October 29, 2015
The Spirit Speaks
Years ago I knew a youth minister
who impressed upon students that once you accept Jesus as your Savior you have
the indwelling presence of the Spirit. The Spirit then reads what you read and
goes where you go. Illustrating his point the minister said that if you view pornographic
material, watch X-rated movies, or go to a weekend beer bust, then you’ve taken the
Spirit along with you. I’m now contemplating how the Spirit feels as He and I
attend different worship services of all sizes, shapes and denominations. It occurs
to me that He might be edified, grieved, or even bored. Just as the Spirit spoke
to each of the seven churches in Revelation, he speaks also to my church today,
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev 2:29
NIV).
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1 comment:
Gail;
-----I tried the “Don’t taste; don’t touch; don’t do” thing and found it completely lacking. I noticed that every level of evil I conquered out of my life exposed another level always having been there, but just never noticed. And the levels that I had conquered were sure to make occasional returns like Haley’s Comet. We are conquerors through Him who loved us (Rom 8:37;) through His blood and our testimony to the word we even conquer Satan the accuser, the beast, his image, and his number (Rev 12:11;15:2) We don’t conquer anything by not drinking, smoking, dancing, watching pornography, X-rated movies, or not going to beer busts.
-----I know that sounds like heresy, like I am a Nicolaitan now. If the only reason we came to Christ was to avoid hell, then maybe we should conquer by stop doing things. “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” (Ps 66:18) Just because we’re scared of hell doesn’t mean our hearts do not long for sin. But if we came to Him because we desired His way, His will, even if we have no concept of what that is or might be; we just desire it because we finally noticed we were wrong, then He must be right; that’s when the conquering begins. “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.“ (Ps 37:4)
-----Repentance has not reached the root of our being until it has reached the depths of our desires. There, deep in the soul, things are not as articulated as they are here at the surface where our skin touches the materials around us and our conscious minds think in onsie-twosies and this’s and that’s. Warring against things we see and define is warring against a list. No list is complete because no human consciousness has the resolution to see and understand either the finest details of the matters it faces or the overarching connection of all things together. Deep in the soul, at the root of desire, things are not articulated; they are not concrete; they are abstract; they are meanings, not definitions. The Bible tells us to desire what is right from that place in the soul, “A wise man’s heart inclines him toward the right, but a fool’s heart toward the left,” (Ecc 10:2) “Keep your heart with all vigilance; for from it flow the springs of life.” (Prov 4:23) “He fulfils the desire of all who fear him, he also hears their cry, and saves them.” (Ps 145:19) “What the wicked dreads will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted.” (Prov 10:24) When we’ve come to Him desiring Him because of the righteousness He is, which we desire, then because Christ broke the bonds of our sins so God does not have to judge us, but can pardon us, He does so because He is the grantor of desires of the righteous. And we’ve been made righteous in Christ. When we commit ourselves to desiring what is right, we will not only be saved, but we won’t be planning porn, x-rated movies, beer busts, or any other onsie-twosies or this’s and that’s. And likewise, God will be doing a lot more granting.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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