HOLY SPIRIT “NOTS”
We are constantly seeing “New Churches” being formed. Every day another building is purchased, another name mounted and why? Each has a slightly different doctrine which is, in itself, sinful (Gal. 1:6-10). Each of these congregations have different names, that cannot be found in the Holy God breathed scriptures that Paul wrote of saying, “16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17 ESV). How can this be?
Imagine you work in a factory with only one supervisor. He gives you a guidebook he himself wrote that explains specifically how you are to do your job. One boss, one book, no one else offers input. If you do things differently, the supervisor directs you again to a specific page in his guidebook that explains how to do it the “right” way, his way. Heed his instructions and follow the guidebook and eventually you and he will be on the “same page” doing things the way he wants them done and—you will keep your job—if not you will be fired. Every employee uses the same guidebook. No confusion.
Now imagine you work in a factory with three shifts and you occasionally work all three. Three supervisors, three guidebooks. The 1st shift guidebook states: “Stack all materials on the west wall in numerical order. The 2nd guidebook states: “Stack all materials on the east wall in alphabetical order. The 3rd guidebook states: “Make four stacks from right to left according to the length of the material stacking them on the north dock.” Each supervisor threatens to fire you if you don’t do things according to his guidebook. How impossible, confusing, perplexing, and frustrating this would be and not to mention the colossal time wasted shift to shift moving everything just to please each supervisor. Now, choose, which environment you would prefer to work in? I am not a prophet, mind reader, or a fortune-teller, but I already know what your answer will be. It is just common sense.
But now apply this to religion. One Head is better than two. One guidebook written by one Head is better than multiple guidebooks by multiple heads. You don’t need a prophet, mind reader, or a fortune-teller to predict which is better, because anyone with common sense will choose the One over the many. My friends there is only One Head who inspired one guidebook, we call Him Lord and the book the Bible. One book, one truth, one direction, and never it changes. Why then do so many get involved with thousands of religious organizations that have differing rules? Did you know there are 19 Baptist Denominations just in America? 19 [www.baylor.edu/baptiststudies/index.php?id=93653]? Each one is different. Check some others and you’ll see the same is true of most every denomination.
Paul confirmed, “one body and one Spirit…one hope…one Lord…one faith…one baptism… one God and Father of all…” (Eph. 4:4-6). There is one true church guided by the Holy Spirit via the inspired scriptures. Why would you want to be a member of a church that has a head other than Christ, has more than one guidebook (Creed Books)? The Lord’s church has one Head (Col 1:18), one way, one truth (John 14:6), Jesus and it wears but one name Christ (Rom. 16:16). If you’re confused know that your confusion did not come from God (1 Cor. 14:33). So, what is confusing so many today? Why are so many practicing a different gospel (Gal. 1:6-10)? People confuse people! Make no mistake, Jesus promised to send “His apostles”, “not us”, the Spirit of Truth to speak to them the things from God (John 16:13). Confusion because people falsely claim that “the Holy Spirit is working in and through them”. Here are some Holy Spirit Nots…
(Acts 8:9-23) Notice one thing from verses 18-19. “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I…” (v.19a). His intention was to boast. How many T.V evangelist brag “I have power”? The Holy Spirit is not given so that people can brag.
Some teach the Holy Spirit protects us from temptations. Well, Peter an inspired Apostle was tempted and did sin (Gal. 2:11-14). The Holy Spirit was not given to protect people from temptations.
Some believe that the Holy Spirit will “heal all manner of sickness”. Paul himself became sick, (Gal. 4:13), why didn’t he use the Holy Spirit to heal himself? The Holy Spirit’s job is not to heal all sickness.
The Holy Spirit was not given to cause people to fall and roll around on the ground as many denominational churches teach. On the day of Pentecost when the apostles were baptized by the Holy Spirit they were “sitting”, they did not fall down and roll but afterward “stood up” and preached Jesus (Acts 2:2, 14). Nor did Cornelius and his companions fall down and roll in the dirt (Acts 10:44-46).
“For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” (1 Corinthians 14:33)
The Holy Spirit was not given to inflict harm. [From the “Spiritual Circles: ritual and the performance of identities in the Zionist Christian Church by Colin Skelton University of Witwatersrand] I read this statement: “The hitting of sick people with sticks is a method of transmitting the healing power of the Holy Spirit…Sometimes the healer will hit a person because they are ‘…commanded by the Spirit to do that..” John tells Christians, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). Examine the scriptures and you’ll find the Holy Spirit does not cause harm to believers.
I saved the best for last. This is really the bottom line. People are so easily misguided to believe false teachers, live under false hope, and worship Jesus in vain, because the majority ignore the command, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). Most people do not study their Bible beyond what a teacher in their church teaches them. These will never reason via the scriptures because their hearts are far from God (Matt. 15:8-9).
“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man” (Psalm 118:8)
The Holy Spirit was not given to make people spiritually lazy. The Holy Spirit was not given infuse faith by spiritual osmosis. The Holy Spirit was not given to take the place of reading the Bible. Many teach the Bible is just a steppingstone and now you don’t need it just be filled with the Spirit. These people will not search the scriptures, they will not test every spirit, they will not obey the gospel, but have been brainwashed to believe that anything that comes to their minds / hearts is from the Holy Spirit. But the Holy Spirit tells it differently. In Acts 17:10 and 11 we read Paul and Silas went to Berea into the synagogue of the Jews and taught. Note how the Holy Spirit describes those Berean’s who, “…received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). Whose teaching were they checking against the scriptures? The Apostle Paul and Silas. What was their purpose for questioning the Apostle? “to find out whether these things were so”. My friends, please understand that the Holy Spirit of God is not a commodity to be bought and sold, He is not a plaything to be manipulated, He is God. The Holy Spirit of God was given by the Father to the world with three purposes. “convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8). The Holy Spirit is not ours to fashion and manipulate.
The Bible is the word of God, and it is the source of all that pertains to life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3). The word of God is “truth” (John 17:17) and is the power of God to save (Rom. 1:16). The word of God is able to make us wise for salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus, and instructs us in righteousness, completes us and equips us spiritually for every good work (2 Tim. 3:15-17).
Don’t chase after man’s version of the Holy Spirit for His work was accomplished when the word of God was finished. We have the New Testament the word of God “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” so fight for it (Jude 3). By it, our minds are transformed and renewed so that we may prove what is that good, acceptable and perfect will of God (Rom. 12:2).
My friends, the only way out of religious confusion is to listen to just One source, and that is the word of God which is God breathed.
“These people [a]draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. 9 And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” (Matthew 15:8-9)
In Love
David Scarpino