Who is the Holy Spirit?

I was amazed to see this  few weeks ago from Religion News Service:

“After decade-long resistance, the Southern Baptist Convention will admit missionary candidates who speak in tongues, a practice associated with Pentecostal and charismatic churches.The new policy, approved by the denomination’s International Mission Board on Wednesday (May 13), reverses a policy that was put in place 10 years ago” (RNS) 
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This was a historic move for the Southern Baptists and a profound shift in US church to see this occur!

So who is the Holy Spirit? Well,He is GOD. But we must better understand who He is so we can fully appreciate the privilege we have of walking with Him. There is a difference between who He is and what He does.

What He does is His manifestation. We see a lot of what He DOES in the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:1-11)

Who He is is His personality. He is NOT only His function any more than we are the net product of our functionality. He can feel emotions like grief and joy. The fruit of the Spirit reveals some of His personality. (Galatians 5:22&23)
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• He is a person more than a presence. His presence is the tangible indication that His person is in your midst – what we call “anointing”. People say, “I want an anointing” and are chasing after the presence.We need to run after this “person” who is the Presence, the Holy Spirit; He is God.
• When we invite Him in, He makes His dwelling in born-again believers.I Cor 3:16:17
• He is a person known by relationship, not ritual. You must spend time with Him and get to know what He likes, dislikes, what makes Him happy, what He hates, what grieves Him. Ephesians 4:30

        
 His fruits (Gal 5:22-23) are proof of a relationship that His gifts are not. His gifts are what He does; His fruits are who He is.

• He is always the teacher, never the student. He will teach all things and bring all things to remembrance. 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 (John 14:26 ESV)
• He comforts, and does not condemn. Romans 8:1
• He does not move because He’s expected to; He moves because He is appreciated and it is the Father’s will. He responds out of faith, gratitude & acknowledgement that He is (Heb 11:6) not out of obligation.