Spiritual Things
Concerning Spiritual Things
Pastor Keith Hassell
God Seeks Spiritual Worshipers
God is Spirit. His realm of existence preceded our own and it will exist after this present world is gone. The spiritual realm actually has more substance than the natural realm around us. Believers are exhorted to keep their eyes on spiritual things rather than on natural things: "while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18).
Jesus told us that God is looking for spiritual worshipers to worship Him(John 4:20-24). Becoming spiritual does not mean that we put on a religious mind. God has never approved of religion, i.e. man's way of worshiping God. Most of what man calls worship is soulish---mental, emotional, and our way. While worship will include the mind, will, and emotions, the worship that God seeks flows from the spirit of man through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Man is made up of spirit, soul, and body(I Thessalonians 5:23). When Adam sinned in the garden, he died spiritually. His ability to fellowship and commune with God on a spiritual level was destroyed. That has passed down to us because we are born into the world as the seed of Adam. Jesus talked to Nicodemus about the necessity of a new birth. Jesus was not talking about turning a new leaf in life and becoming religious. No, Nicodemus was already religious. He was a Pharisee and a ruler among the people. Religion did not satisfy Nicodemus. He knew there had to be something more. Thank God there is! This new birth which Jesus described to him is a spiritual birth(John 3:1-8). Sadly, many today are just like Nicodemus. They began with a desire for a relationship with God but then somehow they were sold religion instead of the new birth. Religion can never satisfy because it is our effort to please God. We always fall short and become disappointed. When we couldn't reach God, He came to us so that through faith He could bring us to Himself. The new birth is literally a miracle of God. It is not the work of a priest or a pastor, but is performed by the Spirit of God Himself inside the spirit of man. The new birth literally ushers a person into relationship with the family of God and the Kingdom of God. A new spiritual life begins to unfold when a person believes the gospel, repents of their sin, and confesses Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.
Once a person becomes born again by the Spirit of God, operating in the Holy Spirit should become a normal way of life for any true believer. Many times, however, Satan comes immediately to deceive us. If he can't stop us from being born of the Spirit, he will attempt to lead us back into a fleshly mode of worship and practice which he can control. Paul asked the church people of Galatia, "Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?"(Galatians 3:3). You see, Satan is not scared of the form of religion any more than we would be scared of the shadowy form of a dog. It is the reality, substance and power of God over which the devil has no control. If Satan can get us to settle for a form of spirituality(i.e. religion), then he has effectively stripped us of our power in spiritual things. Paul warned Timothy that in the last days men would hold to a form of godliness but deny its power(2 Timothy 3:5). The power is found in the operations of the Spirit. Therefore Paul went on to tell the Galatians: "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit"(Galatians 5:25). Fear has led many to feel safer with form than with substance. Formality is structured and safe. We feel safe because we know everything that will happen before a service even begins. We even know when it will end. We are afraid of someone else being in control, even if that Someone is God. Spiritual things are sometimes hard to understand. And, naturally, we tend to be afraid of what we do not understand. We can even be tempted to label the work of the Holy Spirit: "Of the Devil."
Regardless of what we may have been led to believe, Satan does not have a corner market on spiritual things. The spiritual world belongs to God, and Jesus is Lord over it all. Satan is a spiritual rebel and a spiritual counterfeiter. He is the father of lies and deception. Because of this, we need to exercise Biblical wisdom in spiritual matters. For instance, if we attempt to operate in spiritual things apart from Jesus, we will open ourselves up to deception and spiritual bondage by the devil. Jesus is the only door into God-ordained spiritual authority and power.
As I mentioned earlier, entering God's Kingdom through the new birth gives us entrance and access into a new walk in the power of the Spirit. Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My father"(John 14:12). When Jesus ascended to the Father, He sent the promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit(John 16:7-8; Acts 1:4). Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit came upon us we would receive power to be His witnesses(Acts 1:8). He said this promise is to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call(Acts 2:39). Praise God, I'm a part of that as many! How about you? Jesus said that in His name, signs and wonders would follow those who believe(Mark 16:15-20). The book of Acts is filled with testimonies of the church going forth in the power of God's Holy Spirit. Peter even stood up and declared that in the last days God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh---sons and daughters would prophesy, young men would see visions, and old men would dream dreams. The last days were ushered in on the day of Pentecost(Acts 2) and we are racing toward the end of the last days in our day. God is still in the Holy Spirit outpouring business!
