How to Grow Closer to the Holy Spirit
What Pentecost Reveals About Life With God
Many Christians want to feel closer to God but are unsure where to begin.
They pray, attend church, read Scripture occasionally, and try to live faithfully — yet still feel spiritually distracted, disconnected, or stuck. One of the most common questions Christians ask is:
How do I grow closer to God in everyday life?
According to the Bible, the answer begins with the Holy Spirit.
At St. Dunstan’s Anglican Church, Fr. Michael Strachan recently preached on Pentecost and why the Holy Spirit is not merely an optional part of Christianity, but central to the Christian life itself.
Pentecost Is About More Than One Sunday a Year
For many churches, Pentecost can feel like a lesser-known feast day compared to Christmas or Easter. Christians wear red, hear the story from Acts 2, and then move on.
But Pentecost is far more significant than many believers realize.
The Bible tells one unified story: God desires to dwell among His people. In Eden, God walked with humanity. Later, His glory filled the tabernacle and temple. After humanity’s rebellion and exile, Israel longed for the return of God’s presence.
That longing reaches its fulfillment through Jesus Christ — and climaxes at Pentecost.
After Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension, the Holy Spirit is poured out upon the Church. God no longer dwells merely in buildings or sacred places. Through the Holy Spirit, God dwells within His people.
That truth changes how Christians understand prayer, discipleship, worship, and spiritual growth.
What Does the Holy Spirit Actually Do?
Many Christians believe in the Holy Spirit but struggle to explain what the Spirit actually does.
- transforms believers into the likeness of Christ
- strengthens Christians in weakness
- convicts people of sin
- comforts and guides believers
- empowers the Church for mission
- unites Christians together
- produces spiritual fruit within ordinary lives
The Christian life is not simply about trying harder to become a better person. Christianity is about God Himself dwelling within His people and transforming them from the inside out.
Why Many Christians Feel Spiritually Stuck
One reason many believers feel spiritually stagnant is because they unintentionally treat the Holy Spirit as secondary to the Christian life.
Christians often understand God the Father as Creator and Jesus as Savior, but rarely think about cultivating an active relationship with the Holy Spirit day by day.
As a result, faith can slowly become reduced to habit, information, or moral effort alone.
But Scripture describes something much deeper.
The fruit of the Spirit — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control — are not qualities Christians manufacture through sheer willpower. They are the natural result of a life rooted in communion with God.
How to Grow Closer to the Holy Spirit
So how can Christians intentionally deepen their relationship with the Holy Spirit?
Fr. Michael offered several practical ways believers can cultivate life with God daily.
1. Ask for the Holy Spirit
Jesus taught that the Father delights to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask.
- wisdom
- conviction
- spiritual strength
- guidance
- deeper love for God
- transformation of heart
Growing spiritually begins not with self-reliance, but with dependence upon God.
2. Read Scripture Prayerfully
The Bible is not merely information about God. Christians believe Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit and becomes a means through which God speaks to His people.
Reading Scripture prayerfully helps believers remain attentive to God’s voice and direction.
3. Focus on the Fruit of the Spirit
Modern Christians can sometimes become overly focused on dramatic spiritual experiences while neglecting the deeper work of character formation.
The New Testament repeatedly points Christians toward spiritual fruit as evidence of God’s work within a person:
- love
- joy
- peace
- patience
- kindness
- gentleness
- self-control
A growing relationship with the Holy Spirit gradually shapes Christians into people who look more like Jesus Christ.
4. Stay Connected to the Church
Christianity was never meant to be lived alone.
The Holy Spirit forms believers into a body — the Church — where Christians worship, pray, serve, confess, forgive, and grow together.
Throughout the New Testament, spiritual growth happens within Christian community, not isolation.
The Church Is Always Pentecostal
One of the sermon’s central themes was this:
The Church is always Pentecostal because the Church was born at Pentecost.
That does not mean every Christian tradition looks the same. But it does mean every faithful church depends entirely on the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
The Christian life is not sustained by human effort alone.
God continues to dwell with His people through the Holy Spirit — guiding, sanctifying, strengthening, and transforming believers into the image of Christ.
And for Christians longing to grow closer to God, that relationship begins not with striving harder, but with learning to live daily in the presence of the Holy Spirit.
We'd love to have you join us at St. Dunstan's. If those longings resonate with you — if you've ever felt like something is missing and wondered where that feeling points — you are welcome here, exactly as you are. Click the button below to plan your visit. You can also read, watch, or listen to Fr. Michael's full sermon on this topic over on his Substack if you want to go deeper.