For most of my adultish life, I have been involved, in one way or another, with theater, mostly as an actor. I have played everything from Paperboy #2 to Harry Truman. One thing I have learned from theater is that what you see on stage is only a small portion of what is required to make a performance valuable. It is the director, playwright, stagehands, technicians, makeup artists, etc. who make all the magic possible and make every experience seem easy, seamless, and clear. Without them, I would be just a quiet, incomprehensible voice in the dark. I realize that this is a horrible analogy, but this is what the Holy Spirit does to our Christian Mission. The Spirit makes us much better than we actually are. In John 14:26, Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as “the Helper … he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said.”
This helper, or advocate in other translations, is what God has provided to allow us to fulfil our spiritual missions, and, I want to discuss how the Spirit allows me to write these monthly pieces of ephemera, because I do feel that this is my witness. But let’s start at the beginning…
How the Holy Spirit Guides Us Into Our Purpose
A little over two years ago, I was entering the final phases of a specific type of church work, and I began asking myself, “What’s next? What does God want me to do?” I have taken classes that helped me understand my Spiritual Gifts, and I know they are my strongest paths to finding my mission. Now I know that I am not the greatest writer in the world, and I also know that there are people in the world who are better teachers and better at understanding the gospel, but when you put them together, are there individuals who are better at writing, teaching, and discernment?…. Of course there are, probably thousands! However, I could not get away from the voice that told me to write, in my own simple voice.” Romans 15:13 explains it pretty well. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
So my hope in this witness is not that I will reach a huge audience or that I receive recognition. My mission is to listen to what the Spirit calls me to do in hopes that it reaches the 2 or 3 people out there in the Blogesphere who need it. In many ways, this is not my essay, but what comes from outside of me. First Corinthians 6:19 reads, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own.” Please believe me when I say I know I am not writing anything approaching the Gospels or Holy Word. I mean, look at the title! Nowhere did the Holy Spirit whisper to the Biblical writers the word “Dude.” But I know that the Spirit still whispers to us the words and ideas to serve our witness.
Isaiah wrote that when the Spirit of the Lord comes upon us, we receive “the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.” (11:2) In other words, if you see nuggets of wisdom or understanding in any of the things I write, it’s not mine. (Stupid puns and comments, however, are all homegrown). Let me give you a brief glimpse into my ‘process.’
What It Feels Like to Listen to the Holy Spirit
My goal is to have one of these essays every month. So starting at the beginning of each month, I diddle around on the keyboard and look up scripture, and each draft is worse than the last one. Then, listening to a sermon, or a song, or even just walking outside, what I need to say falls almost completely formed into my mind. “Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” (Rom. 8: 26). The Holy Spirit is able to translate my mindless rambling into semi-coherent thoughts to help me explain how God is working in my life. That is my witness.
4 Ways to Allow the Holy Spirit to Work in Your Life
So, if you are looking for your path to what God would have you do, these are some steps to help you get there.
1). Understand what God has already given you. Coming to terms with your spiritual gifts provides an excellent place to start. Years ago, I took a class that showed my gifts are teaching, artistic creation, and wisdom. (I always feel ridiculous mentioning the last one, but it just means a clearer view of God’s will in real-life situations, so I definitely would not have qualified as one of the guys bringing gifts to the baby Jesus, but I digress).
2). Slow down. Though the voice of the Spirit is sent to assist us in this world, He is often drowned out by it. The further you are able to move from the chaos of your own life, the more likely you are to hear Him.
3). Don’t move until you hear that voice. I am not being literal here, but don’t assume that you have been given a path when it might just be the world calling for you to get moving. As I mentioned above, the Holy Spirit often gives me exactly what to say in an instant, but because of God’s incredible sense of irony and humor, this essay came in pieces, and I felt convicted not to force it into completion. (That is also why it might not show up on schedule), but this patience allows me to constantly learn who I am and what I am to do.
4). When you hear it, act. As long as what you hear is supported by scripture, even if it seems scary or outside of your comfort zone, it is worth moving forward and seeing if it produces fruit. I had the conviction to start writing these for almost two years before I actually showed them to anybody, but since then, I may not be able to document the creation of any fruit in the wider world, but I do know that listening to the Spirit and forcing it into coherent sentences has been a blessing for me. I am gaining a clearer understanding of how God works, and I am allowing myself to develop a deeper understanding of what it means to follow Christ.
So, if you have read this one all the way through (or any of my other pieces) and felt an increase of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control (Gal 5:22-23), know that these are God’s blessings upon you. However, if you roll your eyes or spit out your coffee…well, don’t blame me; all I do is type.
