What brings more of the Holy Spirit and what grieves it?

Let’s explore what the Bible says about what brings more of the Holy Spirit into our lives and what grieves it, sticking strictly to scriptural references without additional theological commentary beyond the text itself. I’ll organize this into two clear sections based on direct biblical evidence.

What Brings More of the Holy Spirit?

1. Asking in Prayer
   • Luke 11:13: “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”
   • Implication: Asking God directly invites the Spirit’s presence.
2. Repentance and Baptism
   • Acts 2:38: “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
   • Implication: Turning from sin and committing to Christ through baptism brings the Spirit.
3. Obedience to God
   • Acts 5:32: “And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.”
   • Implication: Living in alignment with God’s will opens the door to the Spirit.
4. Faith and Belief
   • Galatians 3:14: “That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
   • Implication: Trusting in Christ and God’s promises draws the Spirit.
5. Unity and Fellowship
   • Acts 4:31: “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.”
   • Implication: Praying and gathering in unity can lead to a greater filling of the Spirit.
6. Hearing the Word of God
   • Galatians 3:2: “This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”
   • Implication: Receiving the gospel message with faith brings the Spirit.
7. Waiting on God
   • Acts 1:4-5: “And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father… for John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.”
   • Implication: Patiently seeking God’s timing, as the disciples did before Pentecost, results in the Spirit’s outpouring.

What Grieves the Holy Spirit?

1. Sinful Behavior
   • Ephesians 4:30-31: “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.”
   • Implication: Bitterness, anger, and malicious words grieve the Spirit, suggesting sin disrupts its presence.
2. Lying
   • Acts 5:3-4: “But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? … thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.”
   • Implication: Deceit, as seen with Ananias and Sapphira, offends the Spirit, equated here with lying to God.
3. Resisting God’s Will
   • Acts 7:51: “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.”
   • Implication: Stubbornly opposing God’s guidance or truth resists the Spirit’s work.
4. Quenching the Spirit
   • 1 Thessalonians 5:19-20: “Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings.”
   • Implication: Suppressing or ignoring the Spirit’s promptings (e.g., through rejecting prophecy) stifles its influence.
5. Unbelief and Hardness of Heart
   • Mark 3:29: “But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.” (Context: Mark 3:22-30)
   • Implication: Attributing the Spirit’s work to evil (blasphemy) reflects a hardened rejection, cutting off its grace.
6. Immorality and Impurity
   • 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
   • Implication: Since the body houses the Spirit, sexual immorality or impurity (verses 18-19) dishonors it.
7. Disunity and Strife
   • Galatians 5:16-17: “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other.”
   • Implication: Living in fleshly conflict or division works against the Spirit, hindering its presence.

Summary from Scripture

• Brings More: Prayer, repentance, obedience, faith, unity, hearing the Word, and waiting on God invite the Holy Spirit’s presence and power.
• Grieves It: Sin (anger, lying, malice), resisting God, quenching its work, unbelief, impurity, and strife drive the Spirit away or diminish its influence.

These verses provide a biblical framework, rooted in both the acts of the early church and the teachings of Jesus and Paul.