The Evidence of the Holy Spirit

Recently, I was asked to lead a cohort of mainline pastors who wanted to explore experiencing more of the Holy Spirit’s work in their congregations.

 

They lead churches that are primarily traditional and somewhat liturgical. I had been individually coaching them when they began asking questions regarding the Holy Spirit—perhaps because of my pastoral background—and whether I might offer some resources. I suggested we meet as a cohort and investigate together.

I bought each of them Tyler Staton’s excellent book The Familiar Stranger: (Re)Introducing the Holy Spirit to Those in Search of an Experiential Spirituality. By our third meeting, they were engaging in lively discussions traversing all sorts of trails.

In one of our last meetings, I mentioned that although the book of Acts is not a great place to develop a systematized theology, it certainly gives us a dynamic picture of what the early church was experiencing.

I brought up the obvious recorded signs of the Spirit’s infilling in Acts—people prophesying, spontaneous worship erupting, and men and women speaking in languages unknown to them. There were often initial transrational experiences of the charismata. But when we look at what continued in the behaviors of the Church—the ongoing evidence that God was moving among them—it appears there were four primary outcomes:

1. Individually transformed lives

2. Conflictual activity, typically in the form of opposition or persecution

3. Boldness in evangelism, often accompanied by signs and wonders

4. Radical generosity

As one who loves to study organizational behaviors and effects, I found this fascinating.

If we witnessed those four practices happening in a church, would we assume the Spirit is moving there in measurable ways?

Or, considering this from a negative perspective, if we didn’t see those results happening in a church, should we presume they are not partnering with the Holy Spirit in some effective way?

Or are they not intentionally discipling their people in ways that would engender those four outcomes?

Or is this totally up to the arbitrariness of the Holy Spirit—à la “the wind blows where it wishes”?

Or ________ (This is where you fill in your own answer or disclaimer).

Regardless of our personal theologies and practices, it seems we should be wrestling with this at some level. And if we agree that those four outcomes best express the character and behaviors of the early church, I’m not sure we should dismiss them easily in our contexts. Moreover, if we happen to be a “glass half empty” personality-type, please don’t view this as a simple failure of leadership, but rather as an opportunity to grow and develop.

Regardless, I think all of us in spiritual leadership have to consider what the return-on-investment is for the deposit of the Holy Spirit.

What would you say it is, in view of the Church?

Dave Workman | The Elemental Group

Who Has Seen the Wind?

Christina Rossetti (1830–1894)

Who has seen the wind?

Neither I nor you.

But when the leaves hang trembling,

The wind is passing through.

Who has seen the wind?

Neither you nor I.

But when the trees bow down their heads,

The wind is passing by.

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