What does it mean to be touched by God through the Holy Spirit?

Who is the Holy Spirit and what is His purpose?

It was the Holy Spirit who hovered over the waters at the start of creation, it was the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus Christ from the dead, and it is the Holy Spirit who moves powerfully in the lives of God’s true disciples today.

"A new and lasting sacrifice was needed..."

In Genesis, God set apart mankind from the rest of creation by giving him a spirit, soul, and body. Adam, made from the dust, became a living soul as God breathed into his nostrils. The Hebrew word for breath is “Spirit” or “Ruach.”  God was imparting His Spirit to Adam, which made him alive to God.

God had a close relationship with Adam and Eve, walking with them in the Garden. But when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they separated themselves from God’s Spirit, and so their spirits died. They were cast out of the Garden. God, who is holy, does not dwell with sin. The Lord, in His mercy, provided an animal sacrifice to atone for their sins, but from that point on throughout the Old Testament, few men and women would be able to personally experience the manifestation of God’s Spirit.

Instead, the Holy Spirit would touch individual men and women to do specific acts that displayed God’s supreme power. For example, the Spirit empowered Moses to lift his rod and part the Red Sea to bring the Israelites into the promised land. By the Spirit, Joshua told the sun to stand still in order to defeat his enemies. By the Spirit, David had victory over Goliath.

Yet, all of these miracles did not cause God’s people to continually trust and obey His words; the Holy Spirit could not remain upon them.  

Over and over, their sin separated them from God. A new and lasting sacrifice was needed.

In preparing His disciples for the time He would leave them after His death, burial, and resurrection by the Holy Spirit, Jesus told them it would be better for them if He went to the Father. Why? He promised them the precious gift of the Spirit of truth. Up to this point, the disciples were able to be near Jesus and walk with Him, but His very Spirit would be sent to dwell in them forever.

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:15-17).

The Spirit of truth, the very Spirit of Christ Jesus, would enable them to fulfill the Great Commission to make disciples who, like Jesus, love the Lord their God with all their minds, hearts, souls and strength!  

They would be His Body of believers on the earth.

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all things I have commanded you. Remember, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18).

The revealed word is the word of truth. When the Holy Spirit reveals the absolute truth of God’s word to us, we are able to use that word to discern between what is true and what is a lie, what is right and what is wrong.

We see this when the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus during His baptism as the Father spoke these powerful words: “This is my beloved Son in Whom I am well-pleased!” The Holy Spirit then led Jesus into the wilderness to be tested. After fasting 40 days, the devil came to Jesus and actually used Scriptures to tempt Him. The devil tried to twist God’s word in order to manipulate Jesus into worshiping him instead of God.

Jesus, empowered by the Spirit, spoke the revealed word of truth, refuting every lie. He overcame every temptation and revealed Himself as God’s beloved Son! He lived in the power of the Spirit to fully obey the Father’s will and fulfill every commandment! Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

When the Holy Spirit enters, the absolute Truth enters, who is the Lord Jesus Christ. Every thought, every opinion, every attitude, and every feeling bows to Him. The chains of relativism, confusion, doubt, fear, and insecurity fall off of you, and the absolute truth of the revealed word empowers you to live in absolute victory!

Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father before they went out to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. YOU SHALL RECEIVE POWER WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES UPON YOU. YOU SHALL BE MY WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM, JUDEA, AND TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH.

We read in Acts 2 of how God’s victorious, spirit-filled church was birthed on the day of Pentecost! The Holy Spirit was poured out upon the 120 disciples, who had been waiting and praying in one accord together for the Spirit to come.  Suddenly, a sound came from heaven like that of a rushing, mighty wind! The Holy Spirit came and manifested tongues of fire on each of them. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in various tongues. People from “every nation under heaven” who came to celebrate the feast of Pentecost heard the mighty acts of God being declared in their own language supernaturally!

Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, preached the gospel, and 3000 souls were saved that day!

There are many manifestations of the touch of the Holy Spirit today. The Spirit’s touch brings conviction of sin, the tangible presence of God, healing, refreshing, power, warmth, revelation, joy, and so much more. To be touched by God through the Spirit is an undeniable, supernatural experience.

Still, we must remember that God’s purpose in sending His precious Son to die on the cross and save us from our sin is always to bring us to Himself, to make us His sons and daughters. Therefore, the greatest evidence of the touch of the Holy Spirit is a transformed heart that lives to love the Father by doing His will and obeying His commandments.

No man has the ability to love the Father until the Holy Spirit enters him.  The Spirit of Jesus in man can then love the Father by demonstrating power over sin and putting God first. Man is empowered to turn away from his idols (himself, money, possessions, social media, etc.) in order to serve his living Savior!

Only those touched and filled with the Holy Spirit can declare as the Apostle Paul did, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me!” (Galatians 2:20) Paul radically changed after the Spirit touched him. A man who was once a persecutor and murderer of Christians became a lover of God and of His beloved people. Stoned, jailed and dying a martyr’s death, Paul considered it a joy to suffer for the Name of Christ.

No one can come to know God apart from the work of the Holy Spirit.  The Bible states, “No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit” (2 Corinthians 2:11).  

Oh, how we need the Holy Spirit to open our eyes and empower us to know our Living God! Let us cry out daily for the transforming power of the Holy Spirit to touch us! It was said of the Apostles that they were “continually filled with the Holy Spirit and joy” (Acts 13:52). These are the same disciples who have turned the world upside down!

How did the disciples remain so steadfast? Why were they so loyal to God? What does it mean to be “continually filled with the Holy Spirit?” This is the mystery of the love between God and His Church that we read about in Song of Solomon… I am my beloved’s and He is mine. When we unite with God’s Spirit, we are transformed completely.  We become unmovable in our faith, unshakable in our love. We bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

This is the “fruit of the Spirit” that we read about in Galatians 5 (love, joy, peace, etc.). We continually bear the fruit of the Spirit unto God: Love for God, joy in knowing God, indwelling peace of God, faithfulness to God. This love then pours out of us for others. Jesus bore these fruits unto His Father and others, and those who are filled with His Spirit will do the same.   

Lord, we need you. Touch us with your Spirit of Truth this day! Enter in, dwell in us, that we may bear your fruit of love for God and His Church.