The Holy Spirit is the "Helper" (Greek: paracletos—advocate, counselor, comforter) promised by Jesus to walk alongside believers, providing divine strength, wisdom, and guidance. Indwelling believers, the Spirit teaches, brings Scripture to mind, convicts of sin, and empowers them to live out God's will.
Most of us would say we want to live a victorious Christian life. But without daily communion with the Holy Spirit, it’s impossible to attain that goal.
Communion with the Holy Spirit is the launching pad for a life of supernatural power and consistency. Without the Holy Spirit, the life of a believer is powerless, directionless and ineffective.
In Second Corinthians 13:14, Paul says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.” I want you to notice the word “communion” in this verse, because communion with the Spirit is what we are talking about today. The word “communion” is the Greek word koinonia, a word that has a whole flavor of meanings, but one primary meaning is that of partnership.
An example of koinonia conveying the idea of partnership can be found in Luke 5:7 after Jesus supplied a miraculous catch of fish. After the fishermen had fished all night and caught nothing, Jesus told them to cast their nets on the other side. When they obeyed, they caught such a massive amount of fish that the nets began to break.
Peter knew he couldn’t handle this miraculous catch by himself, so he called the other fishermen in nearby boats to come and assist him. Luke 5:7 says, “And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.”
The word “partners” in this verse is a form of this word koinonia. However, in Luke 5:7 it refers to real, legitimate business partners. One scholar says that this word used in this context lets us know that Peter was no small-time fisherman.
He owned an entire fishing enterprise, and those men in the other boats were his business associates or his company partners. Whether these other fishermen were co-owners or employees who worked for Peter, they were all working together on the same job and were focused on a joint venture to catch and sell fish.
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If you stop and think about it, this really makes a lot of sense. When Jesus’ earthly ministry was in operation, He and the Holy Spirit always worked together. Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35); empowered by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16); and led by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 4:1).
Jesus also healed people by the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38); cast out demons by the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:28); was resurrected from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11); and was seated at God’s right hand in the heavenly places through the power of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:19,20).
Every time we see Jesus in the Gospels, He is working hand in hand with the Holy Spirit. In fact, Jesus even said He wouldn’t initiate anything by Himself, indicating His total dependence on the Spirit of God (John 5:30). Well, if Jesus needed this kind of ongoing partnership with the Holy Spirit in order to accomplish His divine role in the earth, we certainly have to have it as well!
But there is yet another idea conveyed by the word “communion” (koinonia) — that is, the idea of taking responsibility for someone. An example of this is found in Philippians 4:14, when Paul wrote to the Philippians and commended them for the generous gift they sent for his ministry. He told them, “Notwithstanding you have well done, that you did communicate with my affliction.” The word “communicate” here is another use of the word koinonia.
At the time Paul wrote the Philippian letter, he was in prison in Rome. Over the years, he had traveled and preached, raised up churches, worked with leaders, and given his life for the Church. But of all the churches Paul had poured his life into, none of them helped him financially the way they should have.
In order to cover his expenses, Paul worked as a tentmaker during the day; then he preached and trained leaders during the evenings. This wasn’t the best plan, but because no one would support him, it was what he had to do. He was pouring his heart and soul into churches that were not financially helping him bear his load.
Paul was in prison in Rome when he received a special delivery letter from the Philippians. In that package, he found a sizable offering that the Philippian church had sent to support him during his time of difficulty. In other words, the Philippian church didn’t just say, “We’ll pray for your situation, Brother,” and then forget about Paul. Instead, they understood their responsibility to help him, so they took up an offering to support him and to communicate their love for him. In other words, they took responsibility for him. Paul uses the Greek word koinonia to convey this meaning — the same word he uses in Second Corinthians 13:14 when he writes about the “communion of the Holy Spirit.”
This means that just as the Holy Spirit wants to become your Partner, He also wants to assume great responsibility for you in this world. If you wish, He’ll stand by and watch you try to do it all alone. But if you’ll open your heart to the Spirit of God, He will assume a more active role in your life.
He wants you to know that you are not alone — and that He will take responsibility for you!
If the cry of your heart is to know the partnership and the responsibility of the Holy Spirit — not merely as mental doctrines, but as constant, daily realities in your life — then decide today to get to know the Holy Spirit as your intimate Friend. Make Him your Partner. Allow Him to help you fulfill the responsibilities of your calling in Christ.
We experience the help of the Holy Spirit as an active, daily guide who comforts, convicts of sin, and empowers us. He illuminates Scripture, provides inner peace in chaos, gives direct nudges or wisdom, and intercedes in prayer. This help is experienced through submission to His will, consistent prayer, and walking in obedience.
He gives specific instructions, nudges, or directions, helping us to know God’s will. This is very important because He is the only one who knows what is on the heart of the Father. We can ignore Him at our own peril. There are times in my life that I have not consulted Him and found myself in deep trouble. I have come to appreciate that without Him, I can do nothing.
He acts as an Advocate (Comforter), providing internal, supernatural calm during struggles, heartache, or loss. This is another critical role the Holy Spirit plays in our lives. There is absolutely no one who is able to comfort you and I especially during our difficult times or struggles. He is the only one able to strengthen us in our inner man as Apostle Paul puts it.
As human beings we are not able to comfort one another effectively especially during difficult times such as during bereavement. With all our good intentions we find ourselves at times saying the wrong things at funerals.
I have heard people say “Who did you want to have this tragedy?”. Imagine how damaging this can be to someone who has lost a loved one. These are times when we have to allow the Holy Spirit to do his work. The best we can do is pray for the bereaved.
Begin today to develop a walk of daily communion with the Greater One within. Let Him be all He wants to be in your life — your Source of wisdom, power, and strength to launch you forth into victory.
