Category: Holy Spirit

People influence us but only God can change us.

After Andrew and Peggy married and established a home in London, they had to make a decision about where to attend church. “God led us to a group of believers that met simply in a home.” Over the years, the group has grown in number and now meets in a grammar school, the place Susan and I visited Palm Sunday.

Andrew shared, “These brothers and sisters really knew the Holy Spirit. When I was filled with the Spirit, I was changed; I have never been the same.”

God’s goal is not that we just be influenced; He plans to change us. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

Man is often content to focus on exterior matters, but God is after the heart. Some of the early Christians were taught that in order to be justified before God they had to be circumcised. Paul passionately argued that true faith in Jesus alone brought the righteousness that pleased God. “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.” A ‘cutting away’ takes place, but it is an ‘inner work’ done by Christ, not man. “In him (Christ) you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ…” “…circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code.”

This ‘heart work’ was predicted by Jeremiah in the days of old: “I will put my laws in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.”

Only the Holy Spirit can bring about the miracle of a changed person. Through this gift we can love, serve, and live the abundant life Jesus calls us to live. “God has poured his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” And by this gift we come as beloved children to our loving Father. “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’”

“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:25-26

“But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” John 16:7

One time a teenage student, speaking for her high-tech generation, argued against using mandatory rules of logic while solving a particular type of problem. “Oh, we have progressed far beyond having to do it that way.” No matter how far the student thought she had progressed, she couldn’t get the correct answer.

Surely God looks down on ‘progressing’ mankind and sees similar foolishness. As we boast about our expanding discovery of knowledge and the incredible speeds at which we can access information… and any other progressions we seem to be making, the Creator says, “I’m not impressed.”

“This is what the Lord declares: ‘Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

So who knows the Lord? It is a simpler question, but who knows you? Is it not the one you are often with? Intimacy requires time, communication, quest for understanding, and the involvement of our emotions. As we read the writings and examine the lives of saints of other generations, I’m afraid we are tempted to think like the naive teenager: “We have progressed far beyond that.” What substitutes for time in the Word… or hours in prayer… or fasting… or simply sitting at the feet of Jesus? This is not a dry defense of the spiritual disciplines, I’m asking why so few seem to echo the heart of the apostle who walked with God, yet wrote passionately: “I want to know Christ…” (see Phil 3)

Just as it is vital that children have wise parents and teachers to lead and instruct the immature, so Jesus knew we would need the greatest Teacher to lead and instruct us. Our challenge is to realize our need… which requires humility. God wants us to know that we can do much out of our own human wisdom and effort and resource (remember the tower of Babel?), but we can’t produce eternal fruit without his Holy Spirit. Who wants to exchange the temporal for the eternal?

“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (Jn 14:25-26)

“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.” (Jn 16:13-14)

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (Jn 15:5)

“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” (Jn 17:25-26)

“Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” This was part of the prayer of the early believers in Acts 4.

The day before we left Brazil, we drove for more than an hour outside Natal to a small town called Taipu. We broke into four groups and tried to cover as much territory as we could, inviting people to the gym near the center of town. I was excited because I was asked to share the gospel – “the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” A little over two hundred people gathered and three or four Christians shared testimonies. One father walked forward carrying a three year old boy. He told of his two sons that were born with a terrible skin condition that caused red sores to cover their bodies. He shared how he gave his life to Jesus a little more than two weeks earlier and over the course of the next fifteen days God healed his little boys. He held up the three year old and everyone applauded. I saw a ‘before and after’ picture and was amazed. But the citizens of the town appreciated the miracle most because they knew this man and had seen his boys’ condition since they were born.

Next, a young lady named Ana Paula stood up and shared a story. Ana Paula is a sweet, humble, yet bold believer. She hung out with us almost every night we were in Brazil. In Taipu, she stood before the crowd and told of walking through another town with a pastor of a church. They came upon a family who had a little girl who had been deaf and mute since birth. Touched with emotion, Ana Paula asked the pastor if he could heal her. His reply was classic: “I can’t heal her and you can’t heal her, but Jesus can. We can pray!” So they prayed for the little girl. Ana Paula noticed the girl nodding her head as they prayed, so she asked, “Do you hear us?” The little girl nodded. “What did we say?” “Jesus,” the girl replied. How cool that her first word was Jesus!

