Dear Holy Spirit

Should we pray to the Holy Spirit?  Some would say no.  They may cite Matthew 6:7-13, where Jesus taught his disciples how to pray - He told them to pray to “Our Father in heaven” (not the Holy Spirit).  But we should remember that Jesus never said this was the only way to pray.  As well, we should remember the three-fold doctrine of the trinity:  God is three persons; Each person is God; There is one God.  Therefore, communing or praying with a particular person of the Godhead (the Holy Spirit for example) is communing with God and, therefore, acceptable and beneficial.

Joseph Hart was an 18^th century pastor and hymn-writer from London.  He wrote the popular hymn “Come Ye Sinners” in 1759.  He also had no problem praying to the Holy Spirit.  He wrote the following hymn and it’s a great example of how we can pray to the Third Person.

Come, Holy Spirit, come;


Let Thy bright beams arise;


Dispel the darkness from our minds,


And open all our eyes.

Cheer our desponding hearts,


Thou heav’nly Paraclete;


Give us to lie with humble hope


At our Redeemer’s feet.

Revive our drooping faith;


Our doubts and fears remove;
A

nd kindle in our breasts the flames


Of never dying love.

Convince us of our sin;


Then lead to Jesus’ blood,


And to our wond’ring view reveal


The secret love of God.

Show us that loving Man


That rules the courts of bliss,


The Lord of Hosts, the Mighty God,


The Eternal Prince of Peace.

’Tis Thine to cleanse the heart,


To sanctify the soul,


To pour fresh life in every part,


And new create the whole.

Dwell, therefore, in our hearts;


Our minds from bondage free;


Then we shall know and praise and love


The Father, Son, and Thee..

Questions on the Holy Spirit

This last Sunday (12/5) I wrapped up our mini-series on the Holy Spirit.  A couple weeks ago I asked for questions; wanting to make sure I addressed the Holy Spirit in a way that was specifically helpful for many of you.  I tried to answer most of the questions throughout the series, but there were a couple I couldn’t fit in.  Here they are:

What is “Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?”

We can read about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit in three places – Mathew 12:22-32, Mark 3:22-30, and Luke 2:10.  It’s the one and only sin that Jesus ever calls unforgiveable.  So understandably, many Christians have worried themselves sick over whether or not they have condemned themselves by committing this sin.

They haven’t.

While ‘blasphemy’ is used in different ways, here it means a persistent rebellion that rejects the gracious work of God through the Holy Spirit.  In fact, if you look at the text, the Pharisees who are guilty of this sin are not only rejecting the work of the Holy Spirit, they are attributing the miracles that Jesus is performing to Satan.  Christians (believers) do not commit this sin.  We are believers for the very reason that we have embraced the gracious work of God through the Holy Spirit, not rejected it.

The Pharisees were hardened unbelievers who had willfully and flagrantly rejected the general call of the Holy Spirit to repent from sin and turn to Jesus.  The Holy Spirit is all about Jesus and points us to his atoning work on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins.  If we reject his message and call him a demon (blasphemy) we have rejected God, gone our own way, and are outside God’s forgiveness.

Why is so much emphasis (in many church cultures) placed on new Christians saying “the prayer?”  Is it necessary in order to receive the Holy Spirit?   Is it wrong to say this prayer?

Often, at the end of a public presentation of the gospel, listeners who may not be Christians are encouraged to say “The Prayer” in order to become Christians.  It typically goes something like this:

“Heavenly Father, I know that I have sinned against you and that my sins separate me from you. I am truly sorry. I now want to turn away from my sinful past and turn to you for forgiveness. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, died for my sins, that He was raised from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become my Savior and the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You and to convict me when I sin. I pledge to grow in grace and knowledge of you. My greatest purpose in life is to follow your example and do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.”

