Scared of the Spirit?

Last updated on: December 11, 2015 at 4:58 pm by Brandon Mark Showalter

Scared of the Spirit? 2015-12-11T16:58:29-04:00 Brandon Mark Showalter

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I am currently working on a blog post on the manifestations of the Holy Spirit where I will explore in greater depth some of the stranger phenomena in Scripture, of which there is no shortage. But today I saw this great article from Trevin Wax over at the Gospel Coalition. Here’s a portion:

In order to keep controversy from breaking out in a church, the members keep quiet about the Spirit altogether. They think that affirming the basic truths about the Spirit is sufficient. Anything more may lead to disunity.

It’s true that getting hung up on secondary questions can distract us from our mission. But avoiding the Spirit in order to avoid the secondary issues is another way of keeping us from experiencing His presence and power!

When divisions abound as they do today, I understand the resistance to presenting yet another divide into the mix. But the division will never be mended unless confronted and addressed. It may prove challenging, but seldom are these transitions smooth and easy, and exchanging a sense of unity for experiencing the power and presence of the Holy Spirit is not a price worth paying.

In short, we tend to be inordinately afraid of the Holy Spirit because of what is associated with Him in certain expressions of Christianity, including some very bad baggage. More generally, in addition to being hesitant about the Holy Ghost, I very much believe that Christians in the West are embarrassed by the supernatural, and we need to get over that. Fear and embarrassment will never position us to gain greater understanding; it will only deter us from partnering with the Holy Spirit in his work in the world.

The great glory of the gospel is that the redeemed sons and daughters of God are invited to co-labor with Him in the restoration and reconciliation of all things, because in the new creation we were not made last as Adam and Eve were in the first creation. The cross and resurrection of Christ threw everything in reverse. He remade us first and we become the conduits through which the presence and power of God flows. Sent out as ambassadors of the Kingdom Jesus inaugurated, darkness yields to light and creation is healed. In fact, creation is so desperate to be restored it groans for us to be revealed (Romans 8:19).

More on this soon…
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