THE CONVICTION OF THE SPIRIT

Jesus said, “But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send Him to you. And when He comes, He will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment… When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth.”  (John 16:7,8,13 NLT)

Every year our entire church staff goes on a pilgrimage to the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.  During one of the sessions this past year, our team was sitting in the balcony of the Gwinnett Center listening to my friend and pastor of LifeChurch, Craig Groeschel.  And he asked this question: “Does your heart break for the things that break the heart of God?”

I felt a tremendous sense of conviction when Craig asked that question.  As I sat in that balcony, surrounded by twelve thousand other leaders, I heard the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit said to my spirit in His kind yet convicting voice, Mark, what happened to the college kid who used to pace the chapel balcony seeking My face?

There are few things I hate more or appreciate more than the conviction of the Holy Spirit.  It is so painful.  But it is so necessary.  And I’m so grateful that God loves me enough to break me where I need to be broken.  Can I make an observation?  You cannot listen to just half of what the Holy Spirit has to say.  It’s a package deal.  If you aren’t willing to listen to everything He has to say, you won’t hear anything He has to say.  If you tune out His convicting voice, you won’t hear His comforting voice or guiding voice either.  As I was seated in the balcony, the Holy Spirit reminded me of the raw spiritual intensity I once had.  He revealed how calloused my heart had become.  And I realized that I had somehow lost my soul while serving God.  And it wrecked me.

Does your heart break for the things that break the heart of God?  

-- Mark Batterson in “PRIMAL: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity”

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GOD’S COMFORT

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”  (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NKJV)

God provides comfort in many ways, but the Greek word for comfort in this particular passage is paraklesis (pronounced: par-ak-lay-sis). Which relates to the word paraclete or “one who comes alongside to help.” This word is also used as a name for the Holy Spirit. Paul, the writer of this letter to the Corinthians, was specifically talking about how God comforted him by helping him – providing him strength, boldness, and courage through the many trials he faced in his ministry.

The Holy Spirit helps all believers in the same way He helped Paul – strengthening us through the trials we face in our own lives. But God’s comfort doesn’t stop there. We who have been comforted by God’s great mercy are able to comfort others who are suffering and facing difficult situations. 

– Lauren Ibach in “The Bible in a Year: A Reading Plan Focusing on God’s Character”

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COMFORTING OTHERS

"God comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us."  (2 Corinthians 1:4 NLT)

The Greek word for comfort means “to give forth sighs, to call alongside, or to help.” The English definition is “to ease, encourage, inspirit, or enliven.” Comfort combines encouragement with easing of grief. “God does not comfort us to make us comfortable, but to make us comforters.”  (John Henry Jowett)

-- Quoted in “Pathway to God’s Treasure: Ephesians” by Lenya Heitzig and Penny Pierce Rose

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FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT - Part 2

Paul writes to the Ephesians, “Do not get drunk with wine… Instead, be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). Intoxication and spirituality seem like odd companions in a Bible verse. But Paul is saying it just right: don’t try to get inspiration out of a bottle. God wants to fill and inspire you through His Spirit. If you need comfort, don’t guzzle it. Find the real stuff in the one Jesus called the Comforter. Don’t try to work up courage by drinking. The Spirit is courageous! The disciples ran in fright when Jesus was arrested, but they boldly faced danger every day once the Spirit had come.

Do you drink just to loosen up and relax? The fruit of the Spirit includes peace from God. Not to mention love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

An old commercial used to tout two merits of the beer it was promoting: “tastes great” and “less filling.” At least the beer company got the second one right. Everything this world has to offer is less filling. And at the end of the day, none of it tastes great. But life in the Spirit is a different matter.          

-- Kyle Idleman in “The End of Me: Where Real Life in the Upside-Down Ways of Jesus Begins”

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COMFORTING OTHERS

"God comforts us every time we have trouble, so when others have trouble, we can comfort them with the same comfort God gives us." (2 Corinthians 1:4)

Struggling with life's difficulties makes us a little wiser, a little more capable, enabling us to comfort others who experience pain.

-- Max Lucado

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PATCHED WITH GOD’S STRENGTH

"Thou, Lord, hast helped me, and comforted me."  (Psalm 86:17)

When I was growing up, my Mother's mending basket, laden with torn socks from a husband and seven children, waited by the green chair under a lamp in the living room.  In the evenings she would sit there, sock pulled over a darning egg, and skillfully repair the holes with soft thread.  When she was finished, the sock had a new heel or toe that was stronger than the original.

After I got married, Mother gave me a darning egg and thread to mend Whitney's socks.  I tried, but the holes bunched into knots.  I didn't have Mother's skill, so I threw away the old socks and bought new ones.  But I kept the darning egg, a wooden contraption with a handle.  It reminds me of the holes -- the losses -- in my life that nothing but God can fill.

Our triplets, Whitney, Jr., Patrick and Douglas, were born prematurely in 1970.  One after the other, at different times and from different causes, they died.  Staring into that awful hole of loss drove me to God.  As I sat in His presence, I felt, slowly, threads of comfort weaving through my pain, tugging at me to accept what I could not understand.  The pain has never entirely gone away.  But I've come through it patched with God's strength and woven with the certain hope that my loss is temporary: My three boys are safe and loved on the other shore.

"Comforter, in Jesus, our loss -- God's loss -- is turned to gain.  Thank You for consoling me."

-- Shari Smyth


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GOD’S COMFORTING AND GUIDING PRESENCE

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
    I fear no evil;
for You are with me;
    Your rod and Your staff --
    they comfort me.”  (Psalm 23:4 NIV)

God is present in all things, even those events and circumstances that seem terrible.  Within any circumstance is the seed that can bear the fruit of the greater good, if we are willing to ask God to lead us in bringing forth that good. 

-- Mary Manin Morrissey 


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THE STRENGTHENER

Jesus said, “I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees Him not, neither knows Him: but you know Him; for He dwells with you, and shall be in you.”  (John 14:16,17)

The word "Comforter" as applied to the Holy Spirit needs to be translated by some vigorous term. Literally, it means "with strength."  Jesus promised His followers that "The Strengthener" would be with them forever.  This promise is no lullaby for the faint-hearted. It is a blood transfusion for courageous living.

-- E. Paul Hovey


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