Leave a Seat for the Holy Spirit

Maximize Your Dinner Table!

If you have the privilege of being seated at the family table, you know that you have been accepted into a sacred place. It doesn’t necessarily mean that life is perfect with everyone at the table, but it does mean that there is at least something that you share in common.

It is at the table that family often get the opportunity to hear what is on the minds of those closest to us. It is also a time to coach, sympathize, and encourage. At the table there is the opportunity to listen to one another and appreciate one another’s victories, losses, and ongoing struggles.

The table is the perfect place to talk about the importance of family, faith, values, politics, friendships, hopes and plans. 2023 is a challenging place with so many challenges: what is true? Social media and technology? Guns and violence? Immigration? Artificial intelligence? The list simply goes on and on.

There is no one at the family table with enough wisdom or power to handle all the difficulties of life. How can we protect our children from all the bullies of life? How can we expect that everything is going to be fair, honest, and just? However, we can encourage and teach one to lean into the person of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit Needs a Place at the Table

I am convinced that although our table talks are essential, we ultimately have to lean into the power of the Holy Spirit to see the best results in our lives. We must teach our families to understand our world through the lens of the Bible. The Bible addresses all the topics of today, and when we rely on the Power of the Holy Spirit, we become enabled to live powerful lives.

Unfortunately, the Person of the Holy Spirit is the most misunderstood and undervalued of the Trinity. Francis Chan puts it this way:

Some people talk a lot about—even boast of—the Spirit, but their lives do not bear His fruit. Others speak of the Holy Spirit in theoretical or scholarly terms, yet do not experience Him at work. Still others ignore Him for all practical purposes and, as you might expect, rarely experience relationship or intimacy with the Spirit. And then there is that rare person who doesn’t talk frequently about the Spirit, yet whose life is a powerful display of His presence and activity.[1]

In our table talk today, I simply want to present the practical ways that the Holy Spirit can empower our lives. Imagine the power that our children have when they’ve learned to depend on the Holy Spirit to serve Jesus!

Living Holy Spirit Empowered Lives

When No One Else Can, the Spirit Does

This is a strangely worded idea. What I mean to say is we often come to our ‘wits end’ with trying to fix things. We often find that we can’t. Although we’d like to make the world safe for ourselves and our loved ones, we can’t. On top of that those that are nearest to us have stopped listening. It was Mark Twain who said,

“When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.”

Every parent knows what he was talking about. That teenage boy or girl is convinced that they have it all figured out. But, more than that, our loved ones can often live in confusion and deception without even realizing it. No talk at the table is going to get them out of it. However, the Holy Spirit can!

He changes our behaviors! By the power of the Spirit we put to death the misdeeds of the body. The Spirit sets us free from the sins we cannot get rid of on our own. This is a lifelong process we entered into, in partnership with the Spirit, when we first believed.

1 Thessalonians 1:4–6 NIV

For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit convicts people of sin. He does this both before we initially enter into right relationship with God and as we journey through this life as believers

John 16:7–11 NIV

But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

It is a powerful advantage to realize the power of the Holy Spirit to change, first, us, and then our loved ones.

No One Has to Do It Alone

As I continue with this message, we will continue to learn of the advantages that we have when we team up with the Holy Spirit. The Counselor teaches and reminds us of what we need to know and remember. He is our comforter, our advisor, our encourager, and our strength. He guides us in the way we should go.

He speaks to us…

Acts 13:2 NIV

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

He directs us…

Acts 15:28 NIV

It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements:

Francis Chan writes:

Have you ever thought about the significance of having “another” Counselor who is “just like” Christ? Right now, imagine what it would be like to have Christ standing beside you in the flesh, functioning as your personal Counselor. Imagine the peace that would come from knowing you would always receive perfect truth and flawless direction from Him. That sounds amazing, and none of us could deny the benefit of having Jesus here physically, guiding and enabling us every step of the way.

Yet why do we assume that this would be any better than the literal presence of the Holy Spirit?[2]

He Prays for Us

Not only does the Spirit speak to us and direct us but He is also praying for us!

Romans 8:27 NIV

And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

How often have you felt that you were on your own or that if you weren’t near enough to your children that everything would fall apart? The truth is that God loves us so much that He provided the Holy Spirit to be actively praying, directing, and speaking in our lives. How wonderful and how important this is for us to know! Table talks are great. We need to discuss issues in terms of the Word of God but our families need SI (Spiritual Intelligence) far beyond AI (Artificial Intelligence).

It is our responsibility to rely on the Holy Spirit ourselves and to teach a reliance on the Holy Spirit to our children!

