Relate-ability

In our new series Dehydrated, we are talking about spiritual dehydration resulting from a lack of understanding and relationship with the Holy Spirit. Yesterday I talked about 5 ways we unintentionally quench the Holy Spirit in our lives, and slowly but surely, cause dehydration without realizing it.  

My first reason was the RELATE-ABILITY FACTOR.  Most of us have some difficulty relating to the Holy Spirit, because he is just that...a Spirit.  We understand the concept of Father and Son - those are common to us, but the Spirit is kind of weird, spooky, out-there, mystical, supernatural. Although we are suppose to be living supernatural lives in a natural world, the inverse is usually the case. Trying to connect with the Holy Spirit is often a great challenge.  I listed some other reasons like we treat the Holy Spirit as an IT not a HIM or we define Him by our bad experiences with people or churches; those all contribute and work together.  I think at the outset however, just the fact this Spirit of God, Spirit of Truth, Holy Ghost is so invisible, seemingly unattainable, uncontrollable, more spiritual, and more unlike us intimidates most believers at the very outset. As a result, we have a tendency to check-out of relationship with Him because it is too hard, too confusing, or just plain too much.

But I wonder how many of you have in the past or are presently wrestling with the Relate-ability Factor? Some people simply don't have a reference point or know how to get started in this relationship with the Holy Spirit.  I challenged you hard core yesterday to be honest about your presuppositions and bring them to God, and then pray a very dangerous prayer...Holy Spirit show me who You are according to You, not according to me. With that prayer in mind, read/listen to the Scripture, and let the text say what it says about the Holy Spirit. That is the starting point! This type of prayer and study brings transformation in your life and gives you an exciting new adventure to pursue with God, because God will answer.  Jeremiah records these words...God says, "Seek Me and you will find Me, when you seek Me with all of your heart." 

If you are willing, post some comments or questions about the Relate-ability Factor; maybe even share a little of your own story.  We can all learn from one another's experiences and questions.

bmh

Comments

[Kathy]

Glad you are blogging again. I'll help get the ball rolling with a question I've always wondered about.
Among the beliefs of our church is this:
"We believe in the post-salvation experience of Spirit Baptism which is evidenced by speaking in other tongues as the Spirit enables us."
I've often interpreted this as meaning that Salvation, indeed, begins at the moment of acceptance but that it's realness or proof is later expressed through Spirit Baptism and speaking in tongues.
As a believer and worship leader, I have experienced moments in which the Spirit of God (excuse the silliness but it's the only way I can describe it) literally sings through my face...I believe these are moments when the Holy Spirit empowers me to usher myself and others into his presence through song...but I have never had the 'typical' experience of speaking in tongues, either privately or publicly, and I've often wondered how our church views my spiritual experience (and others like me) who have not experienced the Holy Spirit in that particular way.
I believe that God has created us all differently and in doing so, has created us to respond to Himself uniquely with varying emotions and reactions...this is how I've justified my lack of 'Holy Spirit Baptism'...is that a legit way for me to think?
Thanks!

[Brian Hunter]

Well Kathy you had to go there on comment numero uno! I guess it proves my point from yesterday, that when we talk about the Holy Spirit, we often think of Him in terms of a single experience! Your "sing through your face" experience is exactly that...a "sing through your face" experience - not sure that exact terminology is in Scripture, but I am sure King David and Paul and Silas know what you mean! And nothing should be taken away from that moment, that power,and what it means to you personally and to those who received from it. However, Spirit baptism, which we will discuss much later in the series, is just that, Spirit baptism, and it by itself is it's own experience. We often want to merge experiences and give it one title. There are many reasons why people do this and we can deal with those later as well. People can, do, and will debate the initial evidence issue no matter what, but regardless how you define evidence, it needs to be consistent with the over-arching biblical evidence of the experience Scripture defines as Spirit baptism. So we let it stand alone as an experience all believers can have if they want it. Other experiences may feel or be just as powerful, meaningful, memorable to an individual, but it doesn't mean it was or is Spirit baptism per se. It could be a pre-cursor to it or an introduction to the moving of the Spirit as a way for God to ease you into something like his power, who knows, not sure it even matters. I think as long as our experiences are biblical in principle or in commandments, it is all good. I think each person has to at least look at the Spirit baptism issue, study for themselves what Scripture says about it, and then make a personal call on a few things - what it is, what the evidence is, and do I need the experience in my life? I think a solid pursuit of those questions will lead you to a biblical conclusion. Although I am glad you brought it up for many reasons, whatever we do, we must not define the Holy Spirit only through the conversation about tongues, although it must be included in the dialogue for sure because it is connected to Him. Mark 16, John 14-16, Acts 2,8,9,10,19, 1 Corinthians 12-14 are good texts to study.

