When I was leading a group on a tour of Israel, we went out on the Sea of Galilee in a tourist boat. We could see many of the special places where Jesus taught and ministered. The operator then played a recording of “How Great Thou Art” at high volume. We all sang the three verses—with more and more gusto. In that setting among believers I knew, our emotions overflowed. The experience blew me away. We were filled with the Spirit and special awe, joy, and unity.
The Spirit works through trigger events. He shapes our response to situations we associate with God. The feeling of awe was aroused by seeing where God walked in the person of Jesus. The feeling of joy came singing a favorite hymn. The feeling of unity came from a special sense of fellowship with other believers we knew. There was a fourth trigger also. The boat was rocking in the water, a mildly unsettling experience. The Spirit often does his best work when we are off balance from our usual routines.
How do we know it was the Spirit moving? For us it was in the setting where the Father’s love and Christ’s grace were evident from Bible stories that happened where we were. Does it work that way with others? I don’t know. But I am certain this was the Spirit moving strongly to shape our feelings.
What kind of feelings should we look for?
Paul presents the sort of feelings the Spirit produces when he lists the Spirit’s fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Martin Luther describes the Spirit’s work as calling, enlightening, sanctifying and keeping us in the faith. Look for stories of individuals today who experienced a calling to a specific ministry, or received new insight into the ways of God. I believe being sanctified by the Spirit amounts to growing into the motivations and behaviors that Jesus Christ exemplified in his loving outreach to others, the joy he emphasized in his parables, the patience he showed with his followers.
Luther has a second list for the Spirit’s work in fellowships of believers, that is, in churches. It is the same functions with the addition of “gathering.” This function can provide plenty of stories today of how individuals are gathered into any kind of organized or informal Christian fellowship. What feelings were involved by those in this new relationship? Did the Spirit have anything to do with that?
John Tish leads our Repair Mission teams. Several times a year over a Friday and Saturday, we go south about 120 miles to do small house repair projects in the area of Caldwell, Ohio, in the foothills of the Appalachians. On his first mission, John was appalled by the living conditions he saw among the poor who could get no help. What feelings were involved in this new commitment? He reports empathy, gratitude for his blessings, a sense of calling to lead this ministry. Do you think the Spirit was involved?
Kevin Park is the church member who designed and minted the two-sided coin described in “Look on the Other Side of the Coin.” In the last 15 years he has distributed 150,000 of them. When the conviction came that he should personally make this coin, he describes hearing a rushing sound like snow falling from tree—Whummpf! It was clear to him that he had been called to this ministry. He is still responding.
I too was frightened and unsettled in my moment of inspiration, along with an enormous sense of exhilaration and anticipation.
The result was a lifelong
type of dedication, and desire to honor the privilege I have in the vision I was given.
Thanks, Kevin, for refining the description of your inspiration to make the grace and mercy coin. Clearly it was a calling and you have responded accordingly.
Fred Magezi, head of laity for the Lutheran Church of Uganda, was staying at our home a few weeks ago. He was invited to preach at St. Mark’s, Butler, PA on Sunday and while preparing his sermon he walked into my office and asked me, “What’s the difference between grace and mercy?” I had Kevin’s coin sitting on my desk so picked it up and used it to explain the difference. I also gave the coin to Fred as a gift. By the way, Fred used the definition on the coin in his sermon!
What a wonderful story. I am forwarding this on to Kevin Park. He has now made 167,000 of his grace and mercy coin. Can you use some in your ministry? Would you like to take some with you when you do your mission in Uganda?
the leading of the HS is difficult to explain. In my experience it can be described as an assurance. When fellow believers talk about their experience you know just what they mean.
Hi, Karen. Thanks for your perspective. Would “a peace that surpasses understanding” fit?
Your experience reminds me of one I had in the late sixties. At the time, I was a member of the Newman club at kent state. I was a representative for the international meeting in dallas. It was decided to hold a service on the roof top. As we were singing, which was an emotional experience in itself, an airplane flew overhead so close you felt you could touch it. I can’t explain the spiritual feeling the two gave me, but it was so intense just writing about it is giving me the same intense spiritual emotion. Yes, some spiritual experiences do remain with you. Somehow, always in the recess of your mind, but still powerful.
