Does The Holy Spirit Speak To You?

Evangelism Part 1
Andrew K. Fox
Year of alignment

Previous weeks: 'Who is the Holy Spirit?' 'How can I receive the Holy Spirit?' 'What does a Spirit filled church look like?' 'Does the Holy Spirit speak to me?'

In Acts chapter seven we have a lengthy dialogue with a punch line that knocked out an entire religious and political regime. Stephen is on trial before the Sanhedrin Counsel. He does not defend himself in terms of apology or explanation of guilt or acquittal. He proclaims Christ through their history with a sharp indictment against the three pillars of land, law and temple from Abraham to Moses and David.

1. Land: They said Abraham came from the Promised Land and Moses bought them back. But Stephen proclaimed that Abraham saw beyond Palestine because God calls us to pilgrim, journey and walk with him. Therefore wherever God was the land was holy but not venerated.

2. Law: They said Moses gave the law. But Stephen argued that Moses himself said that one would come from the people for the people to surpass and fulfill the law.

3. Temple: They said the temple was everything. But Stephen argued that the tabernacle that became the temple is now us both individually and corporately.

Acts 7:51 "You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit."

Does the Holy Spirit speak to me?

Stephen made the argument and proclamation that the Holy Spirit has always been speaking to us both individually and corporately but we have not been listening. He compares the generations that were in the days of Abraham, Moses and David. (John 16:12-13) "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth." Not just the state of the planet or the Union or the State or his church universal or the city but he has much more to say to you personally.

The force of gravity

In 1687 Isaac Newton outlined the law of gravity. His conclusion was that the weight and force of gravity keeps everything down. In 1961 the first man went through the force and weight of gravity. 1969 man first walked on the moon walking free of gravity. 1981 the first space shuttle broke the weight and force of gravity and returned like a domestic aircraft. 2004 Space Ship One was the first manned flight to reach weightlessness 62.5 miles into the sky. (Colossians 3:1-2) "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." Does the Holy Spirit speak to you? Yes he does. But what prevents you from hearing his like the days of Abraham, Moses and David is not what you don't know but the weight and force of everything you do know. This is why we are to set our hearts and minds on things above where Christ is seated free from the cultural, fashionable, religious trends of life. The weight and force of gravity that keeps our minds and hearts down come in two forms:

" Group thinking: This is how most people think. It could be your culture or generation. The Emperor's new clothes are typical of group thinking. His vanity made him susceptible to two conmen who came to town claiming they could weave the finest robes. Only the wise and educated could see the robes. The Emperor sent his ministers to see how it was coming. Every one said the robes looked fine because they did not want to look foolish. Even the Emperor could not see the robe but like the rest went along with it. Even the crowds went along with the group thinking. But a little boy who did not belong to any particular group said the Emperor was naked. It is the power of crowd or group mentality. It was said that the boardroom of Enron filled with former senior politicians and men of higher education fell into group thinking that denied the obvious. Group thinking did not know how to feed 5000 people until a little boy came along with five loaves and two fish. Group thinking thought Christ was Elijah, John the Baptist or one of the prophets raised from the dead until and unschooled and ignorant man called Peter came forward. Group thinking made the land, law and temple into a religion through Abraham, Moses and David until Stephen stepped forward. In every case someone broke through the weight and force of everything they knew to what the Holy Spirit was saying.

" Expert thinking: This is like group thinking with too much caffeine. The expert does not have to be present to close something down. Just a fax, memo, quote or conference call will do. I would prefer an expert to a novice in anything but there is a mindset that comes with it. The advantage is that an expert knows how to respond to a complex situation. The disadvantage is that the expert is closed to anything they don't already know. An expert finds it hard to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying. An expert usually keeps a church irrelevant and out of date. Without intending any offence, the medical profession are said to be America's biggest killers because no one will question their diagnosis or prescription. The Holy Spirit loves to question the expert. Apollos was an expert but knew nothing of the Holy Spirit until Aquila and Priscilla taught him. Saul of Tarsus was an expert in the law and as a Pharisee but knew nothing of Christ until Ananias taught him. The rich young ruler was Israel's expert teacher but did not know the answer to eternal life. Another expert in the law who knew the greatest commandment could not practice it himself.

Conclusion

The weight and force of group thinking and expert thinking is in some form everything you already know but our minds and hearts are called to everything we do not know. The Holy Spirit has much more to say to you than you could previously bear. It is not that you should be cut off from community or not knowledgeable in something but don't let the gravity of both keep you down from listening to God.

Does the Holy Spirit speak to me?

Let me address the question again with practicality. How many have cried out to God for an answer and at the same time determined how God will answer you? We lost more remote controls in our home than I can remember. Zack used to hide them when he was a toddler. I would look in places where a toddler could not possibly have hidden them because I am an expert. It was not until I got into the mind of Zack that I found all the remote controls we have lost. (1 Corinthians 2:16) "But we have the mind of Christ." We pray for financial breakthrough, healing for our bodies, restored relationships, spiritual insight, and wisdom but then look for the answer in predictable places under the weight and gravity of what we already know. (Genesis 17:8) "I will be their God." (1 Samuel 8:5) "…appoint a king to lead us…" Israel did not set her heart and mind on things above but believed a king would solve all their dysfunctional problems in the same way we cry out for things in place of who God says he is in your life.

The surprising answer

At one time Israel was in famine in the days of Elijah. He was in need of food. At the same time there was a widow and her son in the land of Zarephath who also needed food to live. Both Elijah and the widow were asking for food. Look how God answers their cry. (1 Kings 17:10-11) "Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?' As she was going to get it, he called, 'And bring me, please, a piece of bread." Elijah could have been fed in many ways but he did not expect anything from this little remote town of Zeraphath. The widow did not expect the answer to her prayers to come in the form of giving away food. She had two hungry mouths to feed. God answered by saying she had three mouths to feed. (1 Kings 17:14) "For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry…" God's answers always demand something from you. Have you prayed for someone sick while sick in body yourself? Have you given a substantial amount of money when you need money yourself? God will sometimes let you be the means of provision for something that you are desperate for yourself.

" I preached in a South African church about giving to vision last year and their offering that weekend was $100 000 dollars more than usual. This year they are opening their new facility. I preached in my father-in-laws church several years ago on the same thing and they have upgraded everything debt free. I want our own house flowing with the milk and honey that fuels vision.

" I preached several times in South America for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. You could not move at the altar because it was dense with people hungry for God. I want to see our house hungry for God.

" I prayed for a Hindu chief in an Indian village in front of a congregation that was opening a new facility. She was suffering from intense headaches with a face chiseled out with pain. I have photographs of this woman with a countenance like Christ healed. I want to see healing that will humble in our house.

" I had the opportunity to minister to 100 student leaders in Argentina. They had been at work and study all day. They had been in a mid-week service. This was 10:30pm at night praying for civil authorities to break the bonds of injustice in their community in an atmosphere that felt like a tidal wave mounting in power and force. I want to see our students do more than hang out and make friends in our house.

Conclusions

Stephen said you always resist the Holy Spirit. He has been speaking and will always be speaking above the group thinking and so called expert thinking in a place where Christ is seated free from the gravity of all that you think you know.

If you would like to see previous transcripts you can find them here.: