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A
Demonstration of Power
.
Shane
Idleman
Pastor, Westside Christian Fellowship
The need to address
revival and the vital role of the Holy Spirit is as relevant today as it has
been throughout church history.
The key is to find
the biblical balance.
The Holy Spirit is
not some weird, mystical force. He is part of the triune nature of God.
The Bible says that
the Spirit intercedes, leads, guides, teaches, and so on (cf. Romans 8:26; Acts 8:29; John 16:13).
God’s Word becomes
living and active in the life of the believer who is continually filled with
the Holy Spirit.
Charles
Spurgeon adds, “What can a hammer do without the hand that grasps it, and
what can we do without the Spirit of God?”
I was disheartened a
few years ago when I attend a conference about the Holy Spirit in Southern
California.
Men I look up to were
trivializing and mocking deep spiritual experiences that authors such as E.M.
Bounds often write about.
E.M. Bounds, who was
born in 1835, began his three-hour prayer routine at 4am.
To him, prayer was
not a short prelude, but an empowering priority.
Edward Payson, who
ministered during the Second Great Awakening, was said to have worn grooves
into his hardwood floor as a result of prayer.
It was not uncommon
for the great Scottish preacher, John Welch, who died in 1622, to spend four to
six hours in prayer.
John Fletcher, one of
the leaders of the Methodist movement, stained the walls of his room with the
breath of his prayers until his death in 1785.
Why mock these types
of experiences? Is it because most have never experienced the overwhelming
power and presence of the Spirit?
Should we not pursue
the deeper life?
Listen to the
message, A Demonstration of Power, for more on this.
Would be to God that
more men and women sought God with all their heart. America might actually
experience revival.
By age 28, my life
was filled with what the world offered, but I was empty inside.
I was at a turning
point. I could choose to turn fully to God and stop "playing church,” or
continue to reject Him.
By God’s grace, the
prodigal came home. I repented and put my complete trust in Christ.
He can do the same
for you.
Acts 1:8 identifies this experience: “You
shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be
witnesses to Me....”
The power of the Holy
Spirit is like dynamite that ignites a hunger for God so intense that every
aspect of life is changed — we become bold not passive; stable not fanatical;
and committed not wavering.
Within the months that
followed, I truly experienced the infilling of the Spirit that is seen
throughout the Scriptures (e.g., a transformed life resulting in a love for God
and His Word).
From this experience,
came books, articles, speaking engagements, and ultimately, a church.
I, like many
Christians, tend to be “safely” conservative when considering the power of the
Holy Spirit; however, Scripture clearly supports the miraculous work of the
Spirit today.
I’m open but
cautious. We need sound doctrine and the power of the Holy Spirit.
It's possible to be
“Bible taught,” but not “Spirit led” — straight as a gun barrel theologically,
but just as empty.
How often are they
taught brokenness and repentance in addition to translating the Greek language?
How often are they
taught the surrendered life?
We can sometimes be
more concerned about a Master’s Degree than a degree from the Master.
The Holy Spirit
inspired the Scriptures and empowered Jesus and the Apostles.
We are desperately remiss
if we fail to recognize His vital role in our lives.
I
agree with Leonard Ravenhill, “We need to close every church in the land for
one Sunday and cease listening to a man so we can hear the groan of the Spirit
which we in our lush pews have forgotten.”
Shane
Idleman
is the founder and lead pastor of Westside
Christian Fellowship in Southern California and the WCF Radio Network. More can be
found at ShaneIdleman.com,
including free downloads of his eBooks. Visit him on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to his
new podcast, Idleman
Unplugged.
https://www.christianheadlines.com/columnists/shane-idleman/the-holy-spirit-a-demonstration-of-power.html
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