A Series on the Holy Spirit: Part 1: Manifestations of the Spirit and a Changed Heart

Early on in my blog I started writing about the Holy Spirit. I want to continue that now and run a bit of a series of entries on the Holy Spirit. I've been on a bit of a journey the last few months in growing in my awareness and understanding of the Spirit and would like to share that with you.

Two weeks ago I attended two different church services where the Holy Spirit's felt presence was clearly evident. In the evening service I went to people demonstrated different manifestations of the Spirit which as one on-looker said, "Seemed pretty bonkers!" Some were laughing, others crying, some jerking, some on their knees/faces. As for me, I was trembling so much with the awareness of the Spirit's presence I had to ask a friend to help me find a scripture passage I wanted to read out. That whole weekend for me though wasn't so much about the manifestations of the Spirit itself but the affect the experience of His presence had on my heart and soul. I felt like God pierced my heart with his truth (see Heb 4 v 12-12) and revealed to me God's greatness and my great need of Him in an even more powerful way. I felt like Isaiah in Ch6 where he sees a vision of God's throne room and says "Woe to me..I am a man of unclean lips!...my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty!'" (v5). I was so aware of the need for the Holy Spirit to change me and my character and at the same time so in love with and in awe of God. 

You see true works of the Spirit must change our hearts. In Guy Chevreau's book "Catch the Fire" on the Toronto revival he quotes the great 18th Century preacher Jonathan Edwards in the Great Awakening revival as defining four clear signs of the true and right Spirit (as apposed to wrong spirits or the work of Satan)....

·         Firstly, "If the spirit that is at work amongst a people is plainly observed to work so as to convince them of Christ, and lead them to Him...it is a sure sign that it is the true and right Spirit' 

·         Secondly “are there signs that the interests of Satan's Kingdom are assaulted?”As Edwards puts it, "Are persons drawn off from the world and weaned from the objects of worldly lusts… taken off from worldy pursuits, by the sense they have of the excellency of divine things, and the affections they have to spiritual enjoyments?"

·         Thirdly, “is there evidence of a greater regard to the Scriptures, establishing believers more and more in truth and godliness?..The devil certainly isn't doing to have us fall in love with the Word!”

·         Fourthly, “ is there a greater spirit of love to God and man?”Citing 1 John 4v12-12 Edwards takes Christian faith back to basics and says,

“the last mark which the apostle gives of the true Spirit he seems to speak of as the most eminent: love to God and men....The surest character of true divine supernatural love - distinguishing it from counterfeits that arise from a natural self-love - is that the Christian virtue of humility shines in it; that which above all others renounces, abases, and annihilates what we term self. Christian love or true charity is a humble love."

So for those who are frightened by the manifestations of the Spirit (and I will provide scriptural evidence for these later in this blog), when you see others having spiritual manifestations you find unusual ask yourself are they bearing the above fruit. For as Edwards says, "The devil neither can nor will give men a spirit of divine love, or Christian humility and poverty of spirit....these things are as contrary as possible to his nature.” 

He goes on to describe people’s reactions back in the 1700’s, "Many felt unsettled by the manifestations accompanying the Great Awakening. And so the accusation was rendered, 'God cannot be the author of it, because He is the God of order, not of confusion.'" During the much more recent Toronto Blessing revival in the early 90's Baptist minister G Chevreau also witnessed this and commented, “regrettably those bringing forth the accusation rarely stay around long enough to interview those who are the subjects of the unsettling behaviour, and in so doing, are drawing conclusions prematurely." 

Thus the sign of true works of the Spirit are that they are heart changing ones. A manifestation of the Spirit is only temporary, heart changes are enduring and eternal. As to manifestations don't dismiss them as they did in the Great Awakening and Toronto. Ask yourself am I drawing conclusions prematurely? You may well miss out! You see my experience is that when I am awed by the presence of God, my physical strengths are sometimes sapped. When the Holy Spirit comes he touches not only our minds, but our bodies and souls and hearts. 

My next blog will explore this a bit more and will be addressing “physical manifestations of the Spirit...is there scriptural precedence for it?”

 (Quotes taken from 'The Toronto Blessing: An Experience of Renewal and Revival' by Guy Chevrau pages

105-108)