Are We Overlooking The Holy Spirit’s Intentions?

The body of Christ so often seems to have the ability to take a revelation that God gives us about some important spiritual truth and turn it into some doctrine or theology instead of learning how to apply that truth. Shouldn’t we be asking the Holy Spirit to explain how that revelation should be understood and applied? After all, Jesus specifically said the Holy Spirit would be our counselor.

For example, take the tendency for Christians, myself included, to lose the perspective of the purpose and application of the kingdom of God, which we are called upon to seek first above all else in our lives.  Instead of learning to apply this truth we turn it into a teaching topic or a theological discussion rather than finding ways to apply such a lofty spiritual pursuit. Maybe it’s because we struggle with any meaningful application that we instead turn to making these truths more about a philosophy and theology rather than practical objectives.

When it comes to the subject of the Holy Spirit, the church often dances around a meaningful and interactive relationship with him for a lesser experience with him that mostly becomes theological rather than personal. Case in point is Jesus’ statement that although his disciples have had experiences with the Holy Spirit in the past they were intended to have such a personal and interactive relationship with him that he will live inside every believer. The Holy Spirit lives with us to be a regular counselor, not a once a month adviser.

John 14:17                                                                                                                                                                                                                 The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.

Peter, in his famous Pentecost sermon in which 3,000 people got saved, gave us insight into what the Holy Spirit wanted to do in the lives of believers when he used as his principle scripture Joel 2:28-29. He said when the Holy Spirit is poured out he would release prophecy, visions and spiritual dreams on the average person. That means that the common every day believer can receive what was once allocated to kings, priests and prophets. 

Acts 2:15-17                                                                                                                                                                                                 Some of you are saying these people are drunk. It isn’t true! It’s much too early for that. People don’t get drunk by nine o’clock in the morning. No, what you see this morning was predicted centuries ago by the prophet Joel: [17] ‘In the last days, God said, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.

Have we lost the faith to receive such amazing blessings or have we been taught not to expect such things by pastors and teachers in the body of Christ? Are these teachers so afraid of losing control over their listeners that they downplay expectations for the Holy Spirit to move in the average believer supernaturally? Satan’s greatest weapon against the church and believers is to get believers to believe in a powerless gospel. The Catholic church kept their average followers ignorant of the supernatural until the 1970s when the Holy Spirit awakened believers.  My fear is that the Protestant church is now trying to do the same thing to their people by keeping them ignorant and suspicious of the supernatural.

 In the Old Testament, God speaks to the prophet Ezekiel about dry bones, which represented the nation of Israel. This happened in an open vision he had, which most in the body of Christ don’t understand nor expect. The Holy Spirit is ready to release now more than ever his revelation power to any if we would just have a humble and responsive heart. We are still living in the last days that Joel talked about and in fact are closer to the end when Jesus will return than ever before.  Don’t you think the Holy Spirit is trying to get the bride of Christ ready for that glorious day?

Ezekiel 37:1-3                                                                                                                                                                                                The LORD took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the LORD to a valley filled with bones. He led me around among the old, dry bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground. Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?”

“O Sovereign LORD,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.”

Ezekiel was a wise man who didn’t try to fake his way with God or the people of Israel and answered the Lord’s question with an honest “I Don’t Know”.  I find that many current prophetic people in the body of Christ don’t seem to have brains enough to be humble like Ezekiel, and maybe that is why we don’t hear many truthful prophecies these days. It’s not that the Holy Spirit doesn’t want to give us supernatural insight in visions and dreams.  Instead, it’s more about our lack of humility to receive them and then give God the glory for giving these insights to us in public. Secondly, people in the body of Christ are told only specially gifted people can receive prophecy, which is something Joel nor Peter said nor communicated.  

When you investigate the Old Testament prophets you discover they were not perfect by any means but they generally had a hunger for God and his purpose on the earth. When the Holy Spirit moved on them they submitted to his ways and words, except for a few prophets like the prophet Jonah who ran from the Lord. It didn’t turn out well for Jonah and I believe it will be the same way with us unless we realize that we are saved by grace for a purpose that is far bigger than we understand. The Holy Spirit is given to believers for the main purpose of fulfilling the will of God in our lives. When we deviate from that purpose the Holy Spirit goes silent in our souls except for convicting us of our sin. What a sad commentary about the general attitude of churches towards the Holy Spirit when he wants to do so much more in and through us. Remember what Paul the apostle said about grieving the Holy Spirit in the book of Ephesians. The word “grieve” means to feel sorrow or a heavy sadness. If we offend the Holy Spirit he stops trying to impart his counsel until we change the way we think and respond to him.

Ephesians 4:30                                                                                                                                                                                             Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 

Keep in mind the purpose of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. It was and still is to equip us to make a difference in the world.  The Holy Spirit wants to give us power, not so we feel good or have great religious services, but to be witnesses of the majesty and greatness of God.

The power of the Holy Spirit can be manifest in the individual in many ways through revelation, counsel or the ability to experience miracles but his objective is always the same, to impact the world for Christ.

Acts 1:8                                                                                                                                                                                                            But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” 

When the body of Christ get backs to the central purpose of God then I believe we will be empowered to see and hear the words of God so that we might make a difference in the lives of those around us.

Questions:

1) Is your heart afraid or stubborn towards the Holy Spirit’s counsel or advice? Confess this sin and ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand the words of Jesus about him and his counsel (John 14:26)

2) Have you realized that you misunderstood the desire of the Holy Spirit in your life? Confess this misunderstanding and ask for a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit. (Eph 5:18)

Desiring the “Refueling” of the Holy Spirit today,

Pastor Dale