Reviewing Humble Orthodoxy, Week 5

Title: The Power: Understanding And Experiencing the Holy Spirit
Speaker: Jeff Purswell
Session: Main Session #5, Na06
Date: May 29, 2006

Main Texts
Several, including John 14:16 and Ephesians 5:17-21

Some Opening Thoughts
When going to a conference and hearing sitting in on eight sessions in three days, it is easy to miss a lot of what is said. That is one of the reasons I am going back through and re-listening to these teachings. Quite honestly, I had forgotten how good this session was.

A Brief Outline
1. The Spirit’s empowering work reveals Christ’s presence and illuminates His work
–> We don’t just sing to a Savior who is seated at the right hand of God, we sing to a Savior who is with us through the person of the Holy Spirit.
–> The Holy Spirit was promised to the disciples to expand the disciples' capacity to know and understand Jesus.
–> Nothing is more central to the Holy Spirit’s work than to reveal the person and presence of Jesus.
2. The Spirit’s empowering work embraces all of life
–> Like breath and blood and brain waves to the physical life, so is the Spirit to our spiritual lives – there is no spiritual life apart from the Holy Spirit.
–> Survey your life for evidence of God’s grace. Where you spot it, there is evidence of the Spirit’s work.
–> Jesus’ work alone makes this possible; the Spirit’s work alone makes it actual.
–> Jesus died for us; but we’re not saved unless the Spirit gives us life.
3. The Spirit’s empowering work is ongoing and continuous
–> One of the most common misconceptions that people have about the work of the Holy Spirit is to define it merely in dramatic and experiential terms.
–> Another fallacy is to define the work of the Holy Spirit as a point-in-time event – “been there, done that,” “I got it.”
–> The unquestionable emphasis in the Scriptures is not isolated experiences of the Spirit but ongoing appropriations of the Spirit.
–> Ephesians 5:17-21
4. The Spirit’s empowering work aims at our personal sanctification, mutual edification, and evangelistic witness
–> Godliness, service, witness – if we are not pursuing these things, we are not going to experience the Spirit’s power.
–> (a) Walk [let your life be controlled by] the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. (Galations 5:16)
–> (b) The focus of the spiritual gifts (1 Cor.12-14) is to build up and serve other people.
–> (c) “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8)
5. The Spirit’s empowering work should include a discernibly dynamic dimension
–> One thing is certainly clear: when believers encounter the Spirit, there will/can/should be a dynamic dimension to this.
–> When God’s Spirit is at work, He does powerful things.
–> We don’t want to have the WMD approach or the “crazy uncle” approach to the Spirit.
–> May we all have an increasing experience of the Spirit that demonstrates the reality of the Gospel in our lives.
6. The Spirit’s empowering work meets us as we passionately seek God and dependently serve God
–> The Bible doesn’t just tell us things to believe about the Spirit; the Bible also commands attitudes about the Spirit, enjoining us to postures of heart.
–> The Bible imposes upon us attitudes: desperate, grateful, hungry.
–> Desperate: aware of our absolute dependence upon God.
–> Grateful: grateful for the Spirit’s presence in all of life.
–> Hungry: ever asking for more, ever pursuing more of the Spirit’s work in our lives, ever trusting for more of God’s power in sanctification and service and worship.

Other Points
–> It is God’s desire for us to experience His Spirit in ever-increasing ways for His glory.
–> God didn’t just give us a new destiny, He chose to take up residence in our lives.
–> God doesn’t only save individuals, He is gathering for Himself a people among whom He can dwell.

Some Application Questions
–> Am I dependently seeking to serve God?
–> Does my soul thirst for God, and my very flesh faint for God? If not, what is satisfying me?
–> Am I hungry or am I reluctant?

One Thing That Has Stuck With Me
Jeff Purswell’s three words summing up our response: desperate, grateful, hungry.

One Thing I Re-learned By Re-listening
The fourth point, where Jeff Purswell describes the Spirit’s work as aiming toward our personal sanctification, mutual edification, and evangelistic witness. It’s not that I was unaware of any of these, but having heard him lay them out explicitly in those words will be helpful to remember.

Discussion
–> What are one or two things that you learned in listening to this teaching?
–> If you were re-listening to it, what are some ways that God has used this teaching in your life over the last two years?
–> Also, feel free to give suggestions on the focus and format of these posts.
–> Finally, as great as it is to be able to talk about this online, talk about it personally with people you know. Use it as an opportunity to share with each other what God is teaching you, and how He has given (and is giving) you the grace to apply it.

This was Week 5 in the fifteen weeks of reviewing humble orthodoxy, leading up to New Attitude 2008 in Louisville, Kentucky on May 24-27. Listen to “Understanding And Experiencing the Holy Spirit” for free.

Next Week: The Mission: Reaching the World Next Door (Eric Simmons)

Background on this series: Humble Orthodoxy