CAUTION: SPIRIT FALLING?
THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME
In prepping for our Christmas Series based on Isaiah 61 I had a group of people read the entire passage and then we started asking questions like, what would a seeker, a new believer and a mature believer have questions about as they read this. I was struck by the quick response of what does it mean for the Spirit of the Lord to be upon me. Initially I was a little overwhelmed since I was preaching the first Sunday of the series and would have to address this topic in front of our congregation. But after thinking about it I realized that I'm really excited about this message.
As a worship leader I've struggled over the last couple of years with the role of the Holy Spirit in worship. Coming from a theological stream of Christians that are not Charismatic and uneasy about anything construed as "Pentecostal" I feel like I've had to overcome a lot of unhelpful attitudes and misunderstandings about what God's Spirit does and does not do. We like to sing out loud the Doxology of Praise Father, Son, and then whisper under our breath "Holy Ghost".
While working through these issues it became obvious there are a lot of other people out there who are struggling to understand who the Spirit is as well and what He does, including songwriters. If you look at the modern songs of the Church I have noticed what I will call a "Show Up and Show Me" philosophy. It is the desire to see an external evidence of God's presence. I am going to make a generalization which is dangerous because there are always exceptions and sometimes it's not fair but here goes.
It seems like when songwriters address the Spirit they are looking for some kind of spectacular Old Testament or Pentecost event.
The phrases mention:
"fire falling",
"come be the fire inside of me","be with me",
"desperate for your presence",
I am not denying that the miraculous happen as evidence of God's Holy Breath or that the spiritual gifts ceased at any point. But what I think is being conveyed here is a subtle mentality that distorts the story of God and limits the role of the Spirit's true power.
Using our analogy of conversation in worship I would say what is happening when this language is being used is like sitting across the table from a person and saying, I wish you were here. I'd really love to feel your presence. When the reality is they are already there. Here is the truth...
GOD IS HERE ALREADY!
For those who have believed and accepted Christ and have been obedient in baptism, God has already given them the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said it was better for Him to leave so that they could have the Spirit within them. (John 16:7) Take a moment and grasp that. Having the Holy Spirit within us is better than having Jesus standing right beside us in the flesh.
Christ died to end the separation we experienced. The veil in the temple was torn and now we are the temple's of God (1 Cor. 6). In fact the same Spirit dwells inside of each of us that raised Christ from the dead. (Romans 8:11)
So instead of asking for the God who is already in our midst, maybe a more theologically sound and truthful approach might be:"I know you're with me, Help me to feel your nearness""I want to get out of the way so you can use me""I submit to your power"
I know there are more poetic ways to express what the Spirit does in our lives. What are some of the better ones you've heard or come up with?