The Holy Spirit and You

It is an incredible event that we are going to look at a little bit more throughout this season, but there is something unique about this feast day.  When you look around at the stores, and in the newspapers, have you seen much mention of Pentecost?  It seems that there is no earthly connection to this day for it to be capitalized on.  There are no cuddly little creatures, or watered-down messages about peace associated with this day, no little chocolate doves, or little flames of fire to give out.  It is a totally Christian event, focused on God and His people!  And that is rightly so, because the Holy Spirit is the cause of, and the guide, and leader of people's Christian walk!

Just like Christmas and Easter being days that happened once in time and yet still affect us, the same is true for Pentecost.  This is a day that is not just about those apostles and early Christians that were there on Pentecost Day.  The Holy Spirit at work also, affects us in our lives as well!  You might ask, "What does the Spirit have to do with my life?  After all, those disciples needed the Holy Spirit because they were supposed to go out and preach and witness and start the church up.  NOT ME!  I don't do those things; it is not in my comfort zone."

What does the Holy Spirit have to do with your life?  Can't you just be a Christian in your own little way?  Believe on your own, come out to church once in awhile.  It is easy (and quite wrong) for a believer to slip into the deceptive thinking of being "surface Christians", not really placing value on growing deeper and stronger in our relationship with God, content with keeping everything on the surface.  Not really seeing as something of great value the Holy Spirit working "change" in us (which is inherent to our relationship with God), working growth in us, providing us guidance.

Let's look at a few points and gain some appreciation for the Holy Spirit's working in the heart of believers.

(1)   It is the Holy Spirit that "brings" and works faith into our hearts to begin with.  Faith itself is a gift from God.  A believer is blessed with being able to know about God, to know about this wonderful relationship with Jesus as Savior!  A believer has been blessed with having someone, somewhere, that was open to the Holy Spirit working in him or her and shared the Good News.

So, so many people struggle with trying to find out purpose and meaning in life, wanting to know about themselves and life, something more than just getting as much "stuff" as you can here on earth.  So many people are just plain miserable in life, going from one crisis to the next in the course of their days.  It is the Holy Spirit that blesses us with knowing of God, knowing about our relationship with Him, knowing of His great love for His children.

In Acts, we have this incredible account of some grown men and women that were in a house, having known facts about Jesus, having heard about feeding sheep and forgiving their brother and sister 490 times yet not having it affect them.  There, in that room, the Spirit comes upon them and works faith.  Their eyes are opened; they are strengthened and secured in their relationship with God.  This is a relationship based on God's strength and not their own.  That is the strength that we each get from the Holy Spirit... His strength, not our own.  His strength to feed the sheep, His strength to forgive, His strength to step outside of our own little comfort zone!

(2)  It is the Holy Spirit that keeps us focused on the truth during our Christian walk.  The Holy Spirit opens up a believer's eyes to something more than the power and glory of here and now on earth.  Remember Satan tried to tempt Jesus with power and glory here.  But Jesus knew the TRUTH of there being more than just this.

The Holy Spirit helps us to live in the truth!

There is a true story of a young high school player named Rob Mouw.  Rob was a senior at Wheaton Christian and was playing in the big game verse their rival Waubonsie Valley.  Rob was the star player and the top goal scorer in the school's history.  It was very late in the game when Rob moved the ball up field.  They were down by a goal, and he kept it himself and with a few fakes took a shot at the goal.  The fakes fooled the defenders and the goalkeeper and the ball flew into the back of the net.  The crowd erupted in cheers!  The score was now tied 3-3!  But during all that cheering there was something going on.  Rob had noticed something and he had thoughts going through his head.  Rob spoke up.  "As I was starting to head up field I looked at the clock behind the net and there was two seconds left.  Just as I was getting ready to shoot I looked up at the net and I could clearly see that the time had run out and it said 0:00.  That goal shouldn't count."  Rob spoke up and the other team, Waubonsie High, got the victory that day.  Rob lived in the truth.  He could have been led into following some earthly glory.  But it wasn't the truth.  He stayed with the truth!

In our Christian walk, the Holy Spirit keeps us focused in, and living in the truth about life itself and our relationship with Jesus for eternal life!

When we stay open and close to the Holy Spirit, He leads us.  Somehow, in prayer we are able to see and feel what is right and true.  We don't get neon signs...but things are not clouded over by our own self-centeredness.  Which is often our first inkling.  When we spend time in prayer and open our hearts to the Holy Spirit, He will lead us.  We see that Paul the apostle was open to, and tried to remain sensitive to, God's leading voice in life.  In Acts 16:6-7 "Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to."  He remained open to the Holy Spirit.

If we remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit's lead, He will guide us!  Certainly we can say that following God's guidance and God's lead is a good thing!

(3)  Being led by the Spirit in our lives involves trusting.  Trusting that He wants the best for you.  Trusting that He is with you through your challenges.  Trusting that He knows of your imperfections and weakness and He still loves you dearly, and that He has made it possible for you to live in heaven forever by what Jesus accomplished on the cross.

Doing ministry for God's church, sharing the Good News, how we form ourselves together as God's church involves trusting.  Maybe that means stepping down some new paths, as a church, and as individuals.

TRUST the Holy Spirit's leading.  The Holy Spirit is, as we state in the Creed, the "Lord and the Giver of Life".  It is He that "spoke by the prophets".  Those are pretty good hands to place your trust into.

The Holy Spirit in important in your life. 'No one can say "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit'  (1 Cor 12:13).  And as a believer you are blessed by knowing the truth that 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved' (Acts 2:21).

Seek to remain close to the Holy Spirit in all that you do and the choices that you make.  And know that you can trust in, and count on, God's great love for you...His great forgiving and saving love...forever!