Here I Stand- Part 2- “Awareness of Spirit’s Promptings”

Last updated on: August 2, 2017 at 9:00 am by Brandan Robertson

Here I Stand- Part 2- “Awareness of Spirit’s Promptings” 2017-08-01T12:58:35-04:00 Brandan Robertson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

This is the second installment of a series of blog posts outlining principles of inner-reformation taken from the life of St. Francis and Martin Luther. This series was prepared as a series of talks for the Order of Lutheran Franciscans 2017 Retreat.

Inner Reformation Principle 1: Awareness to Spirit’s Promptings

The first of these principles is the inner awareness or awareness to hear and respond to the voice of the Spirit of God.

God is always speaking. The Scriptures proclaim that Christ is living and active, always speaking with penetrating insights into our present circumstances. Yet so much of modern Christianity has adopted a belief that the Spirit is silent and that we should not expect to hear the voice of God beyond what was revealed in ancient Scriptures or proclaimed by the Great Tradition. What we will see is that for both Francis and Luther, it was disillusionment with this image of stagnant God that they were first forced to wrestle with and reject that prompted their inner and outer work for reformation.

If the Spirit of God is silent and has spoken all that she needs to say, then we have nothing to do. Our only work is to seek to conform to the knowledge that we have already been taught by the Church. Thinking is not necessary, only unquestioning obedience to the authorities that have supposedly been instituted by God. Wouldn’t this make the leaders of our religious institutions gleeful?

The problem is that the life of Jesus flies directly in the face of such a teaching. Jesus spent his entire ministry disrupting the traditions of humans, questioning the authority and interpretation of Scripture that was being promoted by the religious elite, and speaking new, fresh words generated by the Spirit. Not only did Jesus himself do this, but also he taught that his disciples for generations to come should expect to do the same and greater things than he did.

Jesus taught that his life and teachings were only the tip of the iceberg of reformation and renewal. He proclaimed that he had many more things to teach the world, more than his disciples could now bear. It is at that point that he promises the outpouring of the Holy Spirit whose job would be to continue to lead us into all truth.

In other words, the Spirit of God, which Jesus said is as wild and unpredictable as the wind was going to be sent to dwell in the hearts of humanity with the express mission of leading us to greater truth and towards a more complete manifestation of the Kingdom of God in our lives and on earth as it is in heaven.

But in order to hear the voice of the Spirit, we must first be aware, awake, and expecting the Spirit to speak. Clearly, both Francis and Luther in their desperation and disillusionment with Christianity found themselves longing for a sign, a word, a symbol from God to lead them on the true path to awakening and salvation. For both men, the Spirit spoke to them in unexpected times and through unexpected means, and called them to challenge and change the way faith was being expressed, first within their own personal lives and then in the rest of the world.

Both men embodied openness to the Spirit and a willingness to respond to whatever she may have to say, no matter how radical or controversial it may be. They didn’t fear finding themselves exiled as “heretics” or cut off from the structures of privilege and power, because they sought something deeper than religious or social accolades- they sought union with Christ and the experience of his Kingdom in their lives and on earth as in heaven.

This openness and attentiveness to hear what the Spirit might be speaking is the fundamental posture of reformation. If we are to experience an inner revolution of Spirit that has power to bring about the liberation and salvation that Jesus embodied, we must first discipline ourselves to be aware and alert for the Spirit of God to speak, and be ready to obey regardless of the personal cost.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

August 1, 2017

Here I Stand: Francis, Luther, & Inner-Reformation Introduction

Next Post

August 3, 2017 Here I Stand-Part 3- "Spiritual Discipline"

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Breaking News Contributor Post Current Events Devotional Devotional Ideas For A Better Tomorrow General Posts Guest Post Interview Missiology Nomad Rants Recalibrate Reflections Response Review The Other Side Theology Uncategorized

Select a Month May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 August 2017 July 2017 May 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 June 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

In 1 Peter, what does Peter say Christ was chosen before but revealed in when?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Before the prophets spoke, revealed at Pentecost Before the creation of the world, revealed in these last times Before time began, revealed at the resurrection Before Abraham was born, revealed at his baptism