What about the Holy Spirit and ‘being spiritual’?

Today we live in a world of many spiritual expressions but how well do we understand the Christian perspective of the Person and work of the Holy Spirit? Are you one of those people with a working knowledge of God and an understanding of Jesus but you are not so clear on the Holy Spirit?

Here is a short history lesson. Tomorrow marks an important day in the “Christian Calendar”: Pentecost. Celebrated 50 days after Easter, it is a day set aside to remember the coming of the Holy Spirit that is recorded in Acts 2. Read about it in the New Testament of a Bible in Acts chapter 2. End of History lesson!

This weekend I will attend a two day Alpha retreat focused on the Holy Spirit looking at questions like “Who is the Holy Spirit?” “What does the Holy Spirit do?” “How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit?” After the retreat I will be in Church on Sunday where we will celebrate Pentecost and I will speak on Psalm 1 and the inner source of “living water” that refreshes life. Guess what? Jesus defined this inner source of living water as the Holy Spirit. Check it out in the New Testament Gospel of John Chapter 7. You will find the key reference in verses 37-39. Later as Jesus was preparing to leave his disciples and wanting them to be ready for Acts chapter 2 so he taught them about the Holy Spirit in the gospel of John chapters 14-16.

So this is all interesting teaching and stuff but does it help people in everyday life today? Yes! I have seen it in several lives. One of those lives is the man who came to me last fall looking for help and saying, “I’m not religious but I am spiritual.” If you remember me writing about him you may remember that my response was that he had come to the right place because Christianity is more about being spiritual than being religious. The man began to attend Alpha and on the Alpha weekend last fall be began to experience the Holy Spirit and the life-changing forgiveness of Jesus Christ. He has been a regular worshipper in Church and has seen God changing his life in positive ways. Other people are noticing. And that’s just the follow-up on one story.

Today if you are looking for a source of love, joy, peace and self-control that will bring refreshment to your life, then perhaps you need to rediscover the good news of Jesus and his presence in this world today through the Holy Spirit. It can begin with a conversation with a pastor or a Christian friend. It can begin with a visit to church…. In fact it can even begin with a simple prayer or conversation with God.

Don’t put it off. Start somewhere.