Why isn't this the experience of more believers today? Why is it that some have taught that God no longer works like He did in the New Testament book of Acts? Why is it that when spiritual gifts do begin to occur that they are sometimes quickly attributed to the devil? Why are there misunderstandings and confusion about these issues? The reason is our ignorance of spiritual things which have been reinforced by the devil and the philosophies and doctrines of men. Of course, the devil would love to keep us ignorant of the spiritual battle and of our authority and power over him. He would love for us to believe he is in control now that Jesus is in heaven. He would love to keep us running in a squirrel cage of human effort to solve the problems around us. Philosophies, doctrines, and traditions of men rob us of the power of Christ. Paul warned in Colossians 2:8, "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ."
Did Spiritual Gifts "Pass Away"?
Nowhere in the New Testament does the Bible say that spiritual gifts would pass away with the apostles. Some have tried to use I Corinthians 13:8-13 as "proof" that the gifts passed away, but actually the opposite is proved. "That which is perfect" is not the canonization of the Scripture in the fourth century AD. as has been proposed(where do you find that in this passage?) but rather when we see Jesus face to face. Only then will there be no need for spiritual gifts as we know them, because there will be no gaps in our knowledge, no sick bodies to be healed, no evil spirits lurking around to be discerned, no language we cannot understand, etc. Reality is, we still see through a glass darkly. Thank God for the Word of God, but we still need the Holy Spirit to reveal it and to apply it! Not everything God wants to do in specific situations is revealed in the pages of the written Word. We still need the Holy Spirit and His gifts.
One doctrine of man which has promoted the idea that the gifts have passed away is Dispensational Theology. Though the Bible does talk about dispensations, it does not teach the dispensationalism promoted today. Naturally the Bible is a record of covenants between God and man. We can know how God will work with us based upon what His covenant says. The covenant now in force is the New Covenant, or the New Testament. It has not changed. Therefore all things written remain the same and nothing has passed away. Dispensationalism, however, is an entire theological system based on a whole different system of Bible interpretation. It is based on a belief that God has carried out His plan in different ways at different times of history. J.N. Darby, a minister in the Church of England and leader of the Plymouth Brethren, developed dispensationalism and the Scofield Reference Bible, published in 1909, popularized it. Its very systematic approach to Bible understanding is enticing. However, one of its flaw is in the liberty which men have taken within that framework to decide what God will and will not do today. It is at best a theological bias in interpretation. It has made many of its interpretations on the basis of experiences in church history rather than at the words of Scripture.
Rather than asking what is wrong with the church and why it does not experience New Testament gifts and power, the church has proudly assumed that it is fine. Therefore, it concludes, the reason why the gifts of the Holy Spirit have not been experienced is because they have "passed away". The truth is that the church did begin to drift from the Word of God and its teachings after the apostles died. It got further and further from New Testament doctrine and experience until it came into an era called The Dark Ages, and era where the tradition of man ruled and the Bible was banned from the possession of the common man. In essence, the "light" went out in the church. Not until like Martin Luther and others began to get ahold of the Word of God and exercise faith did God begin to restore the truths of the New Testament back into the church. The Word of God began to be printed into the languages of the common man. People began to compare their religious experience and beliefs to the Word of God and found that the two did not agree. Persecution by the organized church began as people resisted traditions of men in order to adhere to the Word of God. Revival after revival broke out as men staked their lives on the Word of God. Many of our modern denominations began as a result of such men. May the churches of today not repeat the mistake of history. May we be conformed to the Word of God rather than to our traditions! Since that time God has restored Biblical truths to the church as people repented of the traditions of men and believed the Bible. Peter stated in Acts 3:19-21: "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began." These times of refreshing and times of restoration are continuing even now as God restores the power and ministry of the Holy Spirit to His church. Although the gifts of the Spirit did wane during these dark days of the church, history reveals that the gifts have always been in operation among groups which have continued to believe.