Astonishing Boldness

Have you learned to call on the Holy Spirit when you need supernatural strength. Are you teaching your children to call on the HS when they are in those situations? Let’s take a second to look at what the Bible tells us about these moments:

Mark 13:11 NIV

Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

That’s pretty extreme but what about when your friends are pressuring you? What about when modern culture says faith is outdated and shallow? What about when the talk at work is about the latest conquest of money, power, or pleasure? What about when the world around us just seems to be crushing us?

Acts 4:29–31 NIV

Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

When we teach ourselves and our families to rely on the Holy Spirit’s boldness in our lives, what a tremendous advantage we have given!

Christ is Made Bigger (Not You)

In the book of Acts, there was a man in Samaria called Simeon the Sorcerer. He boasted that he was someone great. The people actually called him “The Great Power of God”. However, when the disciples introduced the people to the Gospel and then the baptism of the Holy Spirit, Simeon jealously wanted the power and offered money to get it.

The Holy Spirit is not about making people into celebrities. He is all about making Christ bigger. Jesus Himself described the Spirit this way:

John 16:13–15 NIV

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

I have to admit that when I first read some of Francis Chan’s stuff back in the mid 2000’s I realized he wasn’t Pentecostal. That is why when I stumbled onto his book, Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit, I was pleasantly surprised to find that He now sees the infilling of the Holy Spirit as necessary to the believer.

Here’s a point that he makes about making Christ bigger…

I can’t say exactly what will happen when you admit that you can never fully know or experience enough of the Holy Spirit yet choose to seek Him regardless. I know only that when you surrender fully to the Spirit, Christ will be magnified, not you (John 16:14).

And perhaps the core issue is really about our holding back from giving ourselves to God, rather than our getting “too much” of Him. Perhaps when a person says, “I’d just like a little God, thank you very much,” she or he is really saying, “I’d rather not give the parts of my life that I really care about over to God, so I’ll just hold on to this, that, oh, and that, too.…”

It doesn’t work that way. When I read Scripture, I see the truth and necessity of a life wholly surrendered to and dependent upon the Holy Spirit.[3]

There is so much more to say about the advantage of the Holy Spirit in our lives but we need to come to a conclusion.

You Were Meant to Be a Butterfly Not a Caterpillar

Have you ever wondered what caterpillars think about?

Imagine the confusion a caterpillar must experience. For all its caterpillar life, it crawls around a small patch of dirt and up and down a few plants. Then one day it takes a nap. A long nap. And then, what in the world must go through its head when it wakes up to discover it can fly? What happened to its dirty, plump little worm body? What does it think when it sees its tiny new body and gorgeous wings?

As believers, we ought to experience this same kind of astonishment when the Holy Spirit enters our bodies. We should be stunned in disbelief over becoming a “new creation” with the Spirit living in us. As the caterpillar finds its new ability to fly, we should be thrilled over our Spirit-empowered ability to live differently and faithfully. Isn’t this what the Scriptures speak of? Isn’t this what we’ve all been longing for?[4]

Poured Out for All

Let’s check out what happened on Pentecost:

Acts 2:1–4 NIV

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Right after the disciples experienced the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, Peter stood up to say something we needs to be understood.

Acts 2:14–17 NIV

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: “ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.

Verse 17 is a quote from the OT book of Joel. “the book of Joel arguably had more impact on the writers of the New Testament than any other Old Testament book. And if Isaiah 53 is the key scripture for our understanding and experience of the cross of Christ, then Joel 2 is essential for our understanding, teaching and experience of the coming of God’s Spirit.”[5] How can we appreciate what this statement means to the Christian today?

In the OT the Spirit moved at creation, on the leaders, the prophets, the artisans in unusual and powerful ways. Moses was unique in that God spoke to him face to face (Ex 12:8). For the prophets the Lord spoke to them in dreams and visions (12:6).

Peter’s use of Joel 2 is exceptional because he presents a dramatic change. The Holy Spirit is now poured out. The picture here is a drenching rain. The Spirit would not fall on one or two but it would fall on all those who would receive Him.

On the Day of Pentecost the promise arrived like a violent wind from heaven and they saw what seemed to be tongues of fire. But, most importantly it rested on each of them and all were filled.

How we experience and receive the Holy Spirit is not as important as the truth that we can experience the Holy Spirit!

[1]Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski, Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2009), 20. [2]Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski, Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2009), 34. [3]Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski, Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2009), 21. [4]Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski, Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2009), 36–37. [5]David Prior, The Message of Joel, Micah and Habakkuk: Listening to the Voice of God, ed. J. A. Motyer and Derek Tidball, The Bible Speaks Today (Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1988), 69–70.