1.6 Under the Guidance of the Holy Spirit

Is it possible to have a church that lacks the presence of the Holy Spirit? There are marks of His presence that we can look for, for His delight is to draw us deeper into Jesus Christ. The most immediate are renewed praise of God; personal assurance and experience of fellowship in the love of God (John 14.13-18); pursuit of a deepening, developing relationship with our Heavenly Father and fellow disciples (John 17.20-23); a desire to do what Jesus models and commands (Philippians 2.5). Jesus taught His disciples to look for (Luke 22.49) and ask for (Luke 11.13) the Holy Spirit.

How does the Holy Spirit guide us? The answer, as our Declaration of Principle testifies, is towards that which is in harmony with the authority of Jesus Christ and the revelation of the Holy Scriptures. These provide the parameters, the boundaries wherein the Holy Spirit will guide us, where we can confirm that it is truly the Holy Spirit leading and guiding us.

Is this limiting the Holy Spirit? No, for the Holy Spirit enables and actively regenerates what is at one with God our Heavenly Father’s will and the way of Jesus Christ. As we have seen, Jesus Christ undertakes nothing other than what is in harmony with His Father in Heaven. The evidence of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit indwelling people is their acknowledgement that this Jesus Christ, clothed in our humanity, has come among us to accomplish these things (1 John 4.2). The Holy Spirit, the Spirit who ushered the substance of the Cosmos into existence, brings about nothing other than that which is ‘very good’ (Genesis 1.31). He, the Breath of Creation (Genesis 2.7), is the one who renews the fabric of the Universe, bringing us a first taste of the New Creation (Romans 8.23): what is redeemed, refined and renewed in and through Jesus Christ.

How is it, then, that the Holy Spirit now communicates with us? The Scriptures recognise that God spoke through His prophets, before the coming of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1.1). They also recognise that God today prepares His people for works of service, to build up the body of Christ, through the ministry of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. This way, our unity in faith and knowledge of the Son of God matures (Ephesians 4.11-13). How, though, is this plurality of ministry provision to find expression in the local church?

God willing, He will speak through the preacher, as they seek to open and apply the Bible’s meaning to our life. The Holy Spirit can and will use a man or woman, consecrated to God and commissioned for such a task. Yet His powerful presence cannot be presumed upon: it must be sought, together with a conscious looking to Jesus Christ Himself at the centre of the church gathering. Persuasive though a sermon should be, we are gathered under the authority of Jesus Christ, not a preacher. The focus of God, outworking His provision and preparation of the gathered church for further acts of ministry, should be looked to in and through the whole of the gathering. The Holy Spirit visits, resides and expresses Himself through various members present in the gathering. The Apostle Paul, whilst an enthusiastic proponent of preaching, emphasises the multiplicity of ministry that the Holy Spirit enables within a church gathered together: all present are to look for the Holy Spirit’s manifestation of ministry in Jesus’ name, in and through them, for the strengthening of the church (1 Corinthians 14.26).

 A realistic appraisal of what happens in church will lead us to review, again and again, the dependency we express and have upon the presence and manifestation of the Holy Spirit when we gather. My sense is, through my own ministry and in sharing with others, that a conscious dependency upon the Holy Spirit and attentiveness to His promptings is often duller than it should be. Certainly, there are times when utter clarity of conviction breaks through; but I suspect that occurs not as often as God would have it, in our lives. I have noted a fearfulness that comes among men and women, in allowing ourselves to become more dependent upon God. Whatever else we profess, our tendency is to want to control and and regulate the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Losing control – especially among those who lead and teach – is something that we can come to dread. This can lead to a resisting of the Spirit, a presumption on our part that God will conform to our expectations. Equally, it can lead to an opposite extreme, of theatre and absurdity, as we seek to mimic or simulate the ministry of the Holy Spirit, craving the manifestation of gifting more than the presence of the Giver. How can we best avoid such abuse?

We should not forget that the Spirit of God is God and that He is Holy; and that to speak against Him or demean Him is, according to Jesus, the one thing we do not want to do (Matthew 12.32). All the Holy Spirit does and all He facilitates induces, within us, a release into effectiveness in furthering the advance of the Kingdom of God; and a large part of that involves forming and developing, within our lives, holy constraint and consecration to God. Holiness is marked by our setting ourselves apart to God: to be arrested in His promises, seeking His presence, pursuing His purposes and the ministry of Jesus Christ. Where there is a holiness born of the Holy Spirit, there will be a respect and reverence that proves the qualities that God looks for among His people, as revealed in the Holy Scriptures.

This will be a fruitfulness that the Scriptures speak of: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There will be a renunciation of arrogance, criticism, broken relationships. There will be fashioned a culture of self-emptying, service, humility and obedience. The Holy Spirit is jealous, that He should guide us in the path of Jesus Christ (James 4.5). We would do well in seeking to keep in step with Him (Galatians 5.24-26), not quenching His purposeful presence (1 Thessalonians 5.19-21). When such a focus is present in the gathering, we can look with expectancy to discern together what the Holy Spirit is saying, in a way we can then come to say, ‘it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us’ (Acts 15.28).

 

Questions for reflection:

 

·         How does reliance upon the Holy Spirit express itself in your life?

·         In what ways and by what means has the Holy Spirit guided you towards important decisions?

·         How would you plan to deepen your communion with the Holy Spirit?