Overcoming The Damage
The damage must be overcome. We must return to the Bible as our absolute authority on spiritual things. The opinions of man have ruled the church for too long. The absence of spiritual power in the life of the church has become so "normal" that when true spiritual power is released, it can seem strange and abnormal. Instead of going to the Scriptures, we usually turn to our experience(or lack of experience) as evidence that certain spiritual things are not of God. If they were of God, we reason, then why have we not experienced them before? Of course, our ability to discern what is of God and what is not is obscured not only by our lack of experience but also by our lack of spiritual discernment. While we have glorified our minds, we have been spiritual drop outs. Even in the church we are still trusting in our educational degrees to lead the church into the light. Yet the more we exalt our degrees, it seems the deeper our churches slip into darkness and decay. We need the power of Holy Spirit and the living Word to change the direction of this generation.
The Bible is clear that we will never be able to understand spiritual things with the soulish faculties of the mind. As Paul says in I Corinthians 2:14, "But the natural(literally: soulish or psychological) man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." Paul made it clear. The soulish or psychological man will not be able to receive the things of the Spirit of God. The things of the Spirit of God are spiritually discerned. Therefore we must make adjustments in our approach to spiritual things if we are to evaluate and receive them.
Brethren, I Do Not Want You To Be Ignorant
Our lack of insight has crippled us. When we are ignorant we will usually do one of two things: 1) we become zealous without proper knowledge and misapply spiritual things, or, 2) we become fearful and avoid spiritual things altogether. Neither is a proper response and both rob us and the church of the blessing of God. Paul said in I Corinthians 12:1 "Now concerning spiritual gifts (literally spiritual things), brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant." Paul, realizing the pitfalls of ignorance, devoted three chapters(more than he did on any other subject in his letters) to explaining spiritual things. Therefore, let us look at what Paul is telling us so we can operate accurately and confidently in spiritual things.
Test The Spirits
Paul was writing to saints who had come out of paganism. They were spiritual people before conversion, but their spirituality was based in the dark world of idolatry. Pagan and demonic rituals were commonly observed. In I Corinthians chapter ten Paul admonished them to remove themselves from idolatry knowing that participation with an idol is actually participation with demons. Christianity was new to them and so were the operations of the Holy Spirit. They needed instruction.
Spiritual manifestations were very common in the Corinthian church, but some were getting confused about the messages some were giving under the so-called inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This is still the case today. We are not asked to accept every manifestation and utterance which comes forth in the church as being from the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, neither are we to be paranoid of the real operations of the Spirit. We are to test the spirits to see whether they are of God(I John 4:1). When we follow the guidelines of Scripture, we can clear away the smoke screen of the false and walk confidently in the true demonstrations of the Spirit. Just as it was when Moses appeared before Pharaoh, the miracles of God overcame the counterfeit miracles of the magicians. Satan's power must be confronted. If there has ever been a day when the world needs a living demonstration of the Spirit and power, it is today. Paul was adamant when he said, "And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God"(I Corinthians 2:4-5).
How does God expect us to test the spirits? First He tells us to look at the message: Many times we get side tracked trying to defend or refute signs and wonders. The Bible never does. Why? Because signs and wonders are relative to the message. They are given to bring attention to and to confirm a message. Signs and wonders become false when they confirm a false message. In the Old Testament God told His people Israel to turn away from prophets and dreamers who performed a sign or wonder and then gave them a message to follow after other gods. We are not to compromise the message to defend our signs and wonders. On the contrary, biblical signs and wonders are meant to confirm the message of God: "And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen."(Mark 16:20).
No matter how many signs and wonders are performed, they must be dismissed if they do not confirm the Word of God. The signs and wonders of the apostles confirmed the message that Jesus Christ is Lord over sin, sickness, devils, poverty and death. God told Israel that prophets performing signs and wonders would come as a test upon them to see if they turn away from God's commands: "If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods'---which you have not known----'and let us serve them,' you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul"(Deuteronomy 13:1-3).
