Repressed Baptists don't know much about the Holy Spirit. It's a sad truth, but one that must be faced. We hear the words and we read about it all through Scripture, but for the most part, the best we can do is to relate it to the feelings of peace we have during prayer, the thrill we have when we're singing during worship.
It is difficult for us to come to terms with the reality that the Spirit of the Living God is here -- on the inside of us, working, prodding, speaking, moving. It takes catastrophic experiences, sometimes, to blast us into the next level.
I am speaking about my own experience. It might be different for others, but I think there are a number of God-fearing Christ-followers who know this to be true.
There is no question that we are saved -- we can stand at the throne of Grace boldly because we love Jesus, we live our lives for Him, we worship Him with our our decisions, our time, our money, our efforts. We often feel His presence. But the Holy Spirit? It is that ephemeral, ghost-like apparition that puzzles us. What do we "do" with It? or is it Him?
Some things we just gloss over in Scripture -- or we say things like, "Well that was then, and this is now..." Does the Holy Spirit really have to operate like He did in the book of Acts today? I mean, we've got the Bible, don't we?
Some people even believe it is nearing blasphemy to say that the Holy Spirit is operating full-force today. But this is what Jesus says to His disciples:
It's actually best for you that I go away, because if I don't the Counselor won't come. If I do go away, He will come because I will send Him to you and when He comes...He will guide you into all truth. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by revealing to you whatever He receives from Me. (John 16: 5 - 15, NLT)
Are we to assume that this revelation stopped at some point along the way?
All this is coming to me today. This morning. I have spent the last hour doing something I didn't even believe in 2 years ago -- speaking in tongues. The few moments I had of "earth thinking" while it was going on I was thinking to myself -- "Okay, now you really have gone nuts. The pressure of living through your husband's death and everything that followed has finally brought you to madness."
The rest of the time I was saying "Oh Yippeeee! Now I get it. Now I see it. Now I know what this is about."
Apparently, I have the gift of sobbing tongues because every time I have spoken in tongues (this was the longest by far), I sobbed from deep within. I know certainly that this is a healing process. God is pulling out all of the stuff that's been bottled up for years and years and years. I know also -- don't ask me how, I just do -- that my healing is leading to the healing of others. So through this magnificent experience I am made aware of one thing: we all need healing. There is so much going on outside that reflects what is broken inside.
Of course to have the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, does not mean you must speak in tongues or have a dramatic manifestation.
I am not suggesting that every believer should speak in tongues. I have gone for thirty years as a believer without the experience. I could have continued a wonderful, fruitful Christ-filled ministry without it for the rest of my earthly life.
But why would I? Wow. I feel like I've been living in a glorious mansion for many years and just discovered the secret room where generations before me have stashed their treasures.
God has presented me with a way to be fully healed and to heal others on my way. Broken hearts and lives cannot stand up to this.
No comments:
Post a Comment