By Daniel Kolenda
The Mission of the Holy Spirit
When it comes to the subject of the Holy Spirit, there's a lot of confusion and misunderstanding within the church – apprehension, sometimes fear, sometimes abuse. If you’ve been around the church world long enough, you know what I’m talking about. The subject of the Spirit is one that constantly seems to be a stumbling block for believers. Either they're neglecting the work of the Spirit on one hand, or they’re abusing it on the other. And actually, abuse is also neglect – neglect is a form of abuse. So really, it’s just a matter of which end of the spectrum the Holy Spirit is being misunderstood on.
This ought not to be, because the Holy Spirit of God has been poured out for the sake of the Church of Jesus Christ. We ought to understand who He is and what His mission is.. We’re going to look at a story from Genesis 24, which is actually a type – a foreshadowing – of something we discover in the New Testament.
Shadows of deeper realities
What do I mean by a type? The Old Testament is filled with symbols and stories – narratives that, on their own, are enjoyable and often carry moral lessons. But when we come over into the New Testament, we suddenly realize these stories were just shadows of much deeper spiritual realities – realities we couldn’t fully grasp until Jesus came and we received the full revelation of God's plan of salvation through Him. For example, take the story of Noah’s Ark. It’s a dramatic account of judgment and salvation – how God was about to destroy the world by flood, but saved one family. Through that family, He preserved the human race. That’s an incredible story. But when we get to the New Testament, we find that the ark itself is a type of Christ. Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved.” God’s judgment came in the flood – but there was one place of salvation: the ark, which foreshadowed Jesus.
A picture of divine romance
Now, let’s look at Genesis 24, which gives us another type – a picture of divine romance. We all like romance. Guess what? God does too. God is very romantic. The Bible is full of romance. And this is the story of a human romance that reflects a divine one. Here’s the setup: Abraham, the father of our faith, was living in Ur of the Chaldees when God appeared to him. And God said something radical:
“Get up. Leave your family, leave your father's house, and go to a land I will show you.”
Do you realize that God will never do something great in your life without first calling you out of your comfort zone? You’ll never fulfill your destiny while staying in the place of familiarity. Everyone wants the testimony, but nobody wants the test. Abraham was the first to experience this: “If you want something greater,” God told him, “You’re going to have to leave the old behind.”
So Abraham obeyed. No map. No GPS. No coordinates. Just, “Trust Me.”
Jesus is the prize
Why didn’t God tell Abraham where he was going? Because God didn’t want to send Abraham to his destiny – He wanted to lead him there. In the end, Abraham discovered something amazing: the land wasn’t the reward. The inheritance wasn’t the prize. God Himself was. “I am your exceedingly great reward,” God said.
I’ve preached to millions – close to 50 million people. And some people think that’s the pinnacle of ministry. But the romance of speaking to big crowds wears off quickly. After the lights fade and I’m alone in my hotel room, I’ve discovered the real treasure. It’s not the crowd. It’s not the applause. It’s Jesus. He is the prize.
So, Abraham obeys God and finds himself in a new land. But now he’s got a son – Isaac – who’s still single. And Abraham doesn’t want him marrying any of those Canaanite women. Abraham sends his servant, Eliezer, back to his homeland to find a wife for Isaac, a wife connected to their family. Eliezer travels a long distance, not even sure anyone back in Ur would remember Abraham. Eventually, he arrives at the well, the local gathering place, and prays:
“Lord, let the right girl offer me water and then offer to water all my camels too.”
That’s a big ask. Camels drink a lot. But even before he finishes praying, a beautiful young woman – Rebekah – arrives. He asks her for a drink, and she says:
“Sir, I’ll not only give you water, I’ll water your camels too.”
“He’s strong, he’s wise, he’s rich!”
Hallelujah. The Lord provides. Rebekah takes him to her father’s house. Eliezer meets the family, and from the first moment, he talks about one person: Isaac. He gushes over Isaac. “He’s strong, he’s wise, he’s humble. He’s got broad shoulders and a heart of gold.” And then he adds, “He’s rich – wealthy with a capital W.”
He opens the treasure chest and showers the family with gifts – not to win them over himself, but to show them the glory of Isaac. And guess what? They fall in love with Isaac without ever having seen him. Eventually, Eliezer asks: “Can Rebekah return with me to marry Isaac?”
The family hesitates, but they ask Rebekah, “Will you go with this man?”
“I will go,” she says. Rebekah mounts the camel, and the journey begins. In verse 62, we read that Isaac was in the field meditating. He looked up and saw the camels approaching. Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac. She asked Eliezer, “Who is that man?” Eliezer said, “That’s my master.”