The primary way to know what spirit is in operation is to find out its message about Jesus. Paul is clear: "Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit"(I Corinthians 12:3). If the message about Jesus is not right, then the spirit in operation is not right. The Jesus of the Bible is not cursed but is God's chosen Messiah. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. Any so-called spiritual ministry that denies this is not of God. John said it another way: "By this you will know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world"(I John 4:1-3). We are to look at the message being declared about Jesus. Is Jesus Christ being glorified? Is the "Jesus" being preached the same Jesus in the Bible? Do not be deceived by someone talking about Jesus. It is possible for people to preach another Jesus(2 Corinthians 11:4). False religions and false "Christian" sects draw the unsuspecting away through a non-biblical Jesus. We are not to allow the gospel of Jesus to become distorted. Stay with the clear Scriptural account of Jesus' life and teachings. Again, if the spirit at work is not of God, it will always seek to distort the Biblical account of the person, work, and message of Christ.
Another way we can know if the message and the messenger is of God is inspect the fruit. Naturally fruit takes a while to manifest. Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 7:15-20, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them." A spirit can be tested as we look at the fruits or "evidences" of a person's deeds and character. Not only can we test the prophet by inspecting the fruit of his life, but we can also inspect the spirit of his message by inspecting the fruit it produces in the lives of others. If the spirit in operation is of God, then the evidence will be Biblical fruit which glorifies Jesus. This does not mean that we should expect perfection. For instance, some orange trees bear better oranges than others, but as long as the tree is bearing oranges, the tree is confirmed to be an orange tree. But when a tree labels itself as an orange tree, and then consistently bears thorns and thistles, we are right to base its identity on its fruit rather than on its label.
It is still hard for us to be honest about our own lives. We are good at labeling ourselves but poor at inspecting the fruit. Many who claim to be orange trees are bearing thorns and thistles. They hang around others who have labeled themselves orange trees and also bear thorns and thistles. They give witness to themselves saying, "If they are an orange tree, then so am I. We all look and act the same." No one should even dare question this consensus! They have believed themselves to be an orange tree for so long that when a real orange tree comes along, it "has to be a deception of the devil."
Jesus and His disciples bore the right kind of fruit as they operated in the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Jesus did the works of the Father. He said to the Pharisees who were casting judgment on Him, "If I do not the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him"(John 10:37-38). Jesus knew the Pharisees had a difficult time believing in Jesus. Jesus did not say they were condemned in this alone, for everyone can have doubts. But we cannot stay in doubt and please God. There comes a time when we have to decide what we will believe. When we do, we will either follow or turn away. Jesus told them there was a way to know and believe. It was to believe in the evidence of the works which that He did. The works were evidence that God, and not the devil, was at work.
Granted, the works of Jesus were unusual. No one had seen these works before. Jesus did many signs and wonders which left the people in awe. Signs and wonders lift us off of the rational plane and make us consider something or Someone greater than ourselves and the world around us. As it was in Jesus' day, many things happen in the Spirit which, in the natural, we cannot explain. The work of the Spirit cannot be explained in natural terms alone. Otherwise there could be no such thing as a sign or wonder. Signs and wonders are spiritual realities which God allows to manifest in the natural realm. Are we left, therefore, to wander around in skepticism because we do not understand? No, we can inspect the fruit and come to a place of assurance. The Pharisees, on the other hand, did not follow this principle. They chose to ignore the fruit as they cast judgment on Jesus' ministry. Because they refused to acknowledge the fruit, they erred in their judgment and were found to be enemies of God. Let us not err like the Pharisees and ignore the importance of inspecting the fruit before labeling the tree. Jesus said we can know the tree by the fruit.
A third way to test the spirits in operation is to find out if the works of the devil are being destroyed. Common sense will tell us that if people are being set free from demons, disease, alcohol, drugs, lust, addictions, bondages, bitterness, envy, jealousy, hate, murder, divorce and a host of other sinful things we could list, the source must be God and not the devil. Yet not all people are willing to give in to common sense. In His day, Jesus cast out devils. This was unusual. No one had cast out devils with any success in the past. This was a strange power Jesus was exercising. Because the Pharisees could not accept Jesus' ministry, they began telling those around that Jesus performed His miracles by the power of the devil. They were using a common tactic(it is still effective today) of controlling the multitudes by conjuring up fear. Their tactic was simple: "If we tell the people that Jesus' signs and wonders are of the devil, then we will plant a powerful seed of doubt in their heart which will effectively extinguish their curiosity and desire." After all, no one wants anything to do with the devil, right?
