9/20/13

9/20/13

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. (Galatians 5:16-25 NLT)

I have to admit....I skipped ahead. On Sunday night I was drawn by something when I was starting to plan this coming Sunday's worship service. I was skimming through the readings for this week when I came across this passage. That little voice told me this was it. I emailed Scott with the suggestion of focussing on this passage. I believe it was the leading of the Spirit. Ever since Kenny told me that he wanted to introduce the song "Holy Spirit" by Brian and Katie Torwalt last week, I have not been able to get the Spirit of God off my mind. The Spirit has filled my thoughts. But I didn't realize this reading would land on my day to write. And so here we are.

When we think of the Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, or Spirit of God, I would bet that most of our minds would jump to holy rollers, speaking in "tongues", being "slain in the spirit" and other things of the pentecostal movement. What some might call the "gifts of the spirit." that is where my mind first jumps to. But in this passage, Paul is not talking about the gifts, he is talking about living in the Spirit, and following the Spirit's guiding in the way we live our lives. He is talking about listening to that little voice that says to speak up when we see something wrong, maybe stopping the car and helping someone who is broke down on the side of the road, maybe saying something to build someone up, or letting someone go in front of you in line at the grocery store. But it is all about listening. Our human nature draws us in a certain way, but the calling of the Holy Spirit pushes against the flow. Again, we need to listen for the guidance of the Spirit. We need to be in the Word, and in communication with our triune God in prayer, so that we can hear His voice. Paul also talks about how the Spirit inside of people is self-evident, and it yields fruit. So we need to ask ourselves, can people see the fruit in my life? It is a pretty good self-reflecting question to ask. The outcome is pretty clear. People will see if the Spirit, the Ru'ach, the Pneuma, is working in your life. It is evident when you are listening and following his whisper.

Holy Spirit by Jesus Culture
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUs8X9EPR78&feature=youtube_gdata_player

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