Week 1 / 5
Who is the Holy Spirit?
Ever wondered who the Holy Spirit really is? This simple, down-to-earth guide will help you explore His role in your life—not just as a distant idea, but as a real, present person who comforts, teaches, guides, and transforms. With scripture, reflection questions, and practical steps, it’s perfect for group discussions or quiet time with God. Whether you’re new to this or just wanting to go deeper, this is a great place to start.
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Who is the Holy Spirit
Opening Prayer & Discussion
Begin your time together in prayer. Share your desires with God about deepening your understanding of the Holy Spirit and His role in your life. Express any reservations or fears you might have.
Question:
How would you describe the Holy Spirit?
Surveys indicate that many Christians perceive the Holy Spirit as more of a symbol or force rather than a distinct person. A 2009 Barna Group survey found that 58% of self-identified Christians view the Holy Spirit as "a symbol of God's power or presence but not a living entity." Similarly, research reported by The Gospel Coalition revealed that 58% of self-identified Christians—and notably, 62% of those identifying as born-again Christians—consider the Holy Spirit a symbol rather than a real, living being.
Describing the Holy Spirit
These findings suggest that many Christians perceive the Holy Spirit as an impersonal force rather than a distinct person within the Trinity. Today, we want to explore more deeply the character of the Holy Spirit. Who is He, this divine person we speak of so often?
The Holy Spirit is a part of the Godhead—fully God, just as the Father and Jesus are. He is not merely a force but a person with emotions, desires, and a will. Understanding His nature helps us grow in our relationship with Him and recognize His active presence in our lives.
To develop a deeper relationship with someone, we must take time to get to know who they are. This is just as true with the Holy Spirit. We can hear many things about Him from others, but if we never engage with Him personally, He will always remain a familiar stranger—someone we have information about but do not truly know.
Take time to discuss the different aspects of His character.
1 The Holy Spirit as a Helper & Comforter
"And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."
"Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you."
Question: How have you experienced the Holy Spirit as a helper and a comforter in your life?
2 The Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Truth
"When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come."
"These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God."
Questions:
- What stands out to you about the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Truth?
- How does this help you trust the Holy Spirit?
- How does this help you engage with the Holy Spirit on a deeper level?
3 The Holy Spirit as a Teacher, Reminder, Transformer, and Fruit Producer
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."
"He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit."
"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
Share: Tell the group a way the Holy Spirit has taught you something and transformed you.
Question: What fruit has the Holy Spirit been producing in your life recently?
4 The Holy Spirit intercedes for Believers
"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."
Questions:
- When was a time that someone really interceded for you in prayer?
- How did that affect your life?
- How does that help you understand what the Holy Spirit is doing for you?
5 The Holy Spirit witnesses to us
"For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God."
One of the biggest roles of the Holy Spirit is reminding us of who we are in Christ. The Devil will always try to make us believe the lie that we are not truly children of God. The Holy Spirit works tirelessly to remind us that we belong to God. While the Devil uses accusation and shame, the Spirit leads us to repentance and reconciliation, bringing freedom.
Question: How has the Holy Spirit been reminding you of who you are in the past year?
Closing Encouragement and Prayer
There is so much more to the character of the Holy Spirit than we can cover in just this series. Take time to go deeper—read about the Spirit in your Bible, sit in silence with Him in prayer, and share your thoughts, desires, and questions with Him.
Read over this week's practice as a group.
Prayer Prompt: Sit in silence together and ask:
Holy Spirit, what do You desire for me to focus on this next week as I grow in knowing You more personally?
Share briefly with the group any impressions you receive.
For your individual time with the Lord
The Practice
Each day this week, take time to go deeper with the Holy Spirit.
Ask:
- What is He speaking to you?
- Where does He want your focus to be?
Helpful Tools for Your Journey:
Prayer:
Holy Spirit, reveal Yourself to me. Show me who You are and how You want me to live. Transform my life into what God originally planned. Help me recognize Your work around me and teach me how to respond to You.
Bible Study:
Take 1-3 topics about the Holy Spirit each day and meditate on them. Share your revelations with a friend or your home group.
