Intro
1. Western culture emphasizes
psyche (thoughts, feelings, etc.)
a. Easy for Christians to practice psyche-oriented religion,
rely on intellect, will,
or emotion
b. Easy for Christians to under-emphasize their own spirits
or overlook them
(underlying
attitudes, motivations, character).
i. Teaching on discovering & developing spiritual gifts
is good step in right
direction, but is only a start.
2. Spiritual awareness is essential
— spiritual realm & own spirit
a. Surprising how many Christians overlook existence of spiritual
realm — e.g.
angels, demons
— as if they aren't sure that realm exists.
i. No tangible evidence, or else explain evidence in “acceptable”
or
understandable terms (appeals to psyche); so easy for world-oriented
perspective to ignore spiritual realm.
b. Seems that vast majority of Christians have no concept of
their own spirit —
what it is,
what it does, how to care for it.
i. Traditional view seems to be that human spirit is actually
Holy Spirit,
fully divine, not human.
ii. Virtually no church teaching on how to care for your spirit;
after all, if
your spirit is really Holy Spirit, what could you possibly do to make it
stronger, for example?
iii. I sometimes wonder whether traditional view isn’t a clever ploy to
spiritually cripple average Christian
iv. The Bible is clear on the subject; each person has a spirit,
regardless of
their spiritual condition
c. Place great emphasis on:
i. physical body — hygiene, wardrobe, complexion, suntan, muscle-
building, hairstyle.
ii. psyche— education, desires, feelings, thoughts, rights, pleasure.
d. You and I need to repent: change the way we think and what
we think about.
i. Your mind/psyche has key role in your spiritual development,
which is
why New Testament (written to believers) places so much emphasis on repenting
—
changing your mind.
ii. You are primarily a spiritual being with a psyche, temporarily
living in
physical body.
iii. Sin has perverted our perception, made it completely backwards; need
to
repent.
e. You must make yourself (i.e., your mind) aware of your spirit,
make its health
& development
a priority.
Your spirit imparts life
1. Jn 6:63 "The Spirit gives
life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken
to you are spirit and they are life." — Is
“spirit” capitalized in your Bible? Do you
know why?
a. Capitalization of "spirit" is matter of interpretation
i. Gk text uses capitals only at beginning of sentence and
proper names
ii. Jesus (name) capitalized; Christ (official title) capitalized;
Holy Spirit
not capitalized
iii. Capitalization of “spirit” is matter of interpretation; translators
assumed
“spirit” referred to HS, so they capitalized word
iv. In Jn 6:63, Jesus didn't say, "The Holy Spirit gives life."
v. Doesn’t mean HS doesn’t give life; he does, but so does
your spirit
vi. Made general reference to "the spirit" and then general reference
to "the
flesh."
vii. Therefore, I'm inclined to interpret "spirit" as referring to human
spirit
viii. Compatible with biblical position that your
body dies when your spirit
departs.
ix. Jas 2:26 “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without
deeds
is dead.”
x. Lk 23:46. “Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father,
into your hands I
commit my spirit.’ When he had said this, he breathed his last.” —
notice two things:
(1) Jesus said, “my spirit”
(2) his physical body died when his spirit departed
(3) also saw this in Lk 8:55, when Jesus spoke to a dead girl: "Her
spirit returned and at once she stood up."
xi. “The spirit gives life” (Jn 6:63) applies to your spirit, not
just HS
b. Words Jesus spoke were "spirit" and "life"
i. Greek text uses "rhema," translated "words"
ii. "The words ... are spirit"
(1) What does this suggest to you?
(2) Suggests to me that what Jesus spoke originated with his spirit,
imparted spiritual life.
iii. I interpret this to mean that words spoken from the human spirit can
impart life; likewise, can impart death.
iv. Mt 12:34 “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”
—
what you say can originate with your heart; most likely “spirit”
v. Acts 4:25 “You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth
of your
servant, our father David.” — Holy Spirit can originate words you
speak; HS to your spirit to your mouth
vi. Words Jesus spoke were “spirit” and “life,” your words have power
of
life or death, too.
c. Emphasize: the human spirit gives life to physical body;
true for sinners &
saints
d. Believer’s spirit also receives life from God (ultimately
source of all life)
2. Jn 7:38-39 Jesus speaking:
"'Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said,
streams of living water will flow from within
him.' By this he meant the Spirit, whom
those who believed in him were later to receive."
a. This general reference to "the spirit" is to Holy Spirit,
based on explanation.
b. He actually imparted Holy Spirit to them in Jn 20:22.
c. Notice that "streams of living water" is plural; could this
include both Holy
Spirit &
believer's own spirit? Likely.
d. If so, reinforces idea that human spirit produces life.
e. Also reinforces the fact that Holy Spirit is “within” you,
has very close
relationship
with your spirit.
3. Question: If what comes
from your spirit can produce life, shouldn't you pay attention
to it?
a. Is very convenient to write down what comes from your spirit,
including what
comes from God
through your spirit.
b. Called "journaling"; we’ve been experimenting, learning
basics in previous
sessions
c. Advantages of journaling:
i. Allows you to record your experience; can be invaluable
in the future.
(1) What God speaks to you may not be fulfilled immediately;
writing it down helps you remember it and recognize when it is
fulfilled.
(2) Habakkuk 2:2-3 “Write down the revelation and make it plain on
tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits
an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not
delay.”
ii. Journaling allows you to evaluate much more than a few words
or
sentences; can receive several paragraphs or even pages from the Lord at
one time.
iii. Easier to evaluate something on paper than something in your memory.
Besides, our memories change with time; forget or perspective changes.
iv. Journaling keeps your mind preoccupied so it's easier to receive
from
your spirit; mind less likely to interfere.
(1) Remember: your mind is accustomed to being in control; result
of sin
(2) Journaling gives mind something worthwhile to do while you
listen to your spirit
d. Try writing a question to God, then write his response.
The results can be
powerful!
4. We've seen that it's possible
to speak things that originate with your spirit.
a. Produces/imparts life.
b. You can understand what you say & person hearing also
understands.
c. In fact, many Christians believe “praying in the spirit”
means praying spirit-led
prayers. Yes,
but also includes praying in spiritual language.
Practice Session
1. Write following question:
"How can the Holy Spirit flow from within me like a stream
of living water?”
2. Become relaxed, quiet. Focus
attention on Jesus, form a mental image of him.
a. Read him the question on your paper, then write what comes
to your mind.
[pause]
b. Everyone write down what came to mind — words, sentences,
impressions,
sensations,
images, etc.
c. If nothing, write “I heard nothing.”
3. Share
a. Someone read what you wrote? [no evaluation yet]
b. If you didn’t receive something yourself, write one of the
responses we just
heard.
c. Based on response you wrote, what question(s) might you
ask the Lord? Write
question.
4. Focus attention on mental image
of Jesus, again. Ask him the question you wrote.
[pause]
5. Share
a. Someone read what you wrote? (read entire exchange, beginning
with “living
water” question)
b. Class: Could this be from their spirit? from God?
c. Class: Aware of scripture that supports or refutes?