I don't remember ever hearing any teaching on the Holy Spirit in the church I grew up in - at least not in the years when I was old enough to be paying attention on Sunday mornings.
Of course, the Spirit was mentioned. We recited the Apostles' Creed periodically and sang the Doxology weekly:
Praise Him all creatures here below.
Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts.
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen."
Somehow, referring to the Spirit of God as "the Holy Ghost" made Him seem remote, unsubstantial, and inconsequential.
Perhaps even unbelievable.
After all, everyone knows ghosts aren't real.
Once I was off to college and started to learn about the Holy Spirit and experience His presence firsthand, I couldn't fathom how my church had gotten away with neglecting real talk about the Spirit.
To this day, I can't imagine how a church functions without an active theology of the Holy Spirit.
But many do!
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