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Reflections on irresistible Christianity during the COVID19 crisis. Please visit days 71, 77, 83, 89, 95, and 101 for previous posts in the series. Tomorrow we will resume our daily Scripture readings, meditations, and reflections. Together we will discover stability in studying Scripture! Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit in sharing light and love During this shelter and stay season I have been living vicariously through Lisa who continues to work in her clinic and to shop for necessities. I have been on “love lockdown” by my family, anchored at home because I am considered “high risk.” Living vicariously looks like texting Lisa items I need picked up, COVID19 essentials like GrapeNuts. Recently, I have been finding oxygen through her sensitivity to the Spirit’s lead with a guy we will call Nathan.
Lisa encounters Nathan in various ways throughout her week. While only a young adult Nathan is covered with scars from a tough life, most notably a tattoo of a pentagram prominently displayed on his forearm. Lisa jokingly calls Nathan the “nicest satan worshipper she has ever met” and regularly prays for Nathan. This week Lisa followed the prompting of the Spirit to listen to him, serve him, and share the love of Christ with Nathan. Lisa’s faithfulness to follow the Spirit is life giving for me, an extrovert with a passion for evangelism but stuck at home on love lockdown. The Spirit leads you, works through you, and goes before you! Acts 8:26-40 is a window into early gospel advancement to the nations. Phillip follows the Lord’s lead to Gaza (26) where he meets an Ethiopian returning home from Jerusalem. The Spirit said to Phillip, “Go over and join his chariot.” (29) Phillip could have ignored the Lord’s lead and the nudging of the Spirit. After all, the context of Acts 8 reveals tremendous pressure on the church from both Saul’s persecution and the remarkable gospel advancement through Samaria. There was a lot to do! Why stop for one foreigner, a stranger in the land? Phillip had a hundred good reasons to be busy but the Spirit of God led Phillip to stop. Phillip’s sensitivity to the Spirit’s internal nudging opened the door for the Spirit to work through Phillip. Remarkably, the Ethiopian was reading the prophet Isaiah and Phillip was empowered by the Spirit to use God’s word to share God’s redemptive plan in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit had gone before Phillip! And we will see how the Holy Spirit goes before us when we step out in faith, following His nudging, too. Following the Spirit’s lead to share the light and life of Jesus is always worth it. The Ethiopian embraced the covenant sign of faith in Christ, baptism, and took the gospel to the highest levels of Ethiopian society “with rejoicing.”(39) Rather than being too busy to follow a burden from the Holy Spirit, Phillip listened, obeyed, and submitted to the Spirit’s leading. When God’s people respond to the internal leading of the Holy Spirit the gospel advances to our neighborhoods and the nations! Holy Spirit power! Christians must be more aware of the work of the Holy Spirit and open to His leading. The Spirit who ordered creation (Genesis 1:2) wants to bring a new order through the work of Jesus Christ. The Spirit the Lord breathed into Adam, giving life to his body of dust, wants to give new life today. The Spirit of the Lord Who breathed the Word of God through His prophets, to preach good news to the poor (Isaiah 61) and give resurrection to dry and dusty bones, (Ezekiel 37) wants to resurrect lives today by offering the riches of God’s grace to those who are poor in Spirit. We need not fear following the Holy Spirit. He is the Spirit seen at the baptism of Jesus and gives believers the security of adopted children of God. (Romans 8:15) The Spirit of truth is our comfort and helper, (John 14-16) empowering us to love. (2 Timothy 1:7) The Spirit bears fruit within (Galatians 5) gives us power to kill our sin (Romans 8) and groans with us in prayer beyond what we can comprehend. (Ephesians 4) The Spirit of freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17) wants to do abundantly more than we can ask or imagine, (Ephesians 3:20) including expanding God’s gospel message through you. The Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead gives life to you (Romans 8:11) and He wants to bring life to others through you. We are in this together- please pray for Nathan When the Holy Spirit fell on the early Church at Pentecost (Acts 2) they were unified in language, lifting up the name of Jesus, listening to the word of God, and life together. “And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47) The Lord longs for the same unity and gospel advancement today as He did for the birth of the Church. God wants to use His redeemed people to advance the good news about Jesus. He wants to use you, Lisa, and me. Will we posture ourselves to listen to the Spirit nudging us and, with faith, love and share with those He puts in our paths? When we do we will see how He has gone before us and we will celebrate the advancement of the gospel, together. Please join us in praying for Nathan and communicate with us how we can pray for people the Lord has put in your life. Please check out this week's links on the HOME PAGE. Comments are closed.
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