Wednesday after Cantate, 5/5/99

1 Corinthians 12:1--3
Fellow Christians, I want you to know about the gifts of the Spirit. You
know that when you were people of the world, you were led away to the
idols, that can't talk, as you felt yourselves moved. So I tell you, if
you are moved by God's Spirit, you don't say, "Jesus is cursed," and only
if you are moved by the Holy Spirit can you say, "Jesus is the Lord."
Beck

In the name of the Spirit of Wisdom and Truth, amen.

There are those who would argue people into the Kingdom of God. There
are those who would try to prove by logic or historical evidence that the
Holy Scriptures are true, and then tell people they must believe the
Scriptures. Such things are law. Such things do not carry the power of
the Holy Spirit to cause people to say from the heart, "Jesus is Lord." 
Such things are among the many idols that people worship. In this case
it is human reason, and one person's ability to argue someone else into
the kingdom of heaven. This can be a great temptation for the sincere
Christian.

Rather than arguing for the validity of the Holy Scriptures, we need to
proclaim the Word, and let the Holy Spirit change the heart. Along with
this we should not fool ourselves. As St. Paul clearly states, no one
speaking by the Holy Spirit can say that Jesus is cursed." There is a
division between the righteous and the unrighteous. It is a division
that we should be careful to observe. We should be careful because there
is some truth to the psychological concept that behavior shapes belief.

If we find ourselves making jokes about Christianity, or doing things
that are contrary to our faith, we are pushing the Holy Spirit our of our
lives. When we realize that it is the Holy Spirit that makes us able to
say, "Jesus is Lord," we see that we do not want to push Him out of our
lives. We do not want the belief, or in this case the unbelief that
follows the behavior.

On the other hand, the fact that it is the Holy Spirit that causes us to
say, "Jesus is Lord," should be a comfort for us. It should be a comfort
because we see that God Himself works for and in us. With the powerful
Holy Spirit working for and in us, our faith rests secure. Even the fact
that such words of warning are written for us by the Holy Spirit, is a
comfort for us. We see the Holy Spirit is watching out for us and
guarding our faith even by warning us of where we can go wrong. May the
Holy Spirit continue to guard your faith so that you may sing, "Jesus is
Lord." Amen.

Prayer:
Dear Holy Spirit, thank you for the words of warning you have given us to
guard our faith. Help us to proclaim your holy Word rather than argue
for it. Keep us, and all whom you have chosen, in the true faith so that
we may praise your glorious name through all of eternity, amen.