While the teaching about the Holy Spirit may not be totally absent, such theological teaching remains head knowledge only without putting into practice and therefore cannot be backed up by first hand, real life experience and testimonies of the Holy Spirit.
What electric appliances can continue to function without being plugged in for power supply? The same is true for Christians and churches living independent of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:10-11).
If personal Christian life and church life is not guided by the Holy Spirit, there is no power and no intimacy with God in such a life. This is how salt loses its saltiness. Churches and His people have no impact in the part of the world that we are in. This is tragic! What's the point then?!
Who has known the mind of the Lord except by the Spirit? Who can teach and explain spiritual realities except by Spirit-taught words? (1 Corinthians 2:10-16)? Basically a Christian is of no difference with a non-Christian except by the living presence of the Holy Spirit. When God's Word is taught by human intellect without the Spirit, there is no new birth of spiritual nature in the depth of human souls despite of the teaching. There is no life transformation. We have to get it: no church can do God's will without a hundred percent relying on the Holy Spirit!
However, that is not at all the reality in experience. The elephant in the room remains:
- The Holy Spirit is hardly mentioned nor worshiped nor related to as an actual Person.
- There is no coaching on how to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit.
- There is no seeking the Holy Spirit corporately as a church
- There is a lack of real life experience of signs and wonders.
- There are many Bible passages never experienced, for example:
- Acts 2:16-18: we will prophesy; see visions, dream dreams.
- John 14:12: we can do even greater things than Jesus when He was on earth.
- Mark 16:17: These signs will accompany those of us who believe: In Jesus name, we will drive out demons, we will speak in new tongues... we will place their hands on sick people and they will get well.
- Many other Bible passages
There is Holy Spirit PHOBIA. I have also heard from church leaders who said that if everyone said he/she is hearing from the Holy Spirit, the church will be chaotic. What a pitiful state that churches like these have never corporately seek the Holy Spirit to the point that everyone surrendering their own preferences and as a result, experiencing the unity in Spirit as a church.
There is also a real fear of the spirit realm experience that may lead to demonic encounter. However, Jesus said that His sheep can recognize His voice because we are His (John 10:26-28). The ability to hear His voice is in our spiritual nature when we were born again! In fact, in Jesus name, not only we can discern which spirit is from the evil one, we have also been given the authority in Jesus name to cast them out, as I have also experienced. Therefore such spirit of fear has no biblical base and is absolutely not from the Lord. It is only scare tactics from the evil one us to dis-empower us from Jesus' empowerment. The Spirit of the Lord gives us boldness, power and authority, knowing who we are in Christ.
There is also the attitude of UNBELIEF that these Bible passages cannot be experienced. Such unbelief needs repentance as such attitude is saying His Word is not all Truth.
Churches who do not face this elephant in the room will remain powerless and lifeless.
But if we fully embrace the Spirit of the Living God living in us, we shall be the most fascinating people ever live on earth!
