Wednesday, February 19, 2020
Being led by the Holy Spirit
So I have been thinking quite a bit about what it means to be led by the Holy Spirit. I know the Holy Spirit lives in each of us as believers. And I believe he also lives in the body of believers. Acts 2, Ephesians 1 and 2, I Corinthians 6. I still absolutely believe the Spirit is active in the church and in my life.
But I have been working on figuring out exactly how I know when I personally, or when the church, is being led by the Spirit. I have people refer to decisions confidently as being led by the Spirit. I know you can blaspheme the Spirit, grieve the Holy Spirit, and even oppose the Holy Spirit.
And I really appreciate Jesus talking in John 4 about not seeing the Spirit but seeing the evidence of where it is. I know that I John 4 talks about testing the spirits to see if they are of God or the antichrist.
So here are my two conclusions for right now about how to know if I am being led by the Spirit. And how to evaluate whether a church is being led by the Spirit.
I am convicted that the Holy Spirit will never lead anyone to do or believe something not in harmony with the Bible. Certainly not in contradiction to the Bible. I am not a "Word only" believer concerning the Holy Spirit. After all, if the Spirit only operates thru the Bible, then the whole living in us would seem a little redundant. And the Bible itself says a lot about the Spirit working in our lives, so... But I do believe the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit and I don't think he would ever lead me to do something contrary to what he inspired as true. So when trying to discern what the Spirit is leading me to do, I check with Bible teaching. If the Bible is the story of God and his relationship with us, I don't think the Spirit would make me the exception to the story.
Here is just one example. When deciding if the Holy Spirit is leading you to talk to your neighbor about Jesus, ask yourself: is this in harmony with Scripture? Sharing our faith is pretty core to the story, so. And Phillip and the Ethiopian would sure agree.
I also know there is evidence of where the Spirit is operating. You can tell where he has been. He leaves behind fruit. Where the Spirit is you will find love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5. And by extension, if these things are absent, then the Holy Spirit is not there.
I think that is a real quick test to see if your home is filled with the Holy Spirit. Or your church. Or you life. And also a real quick way for others to know.
So for right now, here are my two ways to test the spirits.
Is this in harmony with Scripture?
What kind of fruit does it produce?
So God thanks for giving me the Holy Spirit. I want to be more holy. I want to be open to your Spirit. I want more fruit to show in my life. And in your church. So make it clear to me. I ask in the name of Jesus.
But I have been working on figuring out exactly how I know when I personally, or when the church, is being led by the Spirit. I have people refer to decisions confidently as being led by the Spirit. I know you can blaspheme the Spirit, grieve the Holy Spirit, and even oppose the Holy Spirit.
And I really appreciate Jesus talking in John 4 about not seeing the Spirit but seeing the evidence of where it is. I know that I John 4 talks about testing the spirits to see if they are of God or the antichrist.
So here are my two conclusions for right now about how to know if I am being led by the Spirit. And how to evaluate whether a church is being led by the Spirit.
I am convicted that the Holy Spirit will never lead anyone to do or believe something not in harmony with the Bible. Certainly not in contradiction to the Bible. I am not a "Word only" believer concerning the Holy Spirit. After all, if the Spirit only operates thru the Bible, then the whole living in us would seem a little redundant. And the Bible itself says a lot about the Spirit working in our lives, so... But I do believe the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit and I don't think he would ever lead me to do something contrary to what he inspired as true. So when trying to discern what the Spirit is leading me to do, I check with Bible teaching. If the Bible is the story of God and his relationship with us, I don't think the Spirit would make me the exception to the story.
Here is just one example. When deciding if the Holy Spirit is leading you to talk to your neighbor about Jesus, ask yourself: is this in harmony with Scripture? Sharing our faith is pretty core to the story, so. And Phillip and the Ethiopian would sure agree.
I also know there is evidence of where the Spirit is operating. You can tell where he has been. He leaves behind fruit. Where the Spirit is you will find love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5. And by extension, if these things are absent, then the Holy Spirit is not there.
I think that is a real quick test to see if your home is filled with the Holy Spirit. Or your church. Or you life. And also a real quick way for others to know.
So for right now, here are my two ways to test the spirits.
Is this in harmony with Scripture?
What kind of fruit does it produce?
So God thanks for giving me the Holy Spirit. I want to be more holy. I want to be open to your Spirit. I want more fruit to show in my life. And in your church. So make it clear to me. I ask in the name of Jesus.
