What Does the Holy Spirit Do in Our Lives?

(Editorial note: This post was adapted from the sermon manuscript and transcript written and preached by Pastor Chris on Sunday, May 17, 2026 with the assistance of AI.)

A lot of us know what it feels like to be unequipped.

Life has a way of handing us things we do not feel ready to carry. A new child. A new responsibility. A hard conversation. A difficult season. A calling that feels bigger than what we have in us.

Faith can feel that way too.

Following Jesus is not just believing the right things in our heads. It means learning to love people who are hard to love. It means forgiving when bitterness feels easier. It means telling the truth when silence feels safer. It means serving when we are tired, hoping when we are discouraged, and living differently when blending in would be easier.

That is not small work.

So what does the Holy Spirit do in our lives?

The short answer is this: the Holy Spirit fills us for the work of the kingdom.

The Holy Spirit Helps Us Continue the Work of Jesus

In John 20, after Jesus rises from the dead, he appears to his disciples. They are gathered behind locked doors, afraid and uncertain. Jesus comes to them and says, “Peace be with you.”

But Jesus does more than comfort them. He sends them.

“As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

That is a huge calling. Jesus is giving his disciples a mission. The work he began will now continue through his people.

But Jesus does not give them a mission and then say, “Good luck.”

He breathes on them and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

That matters. Jesus does not send his people into the world empty-handed. He gives the Holy Spirit so his followers can continue his work. The Christian life is not meant to be lived by willpower alone. We need the presence and power of God to love like Jesus, serve like Jesus, forgive like Jesus, and bear witness to Jesus.

The Holy Spirit Empowers Us to Tell the Story

In Acts 2, we see the story of Pentecost. The disciples are gathered together when the Holy Spirit comes with wind and fire. They begin to speak in languages they had not learned, and people from many nations hear them declaring the wonders of God in their own tongues.

Peter explains that this is the fulfillment of what God had promised through the prophet Joel. God is pouring out his Spirit on his people.

Pentecost shows us that the Holy Spirit empowers the church to tell the story of Jesus.

The Spirit is not given only for private spiritual comfort. The Spirit fills the people of God so the good news of Jesus can be proclaimed and lived. The church is not merely a group of people who remember Jesus. The church is a Spirit-filled people sent to continue the work of Jesus in the world.

That means every day is an opportunity to tell the story and live the story. We do this through our words, our love, our mercy, our service, our worship, and our life together.

The Holy Spirit Gives Us Gifts for the Good of Others

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul explains that the Holy Spirit gives different gifts to different people. There are different kinds of gifts, different kinds of service, and different kinds of work, but the same Spirit is at work in all of them.

This is important because sometimes people make one of two mistakes in the life of the church.

Some try to carry everything. Every need. Every responsibility. Every problem. Every ministry. Eventually, they wear down because they were never meant to be the whole body by themselves.

Others assume they have nothing to offer. They look around and think someone else is more gifted, more knowledgeable, more outgoing, or more useful. So they step back.

But Scripture gives us a better picture.

The church is a body.

A body has many parts. Not every part does the same thing, but every part matters. The Holy Spirit gives gifts for the common good, not for attention or comparison. Your gifts are not meant to make you look important. They are meant to help you love and serve others.

You do not have to do everything.

But you do have a part to play.

The Holy Spirit Unites the Church

The Holy Spirit does not only empower individuals. The Spirit unites the whole body of Christ.

Paul says that we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body. This means our unity is not based on having the same personality, the same background, the same preferences, or the same role. Our unity is rooted in Jesus.

The Holy Spirit gathers different people with different gifts into one shared life and one shared mission.

That matters for a local church like Salem Magley Church. We are not all called to do the same work, but we are all called to the same Lord. We are not all gifted in the same way, but we are all given the same Spirit. We are not meant to compete or compare. We are meant to work together for the good of the body and the work of God’s kingdom.

So What Does the Holy Spirit Do?

The Holy Spirit fills us for the work of the kingdom.

He helps us continue the work of Jesus.

He empowers us to tell the story of Jesus.

He gives us gifts for the good of others.

He unites us as one body in Christ.

When following Jesus feels bigger than what you can do on your own, that does not mean something has gone wrong. It may mean you are beginning to understand why the Holy Spirit matters.

Jesus does not leave his people alone. He gives the Holy Spirit.

And through the Spirit, ordinary people are filled, empowered, gifted, and united for the work of God’s kingdom in the world.

[Watch the full sermon here.]