Recognizing the Holy Spirit

Jesus warned some religious leaders once that blaspheming the Holy Spirit would not be forgiven (Matthew 12:22-31). That is pretty serious. We could look at what was happening in that situation and think that we would not have made the mistake the Pharisees did, because we would know that Jesus did the miracles because He is God.

Suppose we went to a meeting of our favorite congregation, though, and we encountered what some believers did as Luke described it in Acts 5:1-11? Someone we have seen in our meetings for weeks or years drops dead for lying to some leaders of the congregation. How easy would that be to sort out? What about explaining it to coworkers asking questions on Monday morning?

Lots of weird stuff has happened in gatherings of the church in the last few decades. Laughing, shaking, freezing, healings, and more. The clue for discerning the work of the Spirit is learning to listen to the Spirit. When He has something to say, be wanting to hear it. When He wants to explain something, be wanting to understand it.

The seriousness, again, is beyond just getting the answer right. It is related to discerning Who He is and what He is doing. If you don’t feel prepared for the test (which is appropriate), ask for help. He is the Helper (John 14:15-18, John 14:25-26).

“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
John 15:26 NKJV