This week I have started reading the book Forgotten God:Reversing Our Tragic Neglect Of The Holy Spirit by Francis Chan. I knew from the moment that I read the introduction that I would be slapped around a little (or a lot) and that this book was going to cause me to think about my views of the Holy Spirit and his workings in my life. And I was correct! I am only a few chapters in to this book and I have begun to really think about a lot of things concerning the Spirit.
Here's a quote that really caught my attention...it is referring about how we avoid following the Spirit wholeheartedly because we are worried about what others may think.
"In much the same way, many believers care too much about appearances. Even those who move past the superficial and materialistic are often concerned with their reputation in "spiritual matters." For example, if a friend sees you reading this book about the Holy Spirit, do you worry he or she will think you too "charismatic" or "radical"? If you share about the Holy Spirit's movement in your life, do you wonder what others will think about you? Are you afraid of getting "too much" of the Holy Spirit and the possible ramifications of that? (Heaven forbid you gain a reputation for being weird or immoderate!)" page 52
In many cases I could answer yes to all the above. I will be honest, I have had very few conversations about the Holy Spirit, much less how he is working in my life. I really can't think of anyone (maybe its because I just don't know the right people) who refer to the Spirit as their driving force from day to day. I don't know about you, but it would seem to me if the Spirit were driving them they would talk about it and same goes for me. Because I know plenty of people who are consumed with and talk about their "favorite" things in life, but I have yet to meet someone who could label the Spirit as one of those. Again, maybe I don't know the right people, I mean we tend to know those who are most like ourselves. I do know that I am naive when it comes to the working of the Spirit in my life. It has become apparent to me that I have quenched (1 Thessalonians 5:19) the Spirit from being able to do his work on me and through me.
At this point I can only recommend the first few chapters of this book, but I know these chapters have helped open my eyes to some good things. I love that Chan has really laced this book with Scripture and the foundation of all his thoughts are rooted in exegesis studies, in other words not out of context and "straight from the horses mouth" and the Bible is the horse!
Remember these are just my thoughts, I am not a scholar, but I am a man who desires to live by the Holy Spirit and I want it to be evident in my life!
Just Thinking-
Nick, I love your willingness to share about the HOLY SPIRIT. I think too often the topic of the Holy Spirit is diminished or overlooked. The word charismatic, which means, to charm or to inspire, has been so misused too that we think it's a bad thing. I can only pray that my life led by the Holy Spirit will be inspiring to others as I profess the victory in Jesus. For it is the Holy Spirit in us that enables us to recognize truth and ALL scripture is truth. The Spirit is a gift given to anyone who accepts Christ through baptism (Acts 2:38) and the scripture you reference should remind us of the great gifts He has given to us to use and not turn away from.
ReplyDeleteJordan Harr