Listening
Take time each day to sit in stillness, tuning your ear to hear from the Holy Spirit. This is not a time to present your prayer requests but simply to be present and available, ready to listen if He chooses to speak. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t hear something every day. The Holy Spirit is always at work—often in ways we don’t immediately see or perceive, but later recognize in our lives. Remember, this time is never wasted.
Journaling
Be sure to write down anything the Holy Spirit reveals to you during these moments. These insights are precious treasures that you’ll want to revisit as you continue your journey with the Lord.
Gifts of the Spirit Test
Please take the Gifts of the Spirit test available on our website before your homegroup meeting next week. This will be part of your discussion time and should take approximately 15 to 20 minutes to complete. Keep track of your results so you can discuss them with your group.
Concordance on the Character of the Holy Spirit
- Adoption, Spirit of – Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6
- Advocate (Helper, Comforter) – John 14:16, 26; John 15:26; John 16:7
- Breath of Life – Job 33:4; Ezek. 37:9-10
- Convicting Spirit – John 16:8-11
- Counselor – Isa. 11:2
- Eternal Spirit – Heb. 9:14
- Faith, Spirit of – 2 Cor. 4:13
- Fire, Spirit as – Matt. 3:11; Acts 2:3-4
- Freedom, Spirit of – 2 Cor. 3:17
- Glory, Spirit of – 1 Pet. 4:14
- God, Holy Spirit is – Acts 5:3-4; 2 Cor. 3:17; Matt. 28:19
- Grace, Spirit of – Heb. 10:29; Zech. 12:10
- Guide, Holy Spirit as – John 16:13; Rom. 8:14
- Holiness, Spirit of – Rom. 1:4; 1 Thess. 4:7-8
- Illuminator – 1 Cor. 2:10-12
- Indwelling Spirit – 1 Cor. 3:16; 1 Cor. 6:19; 2 Tim. 1:14
- Intercessor – Rom. 8:26-27
- Joy, Spirit of – Rom. 14:17; Gal. 5:22; 1 Thess. 1:6
- Life, Spirit of – Rom. 8:2, 10-11; 2 Cor. 3:6; Gen. 2:7
- Love, Spirit of – Rom. 5:5; Rom. 15:30; Gal. 5:22
- Mercy, Spirit of – Neh. 9:20
- Omnipotence of the Spirit – Rom. 15:19; Mic. 3:8
- Omnipresence of the Spirit – Ps. 139:7-8; Jer. 23:24
- Omniscience of the Spirit – 1 Cor. 2:10-11; Isa. 40:13-14
- Peace, Spirit of – Rom. 14:17; Gal. 5:22; John 14:27
- Power, Spirit of – Acts 1:8; 2 Tim. 1:7; Zech. 4:6; Mic. 3:8
- Promise, Spirit of – Acts 1:4-5; Eph. 1:13-14
- Prophecy, Spirit of – 2 Pet. 1:21; Rev. 19:10; 1 Cor. 12:10
- Revelation, Spirit of – Eph. 1:17; 1 Cor. 2:10-13; Isa. 11:2
- Righteousness, Spirit of – Rom. 14:17; 1 Cor. 6:11
- Sanctifier – 1 Cor. 6:11; 2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Pet. 1:2
- Sealer, Holy Spirit as – Eph. 1:13-14; Eph. 4:30; 2 Cor. 1:21-22
- Spirit of Christ – Rom. 8:9; 1 Pet. 1:11; Phil. 1:19
- Spirit of God – Gen. 1:2; 1 Cor. 2:11-12; 1 Cor. 3:16
- Spirit of Holiness – Rom. 1:4
- Spirit of Truth – John 14:17; John 15:26; John 16:13; 1 John 5:6
- Teacher, the Holy Spirit as – John 14:26; 1 Cor. 2:13; Neh. 9:20
- Temple, Indwelling of the Holy Spirit – 1 Cor. 3:16; 1 Cor. 6:19
- Testifier, Spirit as – John 15:26; Rom. 8:16; 1 John 5:6-8
- Understanding, Spirit of – Isa. 11:2; 1 Cor. 2:12-14
- Wisdom, Spirit of – Isa. 11:2; Eph. 1:17
© Copyright 2025 – Copyright notice
All photographs and graphics as well as the design of this online-document are protected by copyright. Unless expressly stated otherwise, the copyright of the cultivate-series lies with generations church Leipzig e.V. Please ask Tyler Charvat (Legal Notice generationschurch.de) if you would like to use the mentioned contents of this document.
