I was talking with my son yesterday about the real-ness of the Holy Spirit. I assured him that I had met myself without the spirit's presence and while I wasn't officially worthless, I was most definitely a harsher, more difficult person even at my best. I wanted my son to understand that there is a supernatural element to Christianity because of the Holy Spirit, but the bride of Christ has tried to forge her identity without Him. We make our outward appearance the most important factor in our walk down the aisle much like any bride would on her wedding day. We strive to appear "good" by behaving well but most of us want to scream, "What's the point?" Paul tells us in Galatians how to identify someone in whom the spirit dwells. That person would be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled. But when was the last time you met someone like that? Identification of others was not his point though, it was a self-identifier. If a person has truly been redeemed by Christ's blood, these qualities would be evident in them. But the component we forget about is the help He provides in displaying these qualities in us, even in spite of ourselves.
The most significant example of this was realized in Jesus's friend, Peter. When we're first introduced to him, he's a hot mess. Throughout their friendship, Peter makes promises he can't keep, he makes outrageous suggestions, and he is often the first one to act without thinking. Even in the very physical presence of Jesus Himself, Peter cannot seem to get his act together. If he had lived in The South, we'd have said, "Bless his heart" a few times. Jesus's words and instruction did not change Peter. Even the miracles He performed did not give Peter confidence or authority to persuade people. It wasn't until about 40 days after Christ's resurrection, after experiencing that noise like rushing wind, did Peter become the man upon whom Christ Himself would build His church.
After He rose, Jesus had told his remaining disciples that He was leaving again so that a helper could come and give them the skills and knowledge they would need to boldly tell God's story about redeeming the human race. This helper would empower them to tell their stories, to withstand torture, to perform miracles themselves, to give them the words they'd need to be most impactful, and to not be limited by time and space as Jesus was (by choice), allowing each believer to share their story wherever they traveled in the world equipped fully to be successful.
Christ's resurrection is the victory I celebrate today. But lest we forget the power available to us to withstand wordly temptation and speak boldly about who Christ is so others can know Him too. The rest of the story is in the power of the Holy Spirit to transform us into His likeness! If Peter himself couldn't do it without the presence of the Holy Spirit, what makes us think we can?