I know the heart of God in answering prayer is far broader than any of us can understand. He cares for little boys with scabs all over their bodies and he cares for little girls who can’t hear or talk. The blessings to these families were practical and life-changing. But something else happens when God performs miracles – people wake up and pay attention. I doubt one soul snoozed around the temple gate while a beggar, lame from birth, danced for joy after being healed in Jesus’ name.

I’ll share one more story that you can witness for yourselves. “Faith Like Potatoes” is a movie about a South African farmer named Angus Buchan. We picked it up at the airport in Johannesburg a few years ago and I am sure you can find it on the internet. There is an accompanying dvd that shows this evangelist ministering in a soccer stadium in southern Africa. Angus had preached as hard as he could to the crowd of 5000, but to no avail. Around 80% of the people were Muslim and few seemed to be paying much attention. The Holy Spirit prompted, “Pray for the crippled man on the front row.” The man on crutches was helped to the stage. “Jesus is going to heal this man!” Angus declared. The crowd was instantly silent. The truth was told the visitors later, but almost everyone in the village knew the man on stage had suffered a work-related accident when a tree fell and crushed his leg. A steel rod was placed in his leg during surgery. Angus confessed that he probably wouldn’t have prayed had he know details in advance, but with the faith that pleases God, the white African prayed for the black African and God did a mighty miracle. The man discarded his crutches and the two ran in place on the stage with knees lifted high. (This is much more exciting to watch!) Angus did not need to preach another moment. He offered the Lord’s invitation and 5000 people rushed forward to give themselves to Christ.

Here’s the verse that follows the verse above:

“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” Acts 4:31

John was sitting in Susan’s lap this particular Sunday morning as Joe, the teacher, was sharing of the freedom God has given his children. “We are free; we are free,” he said. John turned to Susan and whispered, “I’m not free, I’m four.”

I wonder if God thinks we are just as confused sometimes. We may forget; we may not understand; we simply may not believe… but God’s great desire is that we walk with him in freedom. From the day sin came into the world, he put a plan into process that would release us from the grip of sin and the condemnation of the evil one who hates freedom. In his wisdom, God established his law through Moses knowing that even a perfect law could never bring true freedom. The law would simply prove that we could never live the holy life that we should. All God’s plans led Christ, who did live a holy life before purchasing us through his blood. Jesus knows all about freedom and the Holy Spirit will teach and empower us as we humble ourselves and become like children.

Words of Jesus:

“I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed… If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8)

Words of Jesus’ servant:

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery… You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love… So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” (Galatians 5)

“What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come… Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law. You are all sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” (Galatians 3)

“You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness… But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6)

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8)

It may not be surprising that Jesus said, “Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist,” but there’s another half of the sentence that makes one curious: “… yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

We can be sure the truth of this statement has more to do with God than us… though Jesus tells us we do have a part to play: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

So how does one become greater than John the Baptist? A smart Jewish leader named Nicodemus was quite puzzled when the Rabbi from Nazareth told him the secret involved something beyond being born of a woman. I saw a bumper sticker recently that read: “I WAS BORN OK THE FIRST TIME.” But Jesus taught a different message: “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again… I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of heaven unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but Spirit gives birth to spirit.”

As Jesus praised John the Baptist, He knew the Father’s plan was to have a Spirit-born family. Each child of God comes to a stark conclusion as the destructive power of sin is realized: “I’m not OK!” And when the Good News of a perfect Savior shedding his blood for our forgiveness draws a soul to God, a child is born. Jesus knew what was to take place shortly after John was beheaded: He would suffer and die for the sins of the world; He would be buried and rise on the third day; He would appear to many before ascending to the right hand of the Father; then, at the appointed time, He would pour out the Holy Spirit to all who put their faith in him. Peter taught those accepting Jesus’ invitation at Pentecost of the wonderful promise of God: “And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.” That’s us.

“Lord, fill us each day with your Spirit! May we walk in the Spirit and may you produce in us the fruit of the Spirit that we may live like Jesus on this earth. Empower us to accomplish what we cannot do in our own strength. Thank you for invading our hearts and writing your laws on our minds. We rejoice in your unending love.”

“Yet to all who received him (Jesus), to those who believed in his name, He gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” John 1:12-13