Jesus said, “But now I am going away to the One who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you. But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I didn’t, the Advocate (Spirit) won’t come. If I do go away then I will send him to you.” (John 16:5-7)
One of the things I find myself wrestling with these days is the role of the Advocate (Spirit) in my everday life–and in the life of the church. Because of the tradition in which I grew up I find myself a bit “Spirit-phobic.” The last thing I want is people barking in our weekend church gatherings!
What I’m coming to realize is that Jesus left this earth PRECISELY so that the Holy Spirit could be active in my life and in the life of the church. But what does that mean . . . exactly? What does it mean to be led by, empowered by, taught by the Holy Spirit?
It means you get out of the way and let the Spirit lead you. He may lead you to do things that are uncomfortable or seem not to be logical.
The greatest example of being led by the Spirit was Jesus himself. The second was watching Paul journeys. They both did things that if left up to human wisdom, they would not have done.
At the same time, one must be very careful in their discernment of when the Spirit is leading and when He is not.
Bake