Hi, Jeanne. Thanks for sharing your experience. Would the word “overwhelmed” fit?
It’s refreshing to hear other people have had similar experiences! Mine was about 9 1/2 years ago when I went to visit a long time member of our Church in a Nursing Home in Cle Oh. I guess I was looking for something that God wanted me to do, well when I got up to Eleanor’s room, she was hustling to go to a pre-Christmas service 3 weeks before Christmas.
The service was done very well for those 20 something seniors, all in wheelchairs. After the beautiful service I asked the fella “How did he get into a GIG LIKE THIS”, in my cutesy offhanded comment, he said he “Went to the Seminary for 8 Years”. He was a retired Priest without his robes! I went with him the next 2 months, I joined him visiting about 3 Nursing Homes a week. Then he set me up with two Nursing Homes that needed the Lord’s guiding hand and I have been serving two other homes since, spinning off to two other members of our Church one of the original homes. who are still doing the Lords work. That was a long time ago with a lot of people coming & going but with my 50 some years of going to Bible Classes and a lot of help from my computer, it was refreshing that I finally got a chance to share Jesus Love, Life, Death and Resurrection with new friends that needed the Gospel.
I would like to say that I feel truly blessed that our Lord finally led be to a blessing that I could share with a lot of people looking for forgiveness, and eternal life.
Hi, Bob. Glad to read the description of your calling to do nursing home ministries. In that process with your encounter with the retired priest, was there any one moment when the calling “clicked.” Can you describe that feeling. Such a calling is usually a process, but sometimes it all comes together with a feeling of conviction.
Great to see a number of responses to your post! I too had the chance to visit the Holy-land and walk in the footsteps of Jesus. I highly recommend it to all! There were many moments where one felt close to the Lord, but I would have to say that floating on the Sea of Galilee on a fishing boat in the fog watching them cast out the nets, and yes we sang How Great Thou Art as well, stirred some very deep Spiritual emotions.
Now my days are spent encouraging other believers to experience these “God moments” for themselves and at a frequency that will serve to seal their faith for all time. It truly is amazing to witness the Holy Spirit at work just through the simple process of showing kindness to others in His name. We have been doing monthly PACK (Planned Acts of Christian Kindness) in our community for over 21 years. We plan in advance where will be and what we will do for our acts of kindness. We love on everyone that the Spirit sends our way and we give all the glory to Jesus through the use of the Connect Card, which also serves as an invite to our church/school/youth activities… Through everyday people that appear to not have a care in the world will come an immediate transformation causing the outpouring of a crisis they are right in the midst of. These only take place because of a very unique set of circumstances that took place just moments earlier leaving you with absolutely no doubt as to His divine presence. The Spirit was working through us so that those who only God knew was in desperate need at that very moment could know for certain that He was there for them. Experiences that can never be forgotten and serve to seal one’s faith and transform your very soul. PACK is easy & fun to do for all ages and faith levels. PACK is at work in 110 countries and it is totally FREE at http://www.acts18.org.
Overflowing emotions do not mean that the Holy Spirit is working.
Jeremiah 17:9-10 “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.”
This article is false doctrine. The teachings of psychology are written in such a way as to *seem* Christian.
David, let me ask you this:
If fellowship is an emotional connection, then shouldn’t you be in fellowship with everyone? After all, Jesus said: “Love your enemies.”
(Hint: True love is *not* a feeling.)
Because it arouses strong feelings does not make it true. Causality goes the opposite way. Because its true it arouses strong feeling.
The Holy Spirit works in the context of biblical faith–especially believers gathered around God’s Word. “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them.” Christ is present in Christian fellowship through his Spirit.
The Spirit arouses feelings of love, joy and peace in Christ. That is his job. Why would you want to deny believers those bible-based experiences?
Psychology cannot explain the Spirit’s work. But behavioral science can describe what happens.
Dave
Thanks for your reply. You didn’t answer my question, so I’ll ask another. Multiple choice this time.
Jesus made a prophesy in Luke 21:12-18
“But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But not a hair of your head shall be lost.”
So, here’s the question: Do you believe that this prophesy…
a) has already been fulfilled.
b) is currently being fulfilled.
c) will be fulfilled in the future.
d) all of the above.
e) none of the above.
Thanks again for your reply.