A couple thoughts - First, in order to be saved, one must hear the gospel, repent of their sin, and trust Jesus.  When someone says this prayer, they are “declaring” that they repent of their sin and trust Jesus, but we are not saved by a decision or a declaration.  We are saved by actual repentance and faith.  In other words, someone can say this ‘prayer’ and be told they are saved when, in fact, they may not be.

So, I think these prayers usually miss the mark in terms of evangelism and conversion.  It’s an effort to ‘nail people down’ while you have them; to get them to make a commitment; to seal the deal.  Again, we’re not saved by making a decision or signing on a dotted line.  We’re saved by actual faith and repentance that leads to lifelong obedience. 

Second, Jesus, nor His Spirit, never require an invitation.  If we have repented and believed, then we are proving that Christ, through His Spirit, has already wrought faith in us and is present with us (1 Corinthians 12:3).  So our ‘inviting’ is proof that he’s already there because, apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, we never seek or invite or desire Him in any way (Romans 3:10-12).

What does it mean when the Bible says “The Holy Spirit intercedes for us?”

Romans 8:26-28

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

I don’t always know what is best in a situation; therefore, I’m not always certain how to pray.  As well, there are times when I am overwhelmed in circumstances and struggle to find the words I want to say when talking with God.  This text is comforting because it ensures me that 1) the Holy Spirit knows what my real needs are, even when I don’t.  He knows what is best for me, even when I don’t.  He knows what is “too deep for words” when “we do not know what to pray.”  And 2) God the Father and the Holy Spirit are working together, for our good.  They perpetually agree on what is best for us and are constantly working “all things together for good.”  The Spirit intercedes for us “according to the will of God.”  And the Father “knows what is the mind of the Spirit.”

I hope these answers are helpful.  If not, don’t hesitate to let me know.

The Mall Fire

The mall (Roseville Galleria) burned down while I was studying on the second floor of a local library.  I could see the smoke out the window and I could watch (because this is a cool library with flat screens) the story unfold on TV, which is how I learned the fire was due to arson.  Over the past week, many thoughts have gone through my head, from silly to serious.

1.     Messing with a mall in Roseville is like taking a chisel to South Dakota’s Mount Rushmore.  We’re going to have local Moms suffering from mall withdrawal and PTSD and they will probably want to see the arsonist locked up for life.  (Though sentencing him to a 6-month stint at Hot-Dog-On-A-Stick may be just as retributive).

2.     I was pretty sure the two junior high girls who were glued to the library TV, crying and texting, were watching the news for the first time.

3.     I was hoping the fire did not spare the kiosk with the creepy greasies who always try to rub lotion from the Dead Sea on my wife.

4.     On a more serious note, I felt bad for the city of Roseville and, specifically, the employees who just lost their jobs.  An estimated $55 million dollars in damage, 20 stores destroyed, and another 64 stores closed means a lot of people out of work before Thanksgiving and Christmas.  That’s sad.  It also means Roseville is going to take a hit because their mall generates 3.2 million dollars a year in sales tax revenue for the city.

5.     It’s ironic that a mall burned in Roseville.  Roseville’s retail sales are the 11^th highest in the state.  And out of the top 15 retail cities in California, Roseville is the smallest at about 112,000 people.  Roseville is a really ‘nice’ place to live and the main reason it’s nice is because the city is able to spend a lot of money maintaining our infrastructure based on the cash coming from places like the Galleria.

Most likely Roseville is not going to stop being nice because of this fire – but I think it’s a reminder of how blessed we are to live in a beautiful place with nice roads, lots of parks, and great schools.

6.     Lastly, I thought of the “Christmas Dates” my wife and I take to the Galleria every December.  My wife loves me, she loves Christmas, and she loves the mall.  So if you put her in the mall with her husband, surrounded by Christmas decorations and music, you have one happy girl.  I love being with that happy, Christmasy mall girl – so I hope most of it is operational by December.

