“It’s turning, but there’s just no power,” said the skipper of our starboard engine. “This is as fast as I can go.”

We were on a boat trip in the Arctic and had planned to cross one of the biggest fjords in the area to take our guests to a beautiful glacier and an interesting historical site on the other side. But with only one engine providing the expected output and the other limping along, we knew we wouldn’t complete the trip in the time available; we had to cruise slowly home instead.

It’s funny how this happened at a time when I was diving into what it means to be led by and filled with the Spirit. Although a completely different context, my colleague’s words echoed those of Timothy Ateek in a sermon I’d watched just the day before, where he shared a concern that many believers “are subscribed to a version of Christianity that is high on discipline and low on power”.

Like an engine turning through its revolutions without generating the expected output, are we ticking the boxes instead of inviting the Spirit to lead and fill us as we practice our faith?

Do we fully understand the Holy Spirit’s role?

I was equally challenged by a point Dr. Batanayi Manyika made in what turned out to be his final address as the academic dean of SATS: He pointed out that for many, our understanding of the Holy Spirit is limited to the contexts of spiritual gifts and power, and that gave me pause. Had I placed the Spirit in a box? Did I fully understand his role in my walk with the Lord?

The honest answer is I had filed the Spirit away on a shelf in my mind where I knew and accepted that he existed, but didn’t fully understand his role or recognize when he had spoken to me or led me. In my limited understanding of the Holy Spirit’s role in the Trinity, it was easier for me to simply attribute those experiences to God and to Jesus; yet, he has been present from the beginning (Gen 1:2) and has been active in my salvation and my faith journey.

Dr. Manyika’s presentation reminds us of the Spirit’s role in salvation, in our reading of scripture, and in the church.

The Spirit’s role in salvation

Jesus himself spoke about the Holy Spirit’s role in our salvation, and Paul highlights this role in his letters as well. The Spirit:

  • convicts us of our sin (John 16:8);
  • reminds us of all that Jesus said (John 14:26);
  • is active in our conversion, enabling us to cry out to Jesus as our Lord and Savior (1 Cor 12:3); and
  • facilitates our spiritual rebirth (John 3:5–8).

Ateek summarized the role of the Trinity in salvation beautifully when he said that salvation is God’s plan, accomplished by Jesus, and applied by the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit and Scripture

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16–17 NIV)

The Holy Spirit was present in the generation of God’s word (2 Peter 1:20–21) and leads us when we read it. The Spirit of truth guides us (John 16:13), facilitating our understanding and using God’s word to convict, teach, or encourage us.

The Spirit and the Church

When we are saved, we are adopted into our new family of the Church (Rom 8:14–15), we are equipped to share the good news with others (Acts 1:8), and we are called to be united in the Spirit (Eph 4:3–4 NLT):

“Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.”

Spirit-led theology in practice

I found Timothy Ateek’s message Is there a Spiritual power outage in our lives? really helpful in considering what being led by or filled with the Spirit looks like in practice.

What does it mean to be Spirit-led?

Acts 16:6–10 (ESV) describes how Paul and his companions were guided by the Spirit as they traveled to share the gospel:

“Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.”

The interesting thing about this passage is that it mentions two occasions when the Spirit prevented them from entering or preaching the gospel in a particular place. Despite their God-honoring intentions, the Spirit said no.

As Ateek puts it, there is a difference between what we can do and what we are called to do. Are we in the habit of pausing and prayerfully seeking the Spirit’s guidance before we move forward? Would we recognize it if he said no?

What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit?

“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Eph 5:18–20 NIV)

When we are filled with the Spirit, we are in tune with God and respond to him first, instead of reacting to the people or circumstances around us. We worship from a heart overflowing with gratitude and we speak God’s word boldly (Acts 4:31).

How can we be more sensitive to the Spirit?

I’ve sometimes felt frustrated that I can’t hear God. Usually, it’s because my environment has been very busy or noisy, or my morning quiet time routine has been interfered with. I’ve often solved this problem by escaping the bustle, whether in the form of a hike alone or a few days of camping in a quiet environment.

Withdrawing to a quiet place to seek the Lord is wonderful—when it’s possible—but we also need to be more sensitive to the Spirit in the course of our daily lives. To this end, there are a few things we can put into practice amidst the noise:

  • Pause
    • In any given moment, we can stop to seek guidance, inviting the Spirit into the situation and asking: “Holy Spirit, what do want to tell me or teach me right now?” or “Holy Spirit, how do you want me to respond to this?”
    • Pausing also means our response is not a “knee-jerk” reaction and we’re able to give any and every situation over to God. I’ve found John Eldredge’s book Get Your Life Back and a related app called “One Minute Pause” really helpful in developing this habit.
  • Pray
    • Prayerfulness strengthens our relationship with God and our sensitivity to the Spirit.
    • We can intentionally pray for wisdom and for God to make us ever more sensitive to the Spirit’s leading and prompting.
  • Pay attention
    • Once we’ve asked for guidance, we need to pay attention to moments when we feel like a penny has dropped in our understanding or when we feel we are being prompted—to act or to pause.
    • Journalling can be a really helpful way to record our prayers and the Spirit’s prompting.
  • Pursue peace
    • When we are prayerful and paying attention, we’ll notice when something doesn’t quite sit right.
    • This doesn’t necessarily mean that we should be choosing the path without obstacles; it means that when we’re responding to the Spirit’s prompting, our choices will be pleasing to God and we’ll experience peace instead of turmoil.

In conclusion

As my understanding of the Holy Spirit’s role has deepened, I’ve been able to reflect on my journey with the Lord and recognize the Spirit’s presence in many significant moments. While there are still times when I notice I am simply going through the motions, limping along like that starboard engine, I am thankful I am growing in sensitivity to the Spirit. My prayer for all of us—and especially for SATS—is that we would be willing vessels, ready to be filled and used by the Spirit, emboldened to follow where he leads, and empowered to glorify God.