[Kathy]

"I think each person has to at least look at the Spirit baptism issue, study for themselves what Scripture says about it, and then make a personal call on a few things - what it is, what the evidence is, and do I need the experience in my life? I think a solid pursuit of those questions will lead you to a biblical conclusion."

Good advice...and thanks for the response. I am looking forward to the rest of this series.

And I'm pretty sure the 'singing through my face' experience should have been verbalized that way in the most recent translation of The Message. I'll have to write a strongly worded letter or something :)

Hope other people jump on board and join the discussion.

[brandon]

So I definatly do not have a question as deep as my friend miss kathy but I do have a question that has been ticking away at me. So as we have established in your message sunday morning and above, the Holy Spirit is not just us speaking in tongues but the spirit moving through us. So my question is this, does the spirit move in us just to glorify God? We pray for strength and patience, for wisdom and guidence, and when God blesses us with this is it just a blessing or is it his graceful touch? When david faced goliath was the Holy Spirit in him? or did God just bless him with strength?

Hope my question doesn't seem ignorant, but more-so thought provoking.

[----]

the more i go to church the less i feel like i understand. I've never really been taught anything about the spirit. It actually scares the mess out of me. as does speaking in tongues. I've never "heard" God or even encountered him in the way i've heard so many people say they have. But yet i seek him and i believe in him. But how do you encounter the holy spirit? I just can't grasp it. I guess i'm trying to make logic out of something so illogical. Are there some people who don't experience God as the holy spirit?

[Tiffany]

I tried to post this before but it did not work out so well for some reason. Nice question Kathy and it kind of brings me to mine...I guess you could call it a question. I have never felt the Spirit as strong as I did while worshipping while driving when I lived in north GA. I would be overwhelmed with Him and would feel His Spirit wash over me but instead of accepting it and running with it, I fought it because I was driving and usually on the interstate. It happened twice. I had such a longing then to receive the gift of tongues but, like I said above, whenever I would feel it come over me it was when I was driving. I guess my question is why do you think it is and because of me fighting or stiffling the Spirit, will I ever get another chance? Any feed back would be greatly appreciated!!!!

[Jon]

I am so thankful that you are tackling this subject, and God has brought me to Genesis to build me up in the Spirit for what lies ahead.

Until recently, my faith relied mainly on God the Father. I understood Christ as my savior, but not how that applies every day. Christ showed me that He acts as our mediator, example, friend and so much more, and I then began to learn about the Spirit.

It came together for me when I read about Christ's baptism and the Spirit descending on Him. I realized for the first time that everything that He did during His ministry was by the power of the Spirit, and the same Spirit that He promises to each of us. The fact that we can "have and use" the full power of God blew my mind, and almost seemed blasphemous. As Jesus is the one who gives us the Holy Spirit, after I understood more of His role it opened up so many more doors.

I asked Jesus and the Spirit to show me who they were and to teach me. I knew that this was something that God had for me and after I experienced it, I knew that it was needed for the plans God has for me. There is a strength, power, and confidence that was previously lacking, and I knew that God was about to bring a new period of growth.

As I was waiting for several months to see what God would do, I felt that He wasn't answering me, and I became distracted. I kept asking and He spoke so plainly through the passage from Jeremiah that was quoted that it was chilling. "You will seek me, and you will find me, when you seek me with all of your heart."

I stopped asking what He had for me and sought His face, and He began speaking to me again constantly. I have seen Him working and challenging me so much lately, and overwhelming growth, and know that I am exactly where He wants me to be right now, which is a wonderful feeling.