Texts of this document are licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. This means you may distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, for noncommercial purposes only and you are required to give credit to the creator.
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are taken from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Who is the Holy Spirit
Opening Prayer & Discussion
Begin your time in prayer. Share your desires with God about deepening your understanding of the Holy Spirit and His role in your life. Express any reservations or fears you might have.
Question:
How would you describe the Holy Spirit?
Surveys indicate that many Christians perceive the Holy Spirit as more of a symbol or force rather than a distinct person. A 2009 Barna Group survey found that 58% of self-identified Christians view the Holy Spirit as "a symbol of God's power or presence but not a living entity." Similarly, research reported by The Gospel Coalition revealed that 58% of self-identified Christians—and notably, 62% of those identifying as born-again Christians—consider the Holy Spirit a symbol rather than a real, living being.
Describing the Holy Spirit
These findings suggest that many Christians perceive the Holy Spirit as an impersonal force rather than a distinct person within the Trinity. Today, we want to explore more deeply the character of the Holy Spirit. Who is He, this divine person we speak of so often?
The Holy Spirit is a part of the Godhead—fully God, just as the Father and Jesus are. He is not merely a force but a person with emotions, desires, and a will. Understanding His nature helps us grow in our relationship with Him and recognize His active presence in our lives.
To develop a deeper relationship with someone, we must take time to get to know who they are. This is just as true with the Holy Spirit. We can hear many things about Him from others, but if we never engage with Him personally, He will always remain a familiar stranger—someone we have information about but do not truly know.
Take time to think about the different aspects of His character.
1 The Holy Spirit as a Helper & Comforter
"And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."
"Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you."
Question: How have you experienced the Holy Spirit as a helper and a comforter in your life?
2 The Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Truth
"When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come."
"These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God."
Questions:
- What stands out to you about the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Truth?
- How does this help you trust the Holy Spirit?
- How does this help you engage with the Holy Spirit on a deeper level?
3 The Holy Spirit as a Teacher, Reminder, Transformer, and Fruit Producer
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."
"He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit."
"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
Questions:
- How has the Holy Spirit taught you something and transformed you?
- What fruit has the Holy Spirit been producing in your life recently?
4 The Holy Spirit intercedes for Believers
"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."
Questions:
- When was a time that someone really interceded for you in prayer?
- How did that affect your life?
- How does that help you understand what the Holy Spirit is doing for you?
5 The Holy Spirit witnesses to us
"For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God."
One of the biggest roles of the Holy Spirit is reminding us of who we are in Christ. The Devil will always try to make us believe the lie that we are not truly children of God. The Holy Spirit works tirelessly to remind us that we belong to God. While the Devil uses accusation and shame, the Spirit leads us to repentance and reconciliation, bringing freedom.
Question: How has the Holy Spirit been reminding you of who you are in the past year?
Closing Encouragement and Prayer
There is so much more to the character of the Holy Spirit than we can cover in just this series. Take time to go deeper—read about the Spirit in your Bible, sit in silence with Him in prayer, and share your thoughts, desires, and questions with Him.
Look over the practice for the week.
Prayer Prompt: Sit in silence and ask:
Holy Spirit, what do You desire for me to focus on this next week as I grow in knowing You more personally?
Write down any impressions you receive.
For your individual time with the Lord
The Practice
Each day this week, take time to go deeper with the Holy Spirit.
Ask:
- What is He speaking to you?
- Where does He want your focus to be?
Helpful Tools for Your Journey:
Prayer:
Holy Spirit, reveal Yourself to me. Show me who You are and how You want me to live. Transform my life into what God originally planned. Help me recognize Your work around me and teach me how to respond to You.
Bible Study:
Take 1-3 topics about the Holy Spirit each day and meditate on them. Share your revelations with a friend or your home group.
Listening
Take time each day to sit in stillness, tuning your ear to hear from the Holy Spirit. This is not a time to present your prayer requests but simply to be present and available, ready to listen if He chooses to speak. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t hear something every day. The Holy Spirit is always at work—often in ways we don’t immediately see or perceive, but later recognize in our lives. Remember, this time is never wasted.
