0828 – Are You Hindering the Holy Spirit? 你是否正在拦阻圣灵?

The church has gone through many trials throughout history but the most challenging time was during the enlightenment period in the eighteenth-century. Reasoning was enthroned and the human being instead of God, became the measure of all things. It was an onslaught of rationalism, empiricism and skepticism among the intellectuals. There was a great divide between those who began with man and his reasoning and experience, and those who began with God and His revelation.Whilst we should not belittle intellectualism, we should renew our mind with the Word of God so that it will not be a hindrance to the leading of the Holy Spirit. We have a finite mind but we worship an infinite God! We have been trained to reason, think logically, rationally and skeptically therefore we tend to shut off whenever something is beyond our logic or reason. Anything that is illogical or experiential but biblical will be scorned at and termed as emotionalism. This is true when it has to do with God and the supernatural realm that He reigns supreme in.Romans 8:14-16 (NKJV) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,The Scripture tells us that the children of God are led by His Spirit. Therefore, as children of God we better know what it is like to be led by the Spirit of God.

When we are being led by the Holy Spirit, we are being led in our heart or spirit man before it is processed by the mind. It is very important to note that the leading of the Holy Spirit will never contradict the Word of God especially in values and principles. Therefore, if we receive something that is beyond our abilities and it is extremely creative but possible in God, then we need to pull down the stronghold in our mind and bring it into subjection under the Lordship of Jesus Christ!

While we should continue to develop our mind and intellect to their full potential, we should not neglect the aspect of developing our spirit man to receive from God. We need to train and develop our spirit man for it to be a safeguard for God to use. We need to become more conscious of our spirit rather than our soul. As a believer, we need a good balance between being strong intellectually, and being open to the work of the Holy Spirit and His communication in our lives. That is the ideal balance.

Is God real? Yes, HE is. Does the Holy Spirit speak? Yes, HE does. Will you listen? Yes, you should. Being sensitive to the Holy Spirit takes practice as we learn how to be still in the presence of God to listen to His voice. We should work at this until hearing the leading of the Holy Spirit becomes second nature to us.

Sermon Series : From The Closet to The Street (Part 2)

你是否正在拦阻圣灵?

教会在历史上经历了许多考验, 但最具挑战性的时期是在十八世纪的启蒙运动时期. 理性受到推崇. 人类, 而不是神, 成为衡量万物之尺度. 知识分子群体受到了理性主义、实证主义和怀疑论的猛烈冲击. 分歧产生了巨大鸿沟并区分出了两个群体: 一个群体以人为本, 基于人的理性及经验; 另一个群体以神为本, 基于神和祂的启示

虽说我们不应该贬低知性主义, 但我们应该用神的话语更新我们的思想, 这样思想才不至于成为一个障碍, 阻碍圣灵的带领. 我们的头脑是有限的，而我们敬拜的神是无限的！我们被训练寻根究底，逻辑、理性并质疑地思考，因此每当有超出我们逻辑或理性的事时, 我们倾向于将其切断. 任何符合圣经但不吻合人的逻辑或经验的,会被蔑视并被称为情感主义。而当这与神及其所统治的超自然的领域相关时，却是真实的。

罗马书8:14-16 因为凡被　神的灵引导的，都是　神的儿子。 15你们所受的，不是奴仆的心，仍旧害怕；所受的，乃是儿子的心，因此我们呼叫：「阿爸！父！」 16圣灵与我们的心同证我们是　神的儿女；

圣经告诉我们, 神的儿女们是由祂的灵所带领的. 因此，作为神的儿女, 我们理应知道被圣灵带领是一种怎样的经历。

当我们被圣灵带领, 我们是由内心或内在灵人所带领，先于头脑对于此信息的处理。在这里, 需要指出的重点是, 圣灵的带领永远不会违背神的话语, 特别是在价值观和原则上. 因此，如果我们接收的东西超出了我们的能力并且前所未有而在神是可能的, 那么我们应当破除头脑中的营垒, 把它置于耶稣基督的主权下！

虽然我们应该继续发展我们的思维和智力, 以充分发挥其潜力, 却不应忽视喂养我们的内住灵人以便领受神的启示. 我们需要训练和培养我们的内在灵人好使其成为神能使用的护卫. 我们需要更加敏于灵甚于敏于魂. 作为信徒，我们需要在“强大的理性”与“敞开于圣灵的工作及其在我们生命中的沟通“之间作好平衡，这才是理想的平衡。

神是真的吗？是的, 祂是真的. 圣灵会说话吗？是的, 祂有. 你会听吗？是的, 你应该听. 对圣灵敏感是需要操练的, 我们要学习如何在神的同在里安静听祂的声音. 我们应该在这方面不断练习，直到听取圣灵的带领成为我们的第二本性。

讲章系列：从内室到大街（第二部分）