Talking about this part of the process is kinda like describing sky to someone underground. If someone has never seen the sky, You might depict to them, “It’s like instead of having earth over you, it’s empty. . . no that’s not right. . . . It’s like being in an open cavern where its so dark you can’t see the rock face. Except the rock is lit up, and has a bright glowing light in the middle.” But does that really do it justice? I don’t think so. Ponder the sky (not too long, as that would be unwise) and see how you could describe it to a creature having only lived underground. It’s like that to talk about the Holy Spirit.

To begin, the Spirit is not an “it.” He is a person, just like Jesus is a person. In fact, the Holy Spirit, is the Spirit of Jesus Christ. This same spirit which raised Jesus from the dead also changes a person who is a Christian from a thoroughly corrupt human, bent on self and gives him the ability to live for Someone more worthy and more lovely than any other. He specializes in making Jesus more evident in the world. He makes the Scriptures come to life as much as Jesus’s crucified body He brought back to life, and this is the slightly weird part: he makes Jesus come alive in Christians.

A Christian is not one who just believes the Bible and tries to obey Jesus. The Bible clearly says, “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ he does not belong to him.” (Romans 8:9) The Holy Spirit needs to live inside that person.

This sounds hokey though doesn’t it? Again with the describing the sky to one underground. No offense, it’s just that hard! Let me try again.

Right now, you are breathing in a certain type of air. Maybe it’s stuffy, or fresh. How does it smell? How cold is it? Underground people know air that is mostly cold and stuffy. The air above ground, at least out in the open, is sweet and free. In the same way, a human being naturally breathes in a cold, stuffy type of air that barely keeps him going: its a close mixture of his self-emissions which are toxic, and the collective toxicity of all other people doing the same thing. This is the “spirit” of the age, which arrests and putrefies the breath in our lungs, and causes us to scratch and claw for freedom wherever we can find it. This spirit is slavery. This spirit is living death. This spirit is against Jesus.

I have met so called Christians who are so stifling and stodgy, haven’t you? Even if it’s from breathing bad vapors, or by refusing to take a deep breath of fresh air, “Christian” air in churches often feels dead. These are not walking the paths of life.

The paths of life are like breathing in fresh air. The Holy Spirit is like this too. With him, there is no ceiling looming over your head, but rather a perpetual light glowing in your mind and heart, radiant with joy and . . . forever. The world changes in your eyes because you are given eyes to see and a new heart to appreciate it. The Holy Spirit inspired the prophets to write a living book. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of that very living Person whom you have encountered. And this spiritually being real allows for some very awe-inspiring things to become real for you as a Christian. Jesus and you are together always: which means if He is in Heaven seated at God’s right hand, guess where you are too? And Jesus is still on the earth showing His love, His truth, and His power through his representatives: Christians.

Dare I pose the question: How does one get the Holy Spirit?

I hope this is enough of an answer to get you started: Can I take the analogy far enough to say, “Follow the surface dwellers to the surface.”? Come out of your burial in the death of the natural life, and come up to the surface, and walk in the sunlight of God’s love.

Do I need to remind you that you are broken irreparably, dead, breathing poison in and out? After saturating in the Story, have you seen just how messed up you are, and how messed up Humanity is? This is also the Spirit’s doing, because he paints the whole world in light of Jesus Christ. If you cannot see your sin, chances are you’re still breathing the wrong stuff.

He who has ears let him hear!