Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Personalising Holy Spirit

I have been interested this week to listen to the way Leon Fontaine makes reference to "the" Holy Spirit when he speaks.  In referring to "the" Holy Spirit, he omits the article "the" and simply addresses Holy Spirit directly in conversation.  This reflects for me a personalisation of Holy Spirit as a distinct person of the Godhead with whom we can enjoy a personal relationship, rather than an impersonal dimension or force attributed to God.

When you listen to Leon speak you get a sense of an intimacy with Holy Spirit as real and personal as with Jesus Christ.  You rarely hear a Christian refer to "the" Jesus Christ, yet you often (as have I) hear Christians refer to "the" Holy Spirit in prayer and conversation.  It is refreshing and revealing to engage with Holy Spirit in this intimate way.

I observed a similar relationship while reading Clark Pinnock's book, The Flame of Love, which reveals his deep personal love for Holy Spirit which challenged me to engage with the Spirit of God more intimately.  Leon has renewed this desire within my own spirit to pursue an intimacy with Holy Spirit that will be reflected in the way I pray, preach and personalise this divine relationship.

1 comment:

  1. I want to share my experience of being filled with The Holy Spirit this week. Since my repentance and return to God, He has given me a couple of opportunities to witness to people. In one of those occasions I was filled with the Holy Spirit in order to explain the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know from previous years that He comes on me (and I observe also to others) for His purposes. I say with deep regret that unfortunately, my fear of man has been stronger than my love for the souls of men, and I missed this happening most of my Christian life. Oh! As we sing. "To love & obey.There is no other way".

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