CP 192 The AWOL Holy Spirit

CP 192 The AWOL Holy Spirit

Hello friends, I’m excited! It looks like I’m going to be writing a trilogy! Tolkein beware. There you go, delusions of grandeur have finally overtaken me. There will be a trilogy but only of today’s blog, last week’s effort, and next week’s as well. What triggered this thematic burst? A response to last week’s article about our dumbed-down “Jesus”. It was short and to the point. Here it is.

Thanks for a great blog... I have a question - where do you think Holy Spirit comes into this? Is He referred to as Holy Spirit ever or do we just learn about Holy Spirit's role?

Your thoughts would be appreciated! Anne

So here is Part Two of the God Trilogy, The AWOL Holy Spirit…

Anne was picking up the fact that when the Apostles were referring to God as Father, and Jesus as Lord, they were affirming the divine nature of both. But where does Holy Spirit get into that picture? We declare our faith in the God who reveals himself as three in one. We know verses which clearly assert the divine nature of the Holy Spirit such as, “… you have lied against the Holy Spirit… You have not lied to men but to God.” (Acts 5:3-4) Think of Paul’s enigmatic picture-phrase, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Cor 3:17-18) The Lord Jesus’ own command was to baptise and teach, “in the name (singular) of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” (Matt 28:18) We give voice to this conviction in the words of the Apostles Creed. The question is, in the unfolding of God’s plan, how do these three persons ‘come across’?

Well, the Father is direct and upfront. Among his many commands and revelations of his purpose, one core, central, basic command/intention stands out above all others. In all things and above all, we are to honour the beloved Son. Jesus, the Father’s eternal Son, is also in our face with his utter devotion, regardless of cost, to live in, and from, the Father’s will. The Holy Spirit, however, never draws attention to himself. He is powerfully present, but behind the scenes, a discreetly hidden but determined advocate of the Lord Jesus Christ and his Kingdom cause of grace and truth.

Somewhere back in May of 2012 I put together a piece about the Holy Spirit. It was based on a quote from Frederick Dale Bruner in which he beautifully captures Holy Spirit’s obsession with Jesus the Christ. The Spirit of the Lord has ‘CrossPurposes’. He is shy about himself but passionately un-shy about the Father’s Son. (Check it out on the blog – No. 177). I concluded that article with a question deliberately phrased so that it would ‘grind’ against the usual language churches use about the Holy Spirit. I repeat it here: Is it possible for us to be properly engaged in the Kingdom work of Jesus the Christ without the Baptism of the Holy Spirit? I fielded many responses to that blog, including the one below from a passionate Jesus Christ person I’ll call Gwen.

“Greetings Pastor Fred.  I am not good at blogging! I’ve just read your CrossPurposes re baptism of the Holy Spirit.  I recently read Jack Deere’s Surprised by the Holy Spirit and thought his research into the gifts of the Spirit was very convincing.  I assume (from Blog 177) that you believe the gifts of the Spirit are relevant for today. After reading the book I asked various people if the gifts were relevant today.  One thought was that God is holding back the gifts today, another that they were only relevant for the Apostles. I find it hard to comprehend that the rest of the Scriptures are relevant for today except the working of the Holy Spirit through the gifts he wishes to bestow on us. 

After reading Deere’s book I felt he answered a question that I have asked for years, ‘What is wrong with the Church?’ I came to the conclusion that it was because we do not see signs and wonders happening amongst our people. People seem frightened to allow the Spirit to be released, therefore no signs, therefore those in church seem no different to those who don’t believe. I also realised that, as in some churches, the gifts can be abused and this is why others are frightened to release God out of the box. This is so sad because they are not living the abundant life that Jesus promises us.”

You might not be comfortable about the way Gwen sees things or phrases things, but I’m sure you hear her cry. Over the years I have heard and received dozens of similar cries, longing for something more alive than deadness in worship and unfruitfulness in the lives of Christians. In fact, if you ask me, (and you are not asking, but I’ll tell you anyway) the number one reason committed people leave a church to go to another church is because of the perceived deadness they sense every time they walk in the door… and put their leaving down to a suppression of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church. Yes, he is frequently mentioned in our core theological statement, ie the Spirit works through word and sacrament…, and he does! However, most of our reflection on Holy Spirit is about what he does rather than the relationship he has with us in Christ. We know that the Spirit is the creator of faith through the heard word. We do not seem to know who he is in and for our personal and communal life.

We are brought into a relationship with the Spirit of the living God because it is within that relationship that we freely exalt the Lord Jesus and rejoice in the privilege of growing in grace and knowledge of the Father and the Son. It is not for nothing that the Lord Jesus tells us, forcefully, how willing the Father is to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! (Luke 11:13) Sine qua non! Without which nothing! Without the Spirit of Jesus we can do nothing, With the Spirit of Jesus, all things are possible. If the Holy Spirit appears to have gone AWOL whose problem is it?

Maybe now is the time for you and I to get up close and personal with Holy Spirit. Let’s go and get drenched by the Spirit? Or, let go and get drenched by the Spirit? Whatever happens, remember to celebrate the Giver ahead of celebrating his gifts.

Shalom in the living One.  Fred