How serious are we for reaching people, regardless of their backgrounds, and teaching them to trust in the Holy Spirit? Does the possibility exist that many of our churches may need an overhaul? The Apostle Paul instructed the church of the Thessalonians to, “Quench not the Spirit.” (I Thessalonians 5:19 KJV) The Prophet Isaiah used similar words to describe the passionate heart of Jesus Christ, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.” (Isaiah 42:3 NIV) Do our actions guide people to trust in the Holy Spirit for their lives?
What is the quickest way to kill a child’s natural desire in helping around the house? If you are lucky enough to have a child that loves to help you with the housework, you should avoid taking advantage of the situation by turning his or her natural desire of giving and replacing it with a list of chores. Even though your child may want to help you, he or she may become your worst nightmare because you possibly quenched his or her spirit. This same analogy can be applied to the church. There are many people who will dedicate a large amount of the time, talents and resources to the church because of the Holy Spirit’s work in their lives. However, once the local church oversteps its boundaries…the work of the Holy Spirit may be quenched as a result.
If we are serious about reaching the lost, then it is essential that we do not quench the work of the Holy Spirit. We should avoid trying to “change” people, but rather focus on making a difference in their lives by teaching how to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In other words, we should make a difference in others and depend on God to make the changes. Otherwise, we are depending on our own rules to change people. We must have confidence that our Christian leaders are teaching by example, so we can listen to them for guidance in applying the Word of God to our personal lives.
What are a few warning signs that a local church, denomination or religious affiliation may be overstepping its boundaries and inadvertently quenching the work of the Holy Spirit? How would an outsider perceive Christianity based off our examples? Ask yourself, does the local church represent a group of “baptized believers” who observe baptism and communion, or a group of “believers” who come together to observe baptism and communion? Does our worship represent a true awe of God or has it become trite? Do our prayers focus on real issues or are they just skillfully crafted words? Does the sharing of our financial resources represent the systematic adherence to a legalistic standard or an expression of love by giving out of thankfulness and gratitude to God?
One of the key questions we must ask ourselves – how big is our God? Or do we have God in a box? Most of us believe that God is awesome enough to create our universe out of nothing. We believe the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ can save the world from its sins. However, do we believe that the Holy Spirit can change people or do we believe that we need rules to change people? Is there anything we are doing that may be quenching the Holy Spirit’s work in others around us who desire to know Christ? What can we do to focus our testimony on helping others around us?
For starters, the Holy Spirit has entrusted every believer with a spiritual gift, or gifts, to use in keeping the “spiritual flame” alive in everyone around us. The local church is intended to be alive and we should feel a heartbeat. People should want to seek out our local churches because of the Holy Spirit working inside each and every believer. Someone may have the gift of encouragement for helping people get through their trials and tribulations. Another may have the gift of mercy and help those who are unable to physically or mentally take care of themselves. Yet another person may have the gift of helps and always be ready to help others, who in turn can have their time freed up to share their spiritual gifts and individual talents with other people more efficiently. The gift of leadership or government is essential for motivating others and running things in an organized manner. Likewise, the gift of discernment is necessary for protecting the church from internal and external problems as well as maintaining doctrinal purity. The missionary gift, or the gift of apostleship, allows the gospel to be taught over cultural barriers. The gift of teaching helps apply the Word of God to our lives. The list goes on. Whatever spiritual gift(s) you possess, the Holy Spirit will use your natural talents as an outlet for your gift(s) as an expression of God’s love for others.
As individual believers, as well as groups of believers coming together as local churches, our main concern should be teaching people how to submit their lives over to the work of the Holy Spirit …not necessarily any particular denomination or religious affiliation. In the workplace, does your boss continuously coddle you…even after you have been trained and been with the company for a while? The same applies to the local church setting. Do you expect the church to keep on pampering to your every whim and woe after being a Christian for a long time? Worse yet, does your church go out of its way to ensure you keep getting coddled, instead of helping you grow as a mature believer?
In summary, people must sense love in our lives as well as our local churches. The Apostle Paul uses the words, “Love must be sincere…Honor one another above yourselves….” (Romans 12:9 NIV) The passionate heart of Jesus Christ is evident with the words of the Prophet Isaiah, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.” (Isaiah 42:3 NIV) As Christians, we need to follow the example of Jesus Christ and avoid quenching the work of the Holy Spirit in others, by being proactive and utilizing our God-given individual talents and entrusted spiritual gifts to help restore the smoldering wicks in the hearts of people within our communities. Ultimately, when we submit our will over to the Holy Spirit, we help other people understand the importance of depending on God for all aspects of their lives and bring glory to God the Father…not any particular religious institution.
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