Solus Spiritus
Christianity is not some intellectual pursuit that multiple doctorates in college and university will make you “better” at. You cannot “learn” Christianity. No, we learn by what? What did God say multiple times in the Bible He gave us to learn by? What did God give to “lead us into all thing” with as Christians? Is it the Law?
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. For he will not speak on his own authority, but will speak whatever he hears, and will tell you what is to come.”
Doesn’t the first sentence of Romans 8 give you a clear indicator the “pas”, or “everything”, referred to in Romans 8:32 is The Spirit Himself? So to what end was the Spirit given? Let’s take a look…
Matthew 7:7-11 is a repeat of another verse that specifically says “the Spirit” is what God gives instead of a snake, or a rock, to those who ask Him. So God is not talking about giving us “things” but the Holy Spirit. But why?
“That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but…”, after what? What do we “ask”, “seek” and “knock” for? For “the Righteousness of God”. (Romans 8:4)
But what is the “Righteousness of God”? Why, “to be spiritually minded “, of course, as Paul said two sentences later (Romans 8:6) See, Jesus said, “Everything that the Father has is mine; that is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what is mine and will tell it to you.” (John 16:15)
And why did Jesus send the Spirit of God? “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace.” (John 16:33a)
And why do we need His peace? “I have told you all these things so that you will not fall away.” (John 16:1)
Fall away from what? How? “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”
(Romans 8:7-9)
Unless the Spirit of God dwells IN you then you can have no Peace and cannot “please God”.
Without God’s Spirit in us we WILL “fall away” from following and being a witness of Jesus, as the Apostles did. But once they had the Spirit…. WOW, right?!
Jesus would have you to be at peace, led by His Spirit because…
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:14–18)
It was clear God was warning the Church of “things to come”, of “sufferings” , of having the temptation “to fear”, but why? “Yet I am not alone, because my Father is with me. I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble and suffering, but take courage – I have conquered the world.” (John 16:22 NET)
The Spirit of God is given to conquer this mortal flesh so that we may have peace in this world’s troubles promised to us, by God, for being His:
“ I have given them your word, and the world has hated them, because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.” (John 17:14)
And so, for the Believer, “…I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
(Romans 8:38)
Amen.
So leave off this straining at gnats for intellectual understanding to press your body into submission, to do… what exactly? To be cloistered inside some building preaching to the choir? Well, while there IS a ministry to care for the flock, we are not called to this as a denomination. Individuals are called to be Pastors, but NO ONE is NOT called to witness to the lost. No. But we are “being filled” by the Spirit of God so that we may overcome the flesh with it’s evils, and then go and BE the witnesses God has called us to be. This is what it means to BE “more like Christ”, because that is what He DID. He wasn’t calling us all to be the Pastor of a Church, to stay preaching behind walls and never step foot on the street to reach the people. Indeed, Jesus RARELY spoke in Synagogues, and never “headed” anything but a band of people outside, in the world. Compare the number of times when Jesus spoke inside the synagogue to the number of times he spoke in the marketplace. I grant you, He had “no place to lay His head”, but I suspect He arranged that for a reason (God IS Sovereign, right?).
Jesus calls us to COURAGE, but not to stay cloistered behind towering walls of brick and glass, calling to the lost to come in, like silly a policeman trying to entice criminals into the police station (as if). God Himself empowers us, Christians, with the Spirit Himself to GO, beginning with where you live, and spreading from there. Go, using the Law of God to convict of sin, the Ten Commandments, to drive the lost to the Cross of Christ. And then, and only then, speak of God’s Great Mercy to the repentant.
If you are TOO AFRAID to speak on the street, like some pastors actually have said to me, then understand that this is not the way the Church is led, with trepidation. Wouldn’t it be wiser for someone who has the desire to Pastor a flock to have more courage to speak to the Lost on the street, than in Church to the Found? Could this be the reason why so many Pastors and Church leaders do not want evangelism training in their Churches? Maybe they reject evangelism training because because of the conviction such training brings at their lack of obedience to the Great Command of Christ?
Could be…
Don’t worry about fear, though, we’ve ALL been there. I denied His command for 12 years myself, until I was filled with His Spirit, and then I had SUCH a desire to see souls saved I could not BEAR to wait another day until; I knew how to share my faith PROPERLY. Soon after I enrolled in www.BibicalEvangelism.net to learn more on how to seek the Lost. Should Churches teach their congregation how to share their faith? What do you think? Watch www.HellsBestKeptSecret.com and get back to us.
So, if you are convicted to tell someone about Jesus but lack the need courage, as all do when it comes time to speak to the lost (yup, I do too!), then use Scripture verses written specifically to encourage you in that endeavor:
“The righteous are as bold as a lion.”,
and,
“God has not given me a spirit of fear but,…(you go look this up)”.
But the VERY BEST Scripture I know to encourage boldness, to hand out tracts, to engage the lost about their destination God PROMISES they are headed for, is John 3:16: “For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” See, if God loves them THAT much, shouldn’t you too? Shouldn’t YOU love the world enough to at least TELL THEM how to be avoid Hell? If you really don;t think so you should go to this url and test yourself, to see if you really are in the faith…
BTW, John 3:17 and 18 are pretty good too…
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him. The one who believes in him is not condemned. The one who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.”
Look at that, the Gospel in three verses!Just remember the Law MUST precede the Gospel, or you will fill the Churches with people who have come to Jesus for what they could gain.
God desires our obedience in reaching the lost and he has given us what we need to accomplish the task:The Holy Spirit. But, just like anything worth learning, you have to learn from those who know. Contact us for FREE TRAINING… (YES, I said FREE).
“If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”
(Luke 11:13)
Patrick Burwell, OnlyJesusSaves.com Ministries
www.OnlyJesusSaves.com/blog
P.s. AGAIN Christ warns us in America of “things to come”. Be ready, GET IN THE ARK! -PB
