In John 16:7-15, Jesus shares with His disciples the importance of His departure and the arrival of the Holy Spirit. In light of the poll from last week, it's important that we think about His words.
The Spirit of God will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and of judgment. He will guide us into all truth, speak what He hears, and tell us of things to come. He will glorify Jesus and declare unto us the things concerning Jesus.
I asked each of you a simple question: How Does God Speak to You? The overwhelming response was "Various Ways". Prayer/Bible & Dreams/Visions were equal among those polled. Of course, with only a few of you voting, I could never calculate any concrete findings. The poll is for fun but it also gives me an idea about those who visit PBC Voice.
Personally, I don't have a problem with people answering "Various Ways" as long as they are grounded in the Word of God. The Word of God is the greatest revelation we have concerning the nature/characteristics of God. The Word teaches us how God has spoken and led His followers in times past. As Henry Blackaby puts it in "Experiencing God": "The Holy Spirit speaks to us through Scripture, Prayer, Circumstances, and the Church." This is why we must be sensitive to the work of the Spirit in our lives.
I'm glad to know that I can trust the Spirit of God. He is consistent with Scripture, the ministry of Jesus, and the nature of God. This shouldn't surprise us. We are told to "Walk in the Spirit" in the Word. And as we live in relationship with God through faith in Christ we come to understand that God didn't give us a map but a guide. The Word of God is important to us but we will never fully understand it apart from the guiding work of the Holy Spirit.
The Christian life is not a "natural" life but a "supernatural" life. Apart from the Spirit of God we are left to our own understanding, our own reasoning about Scripture, and at times our own "feelings". Jesus never intended to leave His followers to themselves. He gave us the promise of the Holy Spirit so that we may fully understand, completely follow, and never have to trust in our own resources.
The good news about His work in us is that we can trust Him. Not only does the Spirit have the ability to lead us but He can bring others into agreement. As long as we are trusting in Him - we will never be left to ourselves.
I pray that each of us will "Walk in the Spirit" this week. If we do...God's voice will become stronger and clearer whether He speaks through His Word, Prayer, Dreams/Visions, Circumstances, or the Church (other followers of Jesus).
1 comment:
I wonder how many people read the Bible only during the sermon? (In other words... depend on the pastor to read it to them.) Or how many people read God's word and ask HIM what it says, what it means and how it applies.
Bible illiteracy is scary because that means people are "ripe" for the picking when it comes to false doctrine. Even though you can be trusted, and the "Baptist" faith is solid.... people need to read God's Word for themselves with Spirit as their guide. Otherwise, they can't participate in Body Life effectively.
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