We may as well face it: the whole level of spirituality
among us is low. We have measured ourselves by ourselves
until the incentive to seek higher plateaus in the things of the
Spirit is all but gone.... [We] have imitated the world, sought
popular favor, manufactured delights to substitute for the joy
of the Lord and produced a cheap and synthetic power to
substitute for the power of the Holy Ghost.
- A. W. Tozer, p. 27, beginning of chapter 1
Tonight I want to look at my impressions from chapter 1. The quote above from
A. W. Tozer is extremely relevant for our day. We have manufactured for ourselves a cheap grace for a cheap theology proclaimed by a cheaply made deity. And little of it has any resemblance to true biblical Christianity.
In chapter 1, "I've Got Jesus, Why Do I Need the Spirit?", Francis Chan addresses our watered-down, cheapened version of the Holy Spirit.
Most of us assume that what we believe is right...but have never really
studied for ourselves. We were simply told, "This is the way it is," and
didn't question. The problem is much of what we believe is often based
more on comfort or our culture's tradition than on the Bible. -p. 29
This is the story of most of our lives. I know it is in my own. While I have often thought contrary to my teachers, pastors and elders, I would usually keep my opinions to myself, accept the fact that I am wrong, and shove it to the back of my mind. Only to find out years later that I was not wrong. Sometimes, it doesn't pay to listen to those who base everything they know by what someone else told them, or what their man-made traditions ordain.
We must get back to the Word of God. Are the things we cling to really in the Word of God, or merely the tradition handed down to us by some grayhairs? The Word of God must be paramount. Tradition does not equal Scripture. You would think we would know that, but apparently few "Christians" really understand the difference.
Chan states that one of the areas we need to re-examine our thinking on is regarding the Holy Spirit. "...We don't think we need the Holy Spirit. We don't expect the Holy Spirit to act. Or if we do, our expectations are often misguided or self-serving. (p. 31). Everything we do as believers must be done through the holy Spirit. We have the idea that we can do it all on our own - win unbelievers, have big crowds, building programs. All we need is each other and each other's pocketbooks.
But, there is more to God than that. it's more than money, talent and personality.
Are we really denying the existence of the Holy Spirit? Do we really deny the Trinity in favor of a Duology? Most of us are afraid to even remotely refer to the Holy Spirit because someone will think we're Pentecostals (I'm not trying to offend the three Pentecostals reading this, just making a very Baptist observation).
So, where do we start? How do we get from the empty, powerless Christianity we currently practice, to something radically different? I close with Francis Chan's closing statements from chapter 1:
"I want to be different today from what I was yesterday as the fruit of
the Spirit becomes more manifest in me.
I want to live so that I am truly submitted to the Spirit's leading on a
daily basis. Christ said it is better for us that the Spirit came, and I want
to live like I know that is true. i don't want to keep crawling when I have
the ability to fly," p. 37
Thanks for reading.
Darth Baptist
No comments:
Post a Comment