This morning, I have recruited four brave souls to help me out with a little exercise as we look at the second part in this series: reACTS.
(Four volunteers play a round or two of the Lightning Reaction Game – where one of them will get a electrical shock – no one knows who or when though)
ASK: What were some of their reactions?
- timid
- scared
In the church, we have this same timidity or uneasiness surrounding the Holy Spirit
Let’s start off this discussion by asking: Who is the Holy Spirit?
The answer to the question is a lot harder than we first think. Though we may have a answer that we can quickly throw out, when we probe a bit deeper, it turns out we struggle trying to find a decent response.
Don’t feel too bad if you find yourself in this situation. It’s not a new dilemma. Take for an instance one of the Doxologies that is often sung by many congregations,
(Focusing on the part that says, “Praise the Spirit, Holy Spirit…”)
the songwriters seem to struggle with this notion.
Well, you may say that’s just because modern theologians have struggled with this idea. Maybe; but maybe not.
As we look back at one of the Apostle’s Creed, which has its origins dating back to the 5th century, seems to struggle with it.
(Focusing on the part that says, “I believe in the Holy Spirit…”)
Really, the only thing other that we can glean from the statement of faith is that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Other creeds were formulated to try to solidify one orthodox understanding of who the Holy Spirit is too.
I start off with this just to give you some sense that there is some ambiguity that shrouds this personification of God as Spirit. Also, I believe we have to have a better understanding of God’s Spirit if we can delve any further into surveying the Book of Acts. Why? Because God’s Spirit is the key character in the book. Any of the other characters could have been interchanged without disrupting the integrity of the book; but not the Spirit.
I. What the Spirit Does
Let’s then take a look at a few things that God’s Spirit is known for to help us start forming some type of an idea about who the Holy Spirit is.
A. Encourager - Cowardly to Courageous
One of the attributes of the Spirit is one of Encourager. I am beginning to believe this is probably the most understated, underrated, and underutilized traits of the Spirit.
Many people will say that Spirit is their Encourager, but what they are really meaning is Comforter (and these aren’t the same). In this capacity as Encourager, the Spirit empowers the followers to do things that alone, they are unable to do.
Look for an example, what happened at one point when the Spirit filled a group of believers in Acts 4
Acts 4:31 After this prayer, the building where they were meeting shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. And they preached God's message with boldness.
This strikes me as one of the problems we face in the Church today. Most people when asked to start witnessing, that is telling others about Jesus, they immediately say they can’t, because they would not know what to say. But if we look at this passage here, what we can read between the lines is simply this, “It’s not about you!” It’s about allowing the Spirit to use you to proclaim the Good News.
If this is true, then this means God’s Spirit is
an Equal Opportunity Enabler.
- Peter went from fisherman and denier to preacher and proclaimer
- So can you, if you allow God to use you.
A. Uniter - Untied to United
This part is rather ironic. Many times as people read the Bible, we get this idea that these people were much holier than us and that they never experienced the strife we sometimes endure in church. Not True!
Now, to give an example, I am going back to the Gospel of Luke, because remember, Luke and Acts were written by the same person, so it’s like the first volume in the story.
Luke 9:46 Then there was an argument among them as to which of them would be the greatest.
Can you imagine that? Some people vying for a better or more prestigious position? See, it’s not just a condition found only in modern times. But as we continue reading this saga…
Acts 4:32 All the believers were of one heart and mind, and they felt that what they owned was not their own; they shared everything they had.
Once being filled with the Spirit, they are of one heart and mind. Now, let me go on to say, the strife returns later in the story, but as you read you’ll note that the problems arise when personal ideologies start invading their hearts and minds again.
B. Grower - Growth without Gimmicks
Lastly, we can see that the Spirit is a natural Grower. When the Spirit is present, people are naturally drawn in. Keep this in mind and see if what I am saying is right as you go through your daily readings.
The early church did not rely on gimmicks or programs to draw people in. There is not any mention of sporting events, ice cream socials,… you name it…just the authentic presence of the real God.
Acts 2:46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Acts 16:5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.
B. Why do we find it hard to believe in the Spirit’s work?
So then, what’s the problem? Why is the church today having difficulty with the Holy Spirit?
I believe it comes down to this:
a. We are Pneumophobic –scared of the Spirit. (Pneuma = air aka Spirit).
We have a hard time with things we cannot control. So rather than giving in and accepting our submissive state, we tend to dismiss or ignore.
b. It also stems from our understanding of grace or lack thereof. Grace is another concept that we struggle with. I mean, how is it possible that there is a God that loves us so much that He is willing to overlook our sins so that we will never be separated from Him? It doesn’t make sense. So, we develop our own personal theologies that make us believe in spiritual depravity rather than God’s grace.
Yet friends, deep down within us, we have this innate yearning to know differently and to proclaim that grace of God.
C. What We Can Do
You know, as a colleague of mine often says, it’s much easier to play “Patty-Cake” with Jesus than to be a real follower. Sadly, when we do so, we miss out on the Call, the Call that God promises to enable and empower us to perform.
But fellow Sunrisers, I truly believe God is ready to do something remarkable here and that you, in your hearts, are ready to respond. But we can’t just play “Patty-Cake.” We have to be open and serious about how we will reACT to God’s Spirit.
Start renewal within all church functions – acknowledging the Presence of the Spirit in the room and asking the Spirit to do as the Spirit wishes.
Who do we reACT
c. How do we recreate the actions of the early Church
d. How can we react to the Holy Spirit acting in our lives today
As Jason Vickers, a Systematic Theology professor and friend of mine says, “The Spirit is like the shy girl who quietly stands just outside the door. Invite her in – but beware – once she comes in, she’s gonna rock the house.”
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