Now it is a noble responsibility for under-shepherds to guard the flock from deception. But when the under-shepherd begins to guard the flock from the true Owner and Shepherd of the sheep, their motive ceases to be love and truth and becomes control and treason against the Shepherd. Jesus, the True Shepherd, came on the scene to minister to His flock and to set them free from the plagues of the devil. It became obvious that the Pharisees' comments to the people were not motivated by a love for the sheep or for truth but by a fight for control. Jesus confronted and exposed their error, hypocrisy, deception. Jesus stated emphatically, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?"(Matthew 12:25-26). The principles is clear: the devil will not work against himself. Now we thank God for the help people can receive from doctors and counselors. They are fighting against the same devil. But their effectiveness is limited. There is a power much greater. It is the power of the Spirit of God. Jesus said, "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you."(Matthew 12:28). Thank God there is deliverance in Jesus' name! Jesus said we can know that the kingdom of God is being manifested among us when we see people being set free from the devil's power.
A fourth way to test the spirits is by the witness of the Holy Spirit. I am not speaking of natural insight or discernment, but of the witness of the Holy Spirit. Because people have had difficulty discerning the voice of God, I want to take time to lay some foundations. First, there are two sources of "insight": the wisdom of the world and the wisdom from God. Actually, the wisdom of the world is not true wisdom at all but is earthly, sensual, and demonic(James 3:15). It does not lead us to a true knowledge of God. Satan is the source of this wisdom. Through this earthly wisdom he blinds people to the knowledge of God: "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them"(2 Corinthians 4:3-4).
The strength of earthly wisdom is found in its pride. Therefore God uses the foolish things to condemn the wisdom of this world. Paul tells us in I Corinthians 1:21, "For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe." God renders the wisdom of this world foolishness before Him by using what the world calls foolish. God is looking for people who will live by faith in His wisdom rather than by pride in their own.
It is evident that we cannot trust earthly wisdom to know the things which are of God. We need revelation from God's Holy Spirit. Revelation means to "roll away the veil." Listen to these words: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit of God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual" (I Corinthians 2:9-13). So it is clearly manifest that no one can know the things of God apart from the help of the Spirit of God. If this is so, then we are dependent not upon our own wisdom, but upon the Holy Spirit to lead us into truth. Jesus told His disciples, "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare(or reveal) it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you"(John 16:12-15).
Oh, how we need to depend upon the Holy Spirit! There were times when I saw things that my mind did not understand. How foolish it seemed to see people dancing or lifting their hands in praise to God. How foolish it seemed for anyone to speak in "tongues" or prophesy. How foolish it seemed to hear people talk about healing and deliverance from demons. How foolish it seemed for people to walk in faith for what they could not see. Even though my mind may have struggled, the Holy Spirit put a witness in my spirit that what I was seeing was of God. Paul declared that God speaks to His people through the inner witness: "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God"(Romans 8:16). Solomon, a master in wisdom, said: "The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the inner depths of his heart"(Proverbs 20:27). As a result of the inner witness, I would go back to and search the Scriptures to let the Holy Spirit confirm these things through the Word. At other times, the Spirit of God will but a "check" in my spirit that something was in error. I then go back to the Word and ask the Holy Spirit to help me understand. Sometimes I find that my thinking is in error, and other times I realize that the teaching is in error. Each time I am thankful for this Guide sent from heaven Who is in the process of leading me into all truth.
I have come to depend upon this Helper from on high, the Holy Spirit of God. I have seen others reject the work of God simply because their mind was offended or their tradition and doctrines were challenged. Much of our doctrinal hang ups are the result of things which we have been taught by others, some of them by people very dear to us. We would think it an act of treason against them to believe any different. Yet anyone can err and everyone does. Esteeming people above the Lord will lead us into their error: "How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?"(John 5:44). Jesus said that if we are willing to do His will, we will know whether something is from God or not(John 7:17). If we are willing to change on the basis of His revealed will, then we are in a position to know what is of God. Thank God for those who teach us the Word of God. We should esteem them for their work's sake(I Thessalonians 5:13). But we are to let no one substitute teach for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit must become the Teacher in the classroom of our heart if we are going to continually walk in truth. John said: "These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him"(I John 2:26-27).
