God's Spirit, Yes it's Holy, by golly it is the Holy Spirit.

The other morning I dropped Jane at the airport at 5:30AM and headed to the Rush River, East of Elsworth WI for a few hours of fly fishing. The sun was just coming up as I headed through the farm fields of W. Wisc. I took this photo at 55mph (saving gas) out my window as the fog was covering the fields and the sun was doing it's Best Ever sunrise each day. Thank you God that nothing in life is duplicated when You make it. PS. if you click on any of the photos in this blog, some of them will open into their "full" size to be viewed more properly. This one is great:)

Ok on to the Holy Spirit. I've spent the last week re-reading the histories of the mainline denominations from the Reformation on. From Luther, through, Wesley, Calvin, Arminius, Revivalists, Holiness, Remonstrants, Anabaptist, Purists, General Baptist, Particular Baptists,
Wesleyan, 4 Square, Covenant, EV Free, Pentecostal, ECC, UCC, Methodist, Nazarene and then the "hundred" or more break offs from there.

As exciting is it is to see the visions and great lives of faith lived, it can be depressing that men have gone to such great lengths to Major in the Minors of faith. Billy Graham led a convention in 1974 in Switzerland, to unite churches back to the vision of global (that means neighborhoods also) missions. The statement that came out of that, as well as a follow up conference in Manila were (i thought) some of the best "uniting" statements made cross denominational lines. With the exception of Statement #14 on the Holy Spirit; which was given the "non confrontational" you can tell it's in a life by the fruit", the document is my current statement of faith. These documents can be read at http://www.praise2worship.com/newlife.htm along with the following explanation of the Holy Spirit's power in a believers life.

As to #14 God's Spirit, the Holy Spirit, Part of the Trinity, there has been so many centuries of un-needed infighting. I've held for years that once a person is born again:saved,reborn,washed in the blood,sanctified, that God's most Holy Spirit enters that person. It is how our spirits connect to God's Holy Spirit by the shed blood of the lamb. Without this process of sanctification we can have no contact with God or the Holy Spirit, for He can have nothing to do with sin. In this process of submissive acceptance of our sinful nature, and need for a Savior, we confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts that he and he alone is the only son of God who shed his blood to reconcile the world back unto Himself. While Jesus was alive he told us of the Holy Spirit to come and what it's purpose would be. The infighting over the Holy Spirit and it's gifts is not necessary, nor a hill to die over, hence I believe this is why it was probably discussed but not printed in detail in the Lausanne or Manila Conferences and subsequent documents.

I do however believe that all the gifts of the Holy Spirit are in action today - WITH POWER -. Whether a believer chooses to allow God's Spirit to use them in their spiritual walk and battle, is generally a matter of choice. There are written examples of believers seeking God in prayer that were not believers in the gifts of the Holy Spirit who were overcome by the Holy Spirit and suddenly had supernatural abilities for great miracles, great faith, great wisdom, healing, deliverance, supernatural discernment, a prophetic word, a tongue or interpretation. That's not the norm however. They normally come by asking and asking by faith. The act of believing in these free gifts and the subsequent manifestations of them happens in various ways. To take a hard position and 'box' how the Holy Spirit must manifest it's power and gifts in our lives is not worth the division it creates. It is poor judgement to deny all manifested gifts of the Holy Spirit only if "hands are laid on". To say this only happens when hands have been laid on and a person has spoken in tongues ie" being doctrinally filled with the spirit", discounts all the mighty works of God done through believers who have not had this experience. It is an insult to the Holy Spirit to put him in a box and quite honestly there are so many believers who have manifest all of the various gifts of the Spirit without hands being laid on them throughout the centuries that i'm amazed this position continues. Like Paul, I speak in an unknown tongue throughout every day of my life, for over 35 years. I remember praying the sinners prayer in 1972 alone in my room. It was the most powerful two minutes of my life. What I "felt" and experienced as the Holy Spirit entered my contrite and humble spirit, I have never experienced quite the same. I knew no Christians, no one to call. So as I poured through the Word day and night, I came upon John "the dunker" and realized even though I was baptized as an infant and confirmed, I believed I should be baptized again. I went fishing (fly fishing) and while in the lake I confessed my death and burial and new life in Christ and baptized myself. Certainly not orthodox, but God looks at the heart not the method. I then came to the book of Acts and said "gee I believe I'm supposed to have these gifts active in my walk", so I began to pray for them each day, asking God to prepare my heart and life for their use in life's ministry. Yes it was awkward beginning to pray in an unknown tongue alone in my room at first. Satan certainly spoke to my mind telling me that it was 'his' tongue. To utter the first prophecy or word of knowledge was also very scary. Well it doesn't take long to learn when the enemy tries to twist God's promises. All that was over 30 years ago, and I continue to rely on the Holy Spirit's gifts to help fight the enemy and strengthen my spirit man within. You can not deny your own experiences as fake when they produce good fruit and edify the church.

On the other hand to discount the "Gifts" as a"one time only" dispensation, and to discount the non laying or laying on of hands with speaking in tongues, prophesy and any other gift of the Holy Spirit that is manifest through believers, is to insult the Holy Spirit from the other end of the camp. I see pastors and believers who have crossed camps over the years due to their experiences with how the Holy Spirit was treated in a particular body or by a particular leader who's fruit did not match their words.

Yes I've also noted over the years that a personality that is normally subdued and sanguine tends to find a church and doctrine that helps them feel more like "themselves" (I won't name denominations). (This is especially true in musical worship styles). And there are those Type A, A.D.D. excitable, sometimes flaky, personalities that tend to gravitate towards excitable churches and ones that have more of the outward verbal gifts of the Holy Spirit in action (you know those churches). THEY BOTH ARE OK. They both have hearts for the great commission and both camps are just as apt at doing a Peter and denying Christ on any given day by walking in the flesh over any little thing. We are all human before we are Christians. Don't think so highly of your lifestyle choices and positions, there by the grace of God go I each day. Line it up with the "red letters"

Test every spirit. Does the spirit confess Jesus as Lord? Does it speak the word in love? Does it manifest a life of good fruit? Well Hallelujah, let's get back to being His hands and feet and stop fighting about boxers or briefs.

Are there counterfeits, charlatans and religious secularists who eschew and support false doctrine (whether in ignorance or not)? Of course, but let's not minimize the Holy Spirits power and authority over men's failings. You should be able to rightly divide the Word, ask the Holy Spirit for guidance, then your mentors and elders about any person or ministry that you have a question about, and come to some wisdom about a persons motives, intent and character. Don't just take a ministers word for it. Including me:)

I say "Come Lord Jesus Come and Holy Spirit Fall. Begin the revival and purification in my heart so that I can be filled with the Holy Spirit and be able and ready to use His "gifts" to be used to His maximum purpose. Amen

So as you worship and pray and commune with God through the Holy Spirit today and by Christ's blood, I pray that His overwhelming mercy will melt your heart no matter your circumstances, and you will be left saying "I love you, thank you, for I'm not worthy".