Journaling
Be sure to write down anything the Holy Spirit reveals to you during these moments. These insights are precious treasures that you’ll want to revisit as you continue your journey with the Lord.
Gifts of the Spirit Test
Please take the Gifts of the Spirit test available on our website, it should take approximately 15 to 20 minutes to complete.
Concordance on the Character of the Holy Spirit
- Adoption, Spirit of – Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6
- Advocate (Helper, Comforter) – John 14:16, 26; John 15:26; John 16:7
- Breath of Life – Job 33:4; Ezek. 37:9-10
- Convicting Spirit – John 16:8-11
- Counselor – Isa. 11:2
- Eternal Spirit – Heb. 9:14
- Faith, Spirit of – 2 Cor. 4:13
- Fire, Spirit as – Matt. 3:11; Acts 2:3-4
- Freedom, Spirit of – 2 Cor. 3:17
- Glory, Spirit of – 1 Pet. 4:14
- God, Holy Spirit is – Acts 5:3-4; 2 Cor. 3:17; Matt. 28:19
- Grace, Spirit of – Heb. 10:29; Zech. 12:10
- Guide, Holy Spirit as – John 16:13; Rom. 8:14
- Holiness, Spirit of – Rom. 1:4; 1 Thess. 4:7-8
- Illuminator – 1 Cor. 2:10-12
- Indwelling Spirit – 1 Cor. 3:16; 1 Cor. 6:19; 2 Tim. 1:14
- Intercessor – Rom. 8:26-27
- Joy, Spirit of – Rom. 14:17; Gal. 5:22; 1 Thess. 1:6
- Life, Spirit of – Rom. 8:2, 10-11; 2 Cor. 3:6; Gen. 2:7
- Love, Spirit of – Rom. 5:5; Rom. 15:30; Gal. 5:22
- Mercy, Spirit of – Neh. 9:20
- Omnipotence of the Spirit – Rom. 15:19; Mic. 3:8
- Omnipresence of the Spirit – Ps. 139:7-8; Jer. 23:24
- Omniscience of the Spirit – 1 Cor. 2:10-11; Isa. 40:13-14
- Peace, Spirit of – Rom. 14:17; Gal. 5:22; John 14:27
- Power, Spirit of – Acts 1:8; 2 Tim. 1:7; Zech. 4:6; Mic. 3:8
- Promise, Spirit of – Acts 1:4-5; Eph. 1:13-14
- Prophecy, Spirit of – 2 Pet. 1:21; Rev. 19:10; 1 Cor. 12:10
- Revelation, Spirit of – Eph. 1:17; 1 Cor. 2:10-13; Isa. 11:2
- Righteousness, Spirit of – Rom. 14:17; 1 Cor. 6:11
- Sanctifier – 1 Cor. 6:11; 2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Pet. 1:2
- Sealer, Holy Spirit as – Eph. 1:13-14; Eph. 4:30; 2 Cor. 1:21-22
- Spirit of Christ – Rom. 8:9; 1 Pet. 1:11; Phil. 1:19
- Spirit of God – Gen. 1:2; 1 Cor. 2:11-12; 1 Cor. 3:16
- Spirit of Holiness – Rom. 1:4
- Spirit of Truth – John 14:17; John 15:26; John 16:13; 1 John 5:6
- Teacher, the Holy Spirit as – John 14:26; 1 Cor. 2:13; Neh. 9:20
- Temple, Indwelling of the Holy Spirit – 1 Cor. 3:16; 1 Cor. 6:19
- Testifier, Spirit as – John 15:26; Rom. 8:16; 1 John 5:6-8
- Understanding, Spirit of – Isa. 11:2; 1 Cor. 2:12-14
- Wisdom, Spirit of – Isa. 11:2; Eph. 1:17
© Copyright 2025 – Copyright notice
All photographs and graphics as well as the design of this online-document are protected by copyright. Unless expressly stated otherwise, the copyright of the cultivate-series lies with generations church Leipzig e.V. Please ask Tyler Charvat (Legal Notice generationschurch.de) if you would like to use the mentioned contents of this document.
Texts of this document are licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. This means you may distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, for noncommercial purposes only and you are required to give credit to the creator.
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are taken from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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