We need to know the voice of our Shepherd. Otherwise we may find ourselves following the thief who has come to rob us of God's best. Jesus said of the good Shepherd, "To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers"(John 10:2-5). Far too many of God's people have not learned to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit for themselves. I have had some Christians express to me, "You mean you hear God's voice?" This is a clear indication to me that they have been depending upon others to reveal God in their lives. My question in return is always, "You say you are a Christian and you do not hear His voice?" I think most people are expecting to hear a voice from heaven. However, the most common way God's voice comes to us is through the inner witness. It takes time in God's presence and in His word to learn to discern and recognize His voice. Jesus said that His sheep can learn to discern between the voice of the Shepherd and the thief. It is God's will that we hear His voice.
Too many of God's people do not know what God has for them because they have not look upon the Holy Spirit to show them. They are not spiritual people. I did not say they were not religious. Most people today are religious. Almost everyone has something going with God in their own way. Even many sinners are religious to some degree. The problem with religion is that it is a substitute for spiritual things. Religion is approaching God with our soulish man rather than with our spiritual man. Religion will never bring us to a proper understanding of God. Again let us review a scripture, "But the natural(soulish or psychological) man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned"(I Corinthians 2:14). The things of God seem foolish to a man who tries to discern them with the soulish mind. It takes the mind of Christ to discern and receive the things of the Spirit of God. "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ"(I Corinthians 2:16).
Now obviously God gave us a mind. He does not expect us to throw it away. No, but rather He wants to transform it: "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God"(Romans 12:2). In other words, our natural mind is programmed with a lot of worldly and religious ways of thinking about God. We must allow God to by-pass the natural mind so we can first receive from Him in the spiritual mind, the mind of Christ. Then we can begin to allow the spiritual mind to transform or reprogram our soulish mind. After a while, the soulish mind, which has been transformed and renewed by the Word of God, will not be at odds with the mind of Christ. Our mind will begin to think in line with the will of God. We are no longer double-minded(James 1:8). The natural and spiritual mind begin to operate in complete unity and agreement.
Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit: A Word of Caution
It is one thing to test the spirits, but it is another thing to blaspheme the Holy Spirit. We are given the responsibility to test the spirits, but we are not given the right to test them with the litmus test of our own natural reasoning. Jesus warned the Pharisees, "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come"(Matthew 12:31-32). What is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? It is directly attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to the devil. How tragic it is when I hear so-called believers attributing everything they do not agree with to the devil. I especially cringe when I hear people call things that are clearly biblical of the devil. They have biblical spiritual experiences of no effect because of their doctrines. This is a serious charge and should never be made lightly. You may say, "Well, it doesn't look or sound like God to me." That may be honest enough. But are you willing to risk your eternity on a statement like, "That's of the devil"? Is it possible that you could be wrong? The Pharisees were. Are you sure you are more noble than them? Are you sure your teachers are not wrong? Is it possible that you might be reacting based on your own experience and training? Are you willing to become like the noble Bereans who made no judgment until they had searched out the truth? Are you willing to consider the Word of God, the nature and work of the Holy Spirit, and the testimonies and witnesses of people involved before casting sentence? What kind of trial throws out the written law, the evidence and the witnesses and, on top of that, bring in false witnesses and scandalous reports? I say, it would be a crooked trial. Yet is possible to render judgments inside the heart in just the same way.
It is one thing to have doubts and questions. It is even okay at times to express concerns in the pursuit of knowing truth. But if it is possible that God may be at work, then do not be foolish. Be wise and keep quiet until you are sure. Too many people today are running recklessly into the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Some, I fear, have become hardened and will never change. Blasphemy is so serious that one of the judgments against it is for the blasphemer to be delivered over to Satan(I Timothy 1:20).
You might say, "What if I have been guilty of blasphemy and now I realize I was ignorant of what I was saying? Is there any mercy of God left that I can I be forgiven?" I believe the Bible tells us that if we were genuinely ignorant, God will be merciful to forgive us if we sincerely repent. Paul, once a Pharisee himself who would have followed in his training, was surely guilty of blaspheming the person and work of the Holy Spirit in the life of Jesus. Paul said of himself: "I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief"(I Timothy 1:13). If there was mercy for Paul, there can be mercy for us if we repent.
Interestingly enough, it was Paul who became intent on helping the church correctly discern spiritual things. I believe his experience has become a benefit to us all.