Robert L. Millet - The Holy Spirit: His Identity, Mission, and Ministry

The Holy Spirit is in many ways the breath of life to the Church of Jesus Christ. This book is an effort to better understand and appreciate how the third member of the Godhead is inextricably linked to every facet of the Christian faith. Indeed, one would be hard pressed to find something with which the Saints of God labor in the work of the ministry in which the Spirit is not involved. This has not been an easy book to write, but it has proven to be one of the most intellectually stimulating and spiritually uplifting projects I have undertaken. One of the challenges of writing a book of this kind is delimitation, the admission that I simply cannot cover every facet of the topic. For that I apologize. Having said that, I hasten to add that I have tried to be as comprehensive as possible so that this work might serve as a valuable resource on this crucial gospel topic.

Several years ago, while serving as a stake president, I attended a training meeting for all the stake presidents in our area. One of the Church leaders who addressed us was President Russell M. Nelson, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He spoke at some length about Christ our Savior, indicating that he wanted to discuss with us both the mission and the ministry of Jesus. I had never considered that there was a distinction between those two words and had for many years used them interchangeably. President Nelson pointed out, however, that the mission of Jesus Christ was His alone, namely the atoning work performed in Gethsemane and on Golgotha and the triumphant climax of his work that we know to be the Resurrection, His glorious rise from the dead into immortality. No other person, President Nelson pointed out, could have suffered for the sins of the world. These are deeds, President Nelson declared, that each one of us can do as well. It is the way that the prophets have charged us to minister to our brothers and sisters.

In a similar manner and in that spirit, we will speak here of the identity of the Holy Ghost (who he is and what his position is within the Godhead); the mission of the third member of that divine Presidency (how and by what means he operates, prompts, inspires, sanctifies, and seals); and the ministry of the Holy Ghost (how he deals with each one of us individually, tutors us tenderly, and leads us to the Father and the Son): in short, how he ministers to all who choose to live in such a manner as to enjoy his presence and influence.

In this work I have sought to prepare a sound doctrinal work but also to follow Nephis example to liken all scriptures unto ourselves (1 Nephi 19:24). I have therefore included stories or illustrations, either from my own experience or that of Church leaders that can serve as applications of the doctrine and principles discussed. My hope is that this approach will prove beneficial to you, the reader. To be sure, I am a staunch believer in the groundbreaking insight of President Boyd K. Packer: True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. Decades of teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ have also impressed upon me the importance of instruction being relevant to listeners, delivered in such a way that those who hear the message not only better understand the doctrine or principle taught but also see very clearly how it applies and relates to them. In this manner, then, the doctrinal message will find a permanent place in the listeners mind and heart.

More than any other work I have written, this one has caused me to search my soul, examine my motives, and purify my thoughts and actions. Why? Because it is about the third member of the Godhead. It is a book that will not communicate what the Lord wants understood and felt unless the Spirit of God accompanies it. I will be grateful if, by reading this volume, my sisters and brothers of the faith gain an expanded and broadened perspective on the work of the Spirit. I will be particularly thankful if readers come away more deeply desirous to seek the Spirit, live in a manner to be guided by that Spirit, and begin to enjoy, perhaps as never before, its many gifts and fruit.

I have sought earnestly to be in harmony with holy scripture and the teachings of apostles and prophets regarding the Person and work of the Holy Ghost and not to go beyond what is stated there. I have especially searched through and reflected carefully on the remarks of the Brethren, so as to represent them properly and accurately. Having said that, I point out that this work is a private endeavor and not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints nor of Brigham Young University, where I spent most of my professional life.

With Nephi, son of Lehi, I bear witness that the Holy Spirit is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek [the Son of God].... For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round (1 Nephi 10:1719). My sincere hope is that this exploration of the life, work, mission, and ministry of the Holy Ghost will prove rewarding and soul-satisfying to you and that the same Spirit that rested upon Adam and Enoch and Noah and Abraham, upon Abinadi and Alma and Samuel and Moroni, will rest upon you and yours now and always.