Proverbs 4, 7, wisdom is the principal thing. Therefore, get wisdom, but for all your getting, get understanding. And that's what we're after an understanding of the deep things of God.

Lynne Little:

My rationale for the study of this third member of the Trinity is multifaceted. I had mentioned in the previous podcast the encounters I had with the Holy Spirit in my youth and adolescence. I go into detail regarding this, so if you've just joined us, you're welcome to listen to the prior podcast for a little more background. Suffice to say, I had early exposure on the subject of the Holy Spirit through the ministry of Katherine Kuhlman, both in her services and also through her books, and these, among other experiences, set the stage for a lifelong curiosity on the subject. Secondly, I've always been intrigued by the Book of Acts. It's a book packed with references to supernatural moves of God, with the Holy Spirit taking center stage. It begins in chapter 1 with Jesus telling his disciples to anticipate the entrance of the Holy Spirit, and in chapter 2 with the Holy Spirit making his appearance. Reading the book of Acts made me curious to discover the connection between the early believers' understanding of the Holy Spirit and the realm of the miraculous they walked in. Finally, a strong incentive to study this was when I read Jesus' thoughts on the matter In the Book of John, chapters 14 through 16, it shows Jesus giving his disciples His last instructions before he goes to the cross. Can you just picture the earnestness of these men leaning in, straining to hear every word because of the import of what the Lord was saying to them? It would stand to reason that Jesus' words at this juncture should be really important to us as well, and he spoke at length in these passages about the Holy Spirit.

Lynne Little:

But this is what left a marked impression on me. In John, chapter 16, verse 7, Jesus said I tell you the truth. It is expedient for you that I go away, for if I don't go away, the Comforter will not come to you, but if I depart I will send him unto you. Now, in the chapters that follow, Jesus identifies the Comforter positively as the Holy Spirit. So without a doubt He was referring to the Holy Spirit in this passage.

Lynne Little:

But the word expedient is what caught my attention. It simply means something that is suitable for a purpose, proper under the circumstances, or something advantageous. So what did the Lord mean by the use of this word expedient? Useful to whom? Advantageous? In what manner? Jesus is telling us that there is a distinct advantage to the Holy Spirit being here and being sent here, almost as if Jesus was saying in lieu of my being here, present with you in the flesh, there's another whom I will send reminiscent of like a stand-in, to coin a phrase. So what are the implications of this? It would certainly appear that Jesus values the Holy Spirit so highly that he considers him an equal partner to assist him in his work within his followers and in the world.

Lynne Little:

But before we get tripped up about the timeline of the Spirit's appearing, when He supposedly was already here, let's pause and think about something for a minute. We know God is limitless, but in his time on earth in a human body, Jesus was limited to how many people he could physically touch or physically reach when the stand-in was sent, or physically reach. When the stand-in was sent, it was with the express purpose of being able to influence everyone without the limits of a physical body. So we can conclude that the Holy Spirit has been sent in a particular manifestation for a new dispensation. Taking this thought a step further, in Matthew 18 20, Jesus said where two or more are gathered, there am I in the midst of them. Well, in what capacity is he in our midst? He's no longer on the earth. After the cross and his resurrection, Jesus spent time on earth just hanging with his followers and demonstrating the reality of his resurrection. But he didn't stay here.

Lynne Little:

Remember what the angel said to the disciples after Jesus ascended in a cloud? Jesus had just told his followers that the Holy Spirit was coming. After He said this, the passage reads "he was taken up before their very eyes and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them, men of Galilee. They said why do you stand here looking into the sky. This same Jesus who had been taken from you into heaven will come back in the same way you've seen him go into heaven. And then the quote ends Now can you imagine how strange these followers must have looked, standing there, staring up into space. God had to send angels to tell them to stop it, because they were missing the point entirely, as the church often does, because somehow we continue to look up when we should be looking elsewhere. Now I'll explain that in a minute.

Lynne Little:

Of course, the disciples were hoping for Jesus to come back in human form. They wanted him back in a physical presence. If you've ever lost a loved one, you know exactly how they felt. You want them back. Scripture does tell us that Jesus will come back in bodily form, with the clouds. It's called the second coming. But that's not yet.

Lynne Little:

The disciples expected Jesus to set up his kingdom on earth, even though he made it clear more than once that their timing was off. But I can't help but think that this incident is illustrative of how we view Jesus' whereabouts. We have this idea that the Lord Jesus is flying up and down from heaven to earth and earth to heaven, and that's just not scriptural. Where does the scripture say he is now? To begin with, the Word of God says he's dwelling within us, but secondly, He is seated at the right hand of the Father. His physical presence on earth is finished for now. So how is he here with us? Well, he's already told us, beloved, he's here in the Spirit, the Spirit of God. Luke tells us Luke 17, verses 20 through 21. Now, when Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them and said, "the kingdom of God does not come with observation. Nor will they say See here or see there, for indeed the kingdom of God is within you. So just to repeat, for emphasis, jesus is present through the Holy Spirit. So, that said, going forward this conversation will no doubt be an exploration into uncharted waters for some of us.

Lynne Little:

Fo the sake of order, I have segmented the content into three general assertions. The first one is that the Holy Spirit is God. The second that the Holy Spirit is a Person. And the third that the Holy Spirit has many names which reflect his many roles. As to the first assertion, the Holy Spirit is God, according to Scripture the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, along with Jesus and the Heavenly Father. He is fully God and equal to the other members of the Trinity, the fact of which can be proven scripturally, and we will do so in a moment.

