The Bible makes it pretty clear that the Holy Spirit is our primary teacher. This doesn't negate the need to have men and women in our lives who can bring instruction. It just means that we need live in a sensitivity to the presence of God within us. I'm afraid that much discipleship in today's church is simply a mass reproduction of thought rather than lifestyle. In other words, as long as you think like we do then your are a disciples. As long as you can spout out the same beliefs as we do then you are a disciple. AND as long as you don't disagree with what we believe then you will always be in good standings with us. Any of this sound familiar?
John wrote to the early church to say that "the anointing (Holy Spirit) you received from Him remains in you and you do not need anyone to teach you..." {1 John 2:27}. He then goes on to say that the Holy Spirit teaches us about all things. That sounds vaguely familiar doesn't it? Sounds as though John took the words of Jesus literally. He honestly believed that Holy Spirit would teach us and bring to remembrance all that Jesus had spoken. Where is that today?
I made a statement to PBC this past Sunday about how we have allowed the Bible to interpret the Holy Spirit rather than allowing the Holy Spirit to interpret the Bible. While this sounds a little odd to people (maybe even offensive) it's the truth. Let me explain. Some denominations teach that the Holy Spirit no longer operates today the way He does in Scripture. Those who teach this use Bible verses to explain their stance. Therefore, you are pre-conditioned to believe that the Bible teaches this nonsense even though their is no biblical basis for it at all. If you have been immersed in this type of teaching then it is hard to accept anything different. Believe it or not, I have actually heard people say that if tongues is no longer a gift of the Spirit then those who operate in this gift are demon possessed. YIKES!!!
My point in this discussion is not about the gifts but rather our relationship with the Spirit of God. We are either going to allow Him to teach us or we will simply allow others to teach us. We can live in such relationship with the Spirit of God that He can give us everything we need to understand Scripture or we can become a puppet that mimics everything that has been passed down to us. Please understand that I am more than willing to sit under a teacher. I listen to a variety of people who minister the Word of God. But I do not eat only one flavor of Christianity.
I was sharing some of these thoughts with a friend the other day and I'm always amazed at how scared people have become in listening to the Holy Spirit. We automatically believe that we are flawed in our ability to hear from Him. We automatically assume that we will "get it wrong." But the reality is that in Christ we hear just fine. In Christ we should be more sensitive to Him than any other voice. He's way more powerful than any deception.
Let me challenge you this week: DO NOT READ YOUR BIBLE WITHOUT FIRST ASKING THE HOLY SPIRIT TO SPEAK TO YOU. Ask Him to reveal to you the nature of Christ in what you are reading. Ask Him to teach you the truths you find in the Word. I think you will find that He is an awesome teacher and that you are a much better listener than you realize.
No comments:
Post a Comment