A Better Atmosphere for Breathing

"Did you know that spending time outside for 20 minutes a day reduces household sickness by 47 percent?" My wife, who is quite dedicated to her daily walk, had just read this statistic in a magazine and happily shared it with the rest of our family. 

It really is an impressive stat. Breathing in a cleaner atmosphere does wonders for your health. If this is true physically, how much more so spiritually? Many homes and churches suffer from spiritually unhealthy atmospheres.   They are filled with the bacteria of bitterness, anger and resentment. They are permeated with the germs of gossip, complaining, backbiting, and other unwholesome talk.

Some of these very sins were addressed at our church in last Sunday's sermon on Ephesians 4:25-32. Sin grieves the Spirit of God, for he is, after all, the Holy Spirit.  Anything that is not holy is distasteful to him and diminishes his work among us.

What exactly is the Holy Spirit's work? That's a loaded question, for the work of God's Spirit is multi-faceted. He guides and directs God's people, gives us assurance, teaches us, illumines us, and unifies us, among other things. But one of the primary purposes of the Holy Spirit in this present age, as noted by theological Wayne Grudem, is to "make the presence of God known." He does this in ways that show "he is working to fulfill his purposes in the church and to bring blessing to his people." (Systematic Theology, p. 641)

When we grieve the Holy Spirit, we're only hurting ourselves. We make ourselves miss out on the manifest presence of God and all the blessings that accompany it. We poison the atmosphere of our home and church. So if we want to cultivate the Spirit's presence rather than kill it, then:

1. We must not tell lies, for he is the "Spirit of truth" (John 16:13).
2. We must not give in to sinful anger, for he is the "Spirit of grace" (Heb. 10:29).
3. We must not steal, for he is the Spirit who distributes gifts from God (1 Cor. 12:11).
4. We must not speak corruptly, for the Holy Spirit fills our mouths God's word (Acts 4:31; Eph. 18-19).

Years ago Michael W. Smith came out with a song entitled "Breathe." The song begins with these lyrics:

This is the air I breathe

This is the air I breathe

Your holy presence living in me.

Frankly, I never cared much for the song because it lacked doctrinal substance. But when sung in the context of the biblical truths discussed above, this musical prayer is quite appropriate. A Christian living in sin should feel like a fish out of water. To be a Christian is to live "in the Spirit" (Rom. 8:9), and the Spirit always produces a Godlike atmosphere when he manifests his presence.

How can you cooperate with the Holy Spirit to promote spiritual health in your home and church?

Proof of the Spirit's Presence

As part of last Sunday's sermon, I shared six ways to cultivate and experience the Holy Spirit's presence in our lives. I adapted this list from the one that appeared in J. D. Greear's newly released book, Jesus, Continued...: Why the Spirit Inside You Is Better Than Jesus Beside You. I read this book in its entirety between Christmas and New Year's, and it was a tremendous encouragement to me spiritually. While I differ with Greear on a point here and there, any disagreements are relatively minor and are not substantial enough to keep me from giving a "thumbs up" on the book. In the brief video clip below, J. D. Greear tells us about his book and mentions the six ways we can experience the Spirit's presence:

If I had more time on Sunday, I would have talked not only about the Spirit's presence, but also about the proof of the Spirit's presence. Certainly a major indication would be the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23, virtues such as "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control...." But we find additional evidence delineated in Ephesians 5. In verse 18 we find the command, "Be filled with the Spirit." This directive is followed by four proofs of the Spirit's filling. They appear as five participles (words formed from verbs but used as adjectives) in verses 19-21:

1. addressing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs: The Spirit-filled Christian speaks God's truth to others in such a way that encourages them and builds them up in the Lord.
2. singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart: The Spirit-filled Christian has a heart that is fully devoted to God. He expresses this by "singing his heart out" to God, especially gathered with fellow believers for worship. 
3. giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: The Spirit-filled Christian has a life marked by gratitude. This gratitude persists even through unpleasant circumstances because it is God-focused and Christ-centered.
4. submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ: The Spirit-filled Christian selflessly serves others out of love and respect for Jesus Christ.

Can you imagine how different our church would be if each of us was truly Spirit-filled? Think about it! No wonder Scripture exhorts us to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18) and "go on to maturity" (Hebrews 6:1).

One thing is for sure: As we grow, it will show!