In 1983 John Scully resigned from Pepsico to become the president of Apple computer.
He took a huge risk in leaving his prestigious position with a well-established firm to join an unknown little company that offered no guarantees, only the excitement of one mans transforming vision. Scully said he made the risky move after Apple co-founder Steve Jobs goaded him with one of the most famous lines in business: Do you want to sell sugared water for the rest of your life? Or do you want to come with me and change the world? The rest, as they say, is history.
About 2000 years ago a group of ordinary men and women crammed into the second floor of a Jerusalem house. If they had been asked whether they could change the world they would have laughed. Yet after receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, those once reluctant, fearful believers turned the world upside down. With great strength and ability and power they taught about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus (Acts 4:33). In spite of all opposition to douse their passion, the early church exploded like a just-opened fire hydrant out of Jerusalem and spilled into the ends of the earth. Unstoppable is the word that comes to mind. The believers reached out into the world with an urgency unseen before. Their passion for Jesus lasted a lifetime and impelled them to speak the word of God confidently and boldly (Acts 4:31).
Where did this passion come from? Was it some crash-course they took, some dynamic seminar on positive thinking or leadership? Not at all. It was because of the passion of the Holy Spirit. But what is his passion?
He works in the background
Just before Jesus was arrested he taught his disciples about the coming of the Holy Spirit and said; When the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is. He wont draw attention to himself, but will make sense out of what is about to happen and, indeed, out of all that I have done and said. He will honour me… (John 16:13-14; Message Bible).
Jesus said the Holy Spirit would not draw attention to himself. The Holy Spirit does not like to be the centre of attention, but prefers to work in the background. Why? Because he wants to draw attention to Jesus. He is always putting Jesus first and never puts himself forward. Some call this the shyness of the Spirit. John Stott wrote:
It is safe to say that the Holy Spirit is a shy, retiring and reticent Spirit… He dislikes publicity. His overriding desire is to glorify Christ. As A.W. Tozer wrote, the Holy Spirit is drawn to the sweet Name of Jesus as bees are drawn to the fragrance of clover. Or as Dr J.I. Packer has written the Holy Spirits distinctive new covenant role… is to fulfil what we may call a floodlight ministry in relation to the Lord Jesus Christ… When floodlighting is well done, the floodlights are so placed that you do not see them…; what you are meant to see is just the building on which the floodlights are trained… So the Spirit is the hidden floodlight shining on the Saviour. 1
Frederick Bruner is an American biblical scholar and is well known for his down-to-earth teaching style which includes stick-figure drawings of biblical stories. He sometimes represents the ministry of the Holy Spirit by drawing a stick figure on a chalkboard to represent Jesus. Then, to express what the Spirit does, he stands behind the chalkboard, reaches around with one hand, and points with a single finger to the image of Jesus: Look at him; listen to him; learn from him, follow him, worship him, be devoted to him, serve him, love him, be preoccupied with him. 2
This is the shyness of the Holy Spirit. This is not the shyness of timidity but the shyness of putting another ahead of oneself; it is not the shyness of self- centredness but the shyness of another-centredness. It is shyness of love.
Fellowship with the human race
The Holy Spirit never pushes himself onto us but slowly, quietly guides us into all truth and Jesus is the Truth. He works to reveal Jesus in us so that we can have a relationship with the living God himself and not just know facts about him. His passion is fellowship. He loves to connect people. C.Baxter Kruger wrote From Genesis to Revelation, the Spirit works behind the scenes, not whimsically or arbitrarily… but in tandem with the larger purpose of the Lord – fellowship with the human race. 3
The Holy Spirit wants us to come to know Jesus (and in so doing come to know the Father) and he never gives up. Jesus said the Holy Spirit would honour or glorify him (John 16:14) meaning that the Holy Spirit will make known who Jesus really is. He will magnify and elevate Jesus. He will pull back the curtains to let his real self shine out to reveal the wonder, truth and magnificence of his love. This is what he is doing in our lives. This is what he was doing long before you and I became Christians. He was loving us, revealing Jesus Christ to us and showing us the emptiness of life without him. He was always there taking us by the hand and showing us Jesus. I think we would be shocked to discover how the Holy Spirit has worked and is working in our lives because he is so silent, so mysterious, so vague, so puzzling and yet so dynamic!
Do you remember the time you surrendered your life to God and said Jesus is Lord of your life? Do you think you did that all by yourself? 1 Corinthians 12:3 (Amplified Bible) reveals the truth: No one can say, Jesus is my Lord, except by and under the power and influence of the Holy Spirit. Apart from the Holy Spirit we will have no real passion. He works the life of Jesus into our core being so that we are transformed and enabled to be like Jesus in the world (1John 4:17). Open your life to him and experience the joy, peace, love and passion of God flowing in and through you. The Holy Spirit transformed those early disciples by revealing Jesus to them because he deeply desires that everyone comes to know Jesus as he really is. He continues his work today. That is his mission. That is his passion.
Prayer: Father please make it plain and clear to me exactly what you have called me to do, what your passion is for me to do. Then let me rise up and do it with all my strength relying upon the might and the authority of the power of the Holy Spirit himself. In our Saviours dear name. Amen.
1. John Stott The Anglican Communion and Scripture; p33.
2. John Ortberg Everybodys normal till you get to know them;
p38.
3. C.Baxter Kruger The Shack Revisited; p102.