In Acts 16:6-10 we see throughout the passage Paul and Silas are constantly guided by the Holy Spirit. They have allowed themselves to be open to the guidance of the Spirit, and when the Spirit then gave Paul a vision, they didn’t sit back, trying to decide if they should do anything about it, they simply got up and went! They obeyed the Holy Spirit and went on to preach the Good News to many who were saved.
Last night at our Lifegroup, we looked further into the sermon that Phil preached on Sunday (I am posting in Fellowship some the rest of my notes on the sermon in the near future). A large emphasis of what we talked about was about the Holy Spirit, and how He strengthens us and guides us, as well as enables us to grow in Him. Looking then at today’s Our Daily Bread reading, I was surprised that Ephesians 2:22 has popped up again (Sunday, Thursday and now Friday)! As you may have read from previous posts, I believe the Lord will repeat Himself as much as it takes so that we will sit up and listen.
22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
The Holy Spirit does live inside us. Before Jesus death, the only place for God’s Glory was the Holy of Holy’s in the temple at Jerusalem, and yet when Jesus died, the temple curtain was ripped in half, Jesus rose from the grave, and the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the disciples and has continued to be poured out across the world. The Holy Spirit is there as our guide, like in this passage in Acts. We need to listen carefully to what He says, and be obedient to His guidance. If we feel we must share the Gospel with a random person on the street, then we should do so, ignoring the old human fears and impulses, but just trusting in the Lord and His Holy Spirit. You may only plant a seed, but one day that seed with burst forth life.
Living in a state of obedience to the Holy Spirit is really quite exciting, as we are no longer living a life that we plan out for ourselves! We are living a life where we don’t know where the Holy Spirit is going to take us next. That is not to say we shouldn’t try to plan our careers etc, but we should lean heavily on the Holy Spirit for guidance to make the right career choices, family choices, etc. I pray that I can be as faithful as Paul and Silas and that I will recognise the Holy Spirits voice when He calls and points me in directions, that sometimes I may not want to go. And I pray that in those situations that the Lord will be Glorified.