Immediately, she veiled herself. And then she went straight to Isaac’s tent. No courting. No prenup contract. No dates. Right from ‘hello’ to honeymoon. Why? Because there was already love. Why? Because of what Eliezer had done.
This is a picture. Abraham is a type of the Father. Isaac is a type of the Son. Eliezer is a type of the Holy Spirit. Rebekah is a type of the Church. The Father sends the Spirit to find a bride for the Son. So what are the gifts Eliezer gave Rebekah? They’re a type of the gifts of the Spirit. And those gifts weren’t about Eliezer – they were about making Rebekah fall more in love with Isaac.
The Holy Spirit has one message: Jesus
Let me say it clearly: The gifts of the Spirit are not meant to draw attention to themselves. They’re meant to draw us to Jesus. It’s spiritual adultery when the gifts become a distraction from the Giver. Wherever the Holy Spirit is truly working, people fall more in love with Jesus. If the focus is on manifestations instead of the Man… be careful. That’s a seducing spirit. Imagine if Eliezer, on that journey, decided he wanted Rebekah for himself. What if he seduced her attention? That’s what seducing spirits do – they shift affection from the Groom to themselves. But Eliezer didn’t do that. From the first meeting to the final handoff, it was all about Isaac. When the Holy Spirit is moving, there is one message: Jesus. Jesus. Jesus.
John 15:26 – “When the Helper comes… He will testify about Me.”
John 16:13–14 – “He will not speak on His own. He will glorify Me.”
The Holy Spirit is never given a personal name in Scripture. Why? Because His role is to be faceless and nameless – to shine the spotlight on the Son. Yes, He has many titles. He's the comforter, He's the counselor, He's the Holy Spirit, He's the Holy Ghost. He's the spirit of truth. He's the spirit of God. He's the spirit of Christ. There are many titles that describe what He does, but never once does He have a name.
It’s the same thing we see in the story of Eliezer. We know his name was Eliezer because of an earlier mention, but in this entire story, you'll notice that Eliezer's actual name is never mentioned. Not even once. The whole time, he is just described as the servant. ‘The servant’, almost as if the author is seeking to take his identity out of the story, to the extent that we don't even notice him. Our attention is drawn back to the bride and the groom where the focus is supposed to be. The Holy Spirit has come to reveal Jesus, which is why His name is not important.
The Holy Spirit always points to Christ
The Holy Spirit’s mission is to glorify Christ. He does not come to reveal Himself, but to help us understand and love Jesus. He does not draw our attention to Himself but points us to Christ. His purpose is to shine the spotlight on the Savior, to magnify the Master, and to say: Behold the Lamb of God. The Holy Spirit is the revealer of Christ. He does not speak in His own authority or name, but speaks the words of Jesus and magnifies the name of Jesus. His work is to make Jesus real and present in our lives, that we may know Him and make Him known. He opens our eyes to the beauty of Jesus, awakens us to the reality of His love, grace, and salvation, and empowers us to share Him with others. The Spirit makes Jesus real and transforms us from the inside out.
What is our mission?
Now pay attention! That’s not only the mission of the Holy Spirit. That’s our mission too.
We are called to point people to Jesus, not ourselves. You are the only Jesus many people will ever see. So, are you pointing them to Him or drawing them to you? Is the way you're representing Him causing them to fall in love with Him or is it causing them to revile Him and hate Him and want to reject Him?
I have another question: Are you attracting people to Christ or are you drawing people to yourself? Are you more concerned about your own reputation? This is one reason people don't share the Gospel, because they're worried about what people will think about them. They’re more interested in being attractive themselves than they are in making Jesus beautiful. Our job is not to win people to us. Our job is to win people to Him.
His mission in us
This is where it comes full circle. The Holy Spirit is there to direct people to Jesus, not Himself. We are also there to direct people to Jesus, not ourselves. But here's the problem – you actually cannot represent Jesus rightly on your own. It's impossible. You will never be beautiful as Jesus, which God knew was going to be a problem, and so God had an answer.
You know what he did? Christ Jesus died. He rose from the dead. He ascended to heaven, and then He sent the promised Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was poured out so that the spirit of God, which is there to direct the world to Jesus, now comes to live inside of you. You become an agent of divine omnipotence. You become a representative of Christ, not because you are so amazing, but because God himself by the Holy Ghost lives inside of you and is able then to draw people to Christ. Isn't that amazing? That's why the Holy Spirit has come – not to give us goosebumps, but to make Jesus beautiful.
