Led by the Spirit: Journey Through the Book of Acts Part 1Muestra

Day 3: Filled with His Spirit

Have you ever met someone who refuses to be open to new ideas or different perspectives by others? Stuck in rigid thinking, close-minded persons refuse to have their ideas challenged. Failing to learn new things about themselves or others, closed-minded people tend to be stunted in their personal growth and relationships.

Similarly, if we insist that God must behave as how we want, we close ourselves to the Spirit’s work that can challenge our thinking and deepen our relationship with God. If we restrict God to our pre-conceived notions of how He should deliver us, we may fail to see that He can help us in other ways. We must make room for God’s mysteries because He often acts in surprising, confusing ways to fulfil His purposes.

The promised Holy Spirit’s arrival is no exception. When the Spirit came at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), God sent Him in power. Filled with the Spirit, all the disciples received His power to speak previously un-learned languages.

This miraculous move of the Spirit elicited different responses. The disciples allowed the Spirit to enable them to utter words supernaturally. The devout Jews from different nations were thoroughly