Lynne Little:

But first let's clear up a common misperception. The Holy Spirit, being fully God, does not play second fiddle to either the Father or the Son. He's not in a subsidiary role by any means. Now, subsidiary simply means second in importance, but he is subordinate to other members of the Trinity. So let's stop here for a moment to distinguish subsidiary from subordinate. Subordination simply means submission to another. Just as Jesus, who is definitely God, subordinated himself to the Father to become obedient to the cross, so also the Holy Spirit works to subordinate to the will of the Father and also to glorify the Son and to lift him up. Subordination within the Trinity refers more to the way the persons of the Godhead relate to one another, if you will. Understanding how they relate also helps us to understand their various roles. So again, subordination in the Trinity does not refer as much to the who as much as the what and how. Properly understanding this can help us avoid erroneous teaching about the nature of God, such as denying that any of the persons of the Trinity is in fact God. They are all God, they are one God.

Lynne Little:

We have to fix in our minds the concept of the Holy Spirit as God , for he is completely and absolutely God, the fact which is proven out in Scripture. Are you aware that the Holy Spirit was instrumental in creation? Genesis, chapter 1, verse 2 reads, "and the earth was without form and void. And the earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. This same concept is echoed in Psalm 107, 30. You send forth your Spirit, they are created and you renew the face of the earth. So once again, here is the spirit in a creationist role. Job 33.4 states this the Spirit of God has made me, the breath of the Almighty has given me life. John 6.63 states this it is the Spirit that gives life. Finally, in the book of Acts, chapter 5, 3-4, we see one more proof.

Lynne Little:

The Apostle Peter makes clear the deity of the Holy Spirit when he rebukes a thief with the following words "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the proceeds of the land While it remained, was it not yours? And after it was sold, was it not in your own power? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied unto men, but unto God. It follows, then when someone lies to the Holy Spirit, they're actually lying to God.

Lynne Little:

One more point along these lines that affirms the Holy Spirit as an equal part of the Trinity and therefore equally God. It's found in Matthew 28, 19. Jesus said "Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Well, while we may struggle to comprehend these truths, just a word of caution regarding the way we view the Holy Spirit. Although we may readily acknowledge that he's an equal part of the Trinity, often individuals still decide not to afford him the same degree of respect and reverence, choosing instead to relegate him to the back burner. Choosing instead to relegate him to the back burner. Jesus' stern imprecation against those who would disrespect the Holy Spirit is worth repeating here. No-transcript. Truly, I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. They are guilty of an eternal sin.

Lynne Little:

The second aspect of the Holy Spirit is the fact of His personhood. Embracing the actuality of the personhood of the Holy Spirit is really key to understanding who he is. The Holy Spirit is not an it, he is a person and, more importantly, a person who can be known. Now, a person is made up of several components, including their DNA, their bodily form, their manner of speech and etc. But what most creates the concept of personhood is their personality, i sn't it? To know the Holy Spirit is to experience a personality beyond description, a personality as varied and as infinite as God, because he is God. He speaks and leads, he judges and convicts, he quickens and reveals, and he can become grieved, and as God he chooses to whom he reveals himself.

Lynne Little:

Adding to the concept of personality as an indication of personhood is the many times the personal pronoun he is found in scripture to describe the Holy Spirit. A former English teacher, I couldn't help but notice the repetition In John 16, 13,. Jesus is "W he, the spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth, for he shall not speak of himself, but whatever he shall hear, that shall he speak and he will show you things to come. With the use of seven personal pronouns, in just this one portion of text, jesus is deliberately emphasizing the Holy Spirit's personhood.

Lynne Little:

Perhaps misrepresentations or misunderstandings of the Spirit's personhood might originate from the fact that in some biblical texts he's referred to as the Holy Ghost. To be clear, he's not a ghost in the way that most people have come to understand a ghost, certainly not a being with a nature we could equate with something scary or spooky or even a little occultic. Such a perception is as far from the truth as dark is from light. To make an important distinction, the occultic and devilish spirit guides that people claim are around them are decidedly not the Holy Spirit.

Lynne Little:

Have you ever heard or used the expression "I know what I know, or something like, I don't know how I know, I just know. Throughout my life I've had encounters with the person of the Holy Spirit that defied explanation and yet were as real to me as the tangible world around me. How did I know this? I don't know. But there is one thing I do know the Holy Spirit comes where he is desired.

Lynne Little:

The day I learned that my daughter had died in an automobile accident, the presence of God in the person of the Holy Spirit, came alongside. When grief would come in waves, the Spirit of God was there in the role of Comforter. The comforting presence of the Holy Spirit became as real to me as a family member, as real as my own mother who on that first night sat at my bedside whispering prayers until dawn. At a later date I will explain the means through which He became real to me in those times. But suffice to say it's reminiscent of that chorus.

Lynne Little:

"He was there all the time. He was there all the time, waiting patiently in line. He was there all the time."

Lynne Little:

To fully grasp the concept of this member of the Trinity who is near and not far away in the cosmos, it's important that we begin to extend our faith for revelation of what I just described. The God who will never leave us or forsake us is here in the form He took throughout the entire book of Acts, as he walked closely with his church to perform His perfect will through them. Next week we'll explore the third assertion, some of the names of the Holy Spirit and how they reflect the character and roles of this precious third person of the Trinity. See you next week.

Lynne Little:

Thank you so much for listening. Lynne Little Ministries is a 501c3 whose mission is to assist those who have suffered loss and to help them discover hope, peace and restoration. For books, resources or to make a tax-deductible donation go to lynnelittleorg.