Actually, I don’t really hope the Dead Sea guys lost their job, I don’t think Moms are suffering from PTSD, and I’m sure the junior highers have watched the news before.  But I’ll be praying for the workers who lost their jobs and thanking God for putting me in a beautiful city like Roseville and, most importantly, thanking God for giving me a bride who loves me, Christmas, and the mall.

Our Father's Discipline

Following Sunday’s sermon (link) on Judges 2:7-15, someone asked me a good question about God’s discipline.  I figure if one person is thinking this question, there are probably others.  So hopefully this is helpful.  Here’s the question: 

“Is all suffering discipline?  Is suffering ever just suffering?”

If you didn’t hear the sermon, or you don’t plan on hearing the sermon, here’s what I said to prompt that question:

“When God’s enemies suffer, they are being punished.  When God’s children suffer, they are being disciplined.  Pain and suffering, for God’s children, is a good thing that softens the heart – It’s purpose is transformation.  On the other hand, pain and suffering, for God’s enemies, hardens the heart and leads to further rebellion – It’s purpose is retribution.”

So, to rephrase the question, “Does this mean that every time I (as a Christian) am experiencing pain or suffering, God is disciplining me?” or “Is the suffering in my life always an act of discipline from God?” 

My short answer to that question is “Yes.”  But I think my “yes” will be confusing without a couple additional points about God’s discipline…

1.  There is a difference between God’s discipline of his children and man’s discipline of his children.  I think that point has to be made because when we hear the word “discipline” we probably think of our parent’s discipline of us, or our discipline of our children.  And while man’s discipline and God’s discipline should share a common purpose (see point 2), they are prompted and carried out differently.  Let me explain…

Biblically, and simply put, man’s discipline of his children involves meeting a child’s disobedience with a painful consequence (Proverbs 13:24; 22:15; Hebrews 12:7, 11).  While God’s discipline is prompted and carried out this way at times (i.e. Jonah, Peter, David) this is not the normative way of God’s discipline in the Bible. 

Can you see how this understanding would look if it were exhaustively applied to all suffering people in your life?  Do you know anyone with cancer?  Let’s say her name is Rachel.  If we say God’s discipline is the same as man’s discipline (“meeting a child’s disobedience with a painful consequence”) then we’re saying Rachel’s fight with cancer is a painful consequence resulting from her disobedience. 

But that interpretation doesn’t work if you’re reading John 9.  There, Jesus and his disciples encounter a man who was born blind.  Their question for Jesus, based on the above understanding of discipline, was “who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2).  Do you remember Jesus’ response?  He said “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:3).  So Rachel, who let’s say is 6, and has cancer, is not suffering because God is giving her a metaphorical spanking.  Rachel, according to John 9, has cancer so that God can display something beautiful in her.

While man’s discipline is more of an event, connected to a particular sin, God’s discipline is more of a purposeful process.

2. There is a similarity between God’s discipline of his children and man’s discipline of his children.  They are both, (assuming man’s discipline is carried out in a Biblical, God-honoring way), driven by the same purpose.  And what is that purpose?  Transformation.  When we discipline our children, we are on a rescue mission, seeking the transformation of our children for the better. 

So it is with God.  When he brings suffering into the lives of his children, it is part of his great rescue mission, as he seeks the transformation of his children for their joy, knowing that pain and suffering will ultimately be for their good. 

Hebrews 12:7-8; 5-6

It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.  

"My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,

   nor be weary when reproved by him.

6For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,

   and chastises every son whom he receives."

Hopefully my answer to the above question now makes more sense - Yes, when a Christian is suffering they are being disciplined, as long as we understand that God’s discipline is the loving, purposeful introduction of pain and suffering into someone’s life as a means of transforming them into something far more beautiful and honoring to God.

Finally, I think this truth is more for the comfort of the suffering than the curiosity of the content.  This truth, while not making suffering any less painful, keeps it from being trivialized or seen as arbitrary.  The good news, seen in God’s loving discipline, is that God is often loving us most when we feel it the least.