Last month I finished the book “Forgotten God” by Francis Chan. I need to first say that I am a little bias towards Francis Chan in the sense that he is one of my favorite authors and I probably agree/follow him so much as if he was a modern-day prophet. (Are there really modern-day prophets? That’s another entry for another time I guess.) But back to the book. In a nutshell, the book examines the Holy Spirit and it’s involvement in Christians. His title comes out of the notion that Christians today have rejected the Holy Spirit and no longer want to rely on him, let alone mention him.
The reading of the book prompted me to do my own study of the Holy Spirit, which recently involved the youth ministry at the church I work for. And it was through the study that I came to two realizations. The first is that myself and Christians as a whole (this is my own opinion of Christians) do not rely on the Spirit like we should. And it is my belief that when we rely on the Spirit, we are actually inviting the Spirit into our lives and letting the Spirit lead us. The past few weeks I’ve been trying to recognize when the Spirit is leading me and letting it lead me.
The second realization is that if we let the Spirit lead our lives without any restraint then our lives would be completely different. Galatians 5:22-23 discusses the fruits of the Spirit, if we are led by the Spirit then I believe these characteristics and ONLY these characteristics will be present in our life. If we were truly let the Spirit lead our lives, I believe it is possible for a Christian to be free of sin.
It is time for the church to return to relying on the Spirit. We need to stop viewing the Holy Spirit like awkward relative that no one talks about and only shows up once a year. Imagine what it would look like if churches let the Holy Spirit lead them in everything they did. Imagine churches that no longer meet inside buildings but instead meet at corners with homeless and sick. Imagine Christians that fed the poor from their own table. Imagine you and me telling everyone about the good news that Christ has set us free from sin. Imagine Christians that no longer do church but instead they are the church, they live out being the church and being Christ to the world.
I encourage you to pick-up the book for yourself. Read it with an open mind and let it change you. Let us allow the Spirit to enter our lives and guide us in all that we do. “How much more will your Father in Heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:13b
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