Culturally Irrelevant

I’m thirsty. Thirsty for more of God. The more I do this thing, the more I realize that God has called us to do the impossible, and I don’t even want to think about moving ahead in our own strength, not even a little. The realization of how much I need Him has brought on some ravenous thirst for more.

Paul tells us to be constantly filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) and Jesus says that he will give us living water that will flow out of us like a spring of water to eternal life (John 4:14). Like you, I’ve had “experiences” or encounters with God in the past. I’ve felt the power of the Holy Spirit and had times when I’ve been filled to overflowing so that I’ve said and done things I wouldn’t normally say or do. But when I read through the New Testament, this “filling” is more than a once-in-a-while experience.

In the Old Testament, the Spirit would come upon individuals for specific purposes: to prophesy, judge, deliver, rule, create artistic works, etc. But those guys didn’t have an open invitation to receive the Holy Spirit like we do today. The average OT Joe didn’t experience the manifestation of the fullness of the Spirit, but that fullness and power has been given to each one of us because of Christ (Acts 2:38-39). And we’re encouraged to be filled constantly. Why? Because the not-filled me is very different than the filled me. With the not-filled me, things are difficult, impossible, frustrating. The filled me is energetic, creative, full of joy, inspired and approaches difficulty with patience and confidence in God.

Here are some questions I’m asking: Can I really answer God’s call without being filled with His Spirit? How has the infilling of the Spirit affected people’s lives? How has it affected yours? What does it look like to be constantly filled with the Spirit? Is it an option for the believer? Is there a danger in NOT being filled with the Spirit like the Bible talks about?

On a side note, I’ve noticed something interesting over the past 10 years or so in my own life. Of all the “encounters” I’ve had with God, most haven’t happened in a church. They’ve happened in parking lots, in classrooms, in homes, in a car or on the side of the road, in the shower or at work. And the majority of the times I’ve been powerfully ministered to, it has been through ordinary believers, not recognized leaders. I believe this is a good thing. It’s natural, healthy and the way God intended it to be. I also know that many believers still expect God to show up in a church more than anywhere else, and that if God is going to show up in our lives, it’s going to come through a powerful leader. But I’ve experienced that power more often through “nobodies” than somebodies. Why don’t we expect it to be this way? Why do we wait for the leader to walk into the room before we expect God to show up? It’s easy to confuse the leader’s function to equip believers for ministry with the ministry itself. Some are called to equip the rest, and the rest are called to do the ministry. That means the majority are called to operate in the power needed to do the work of the ministry. Hmmmm. More on that thought later.

Also, check out “Spirit Led = Supernaturel (Perry Noble)” on Tony’s blog. You’ll have to scroll down a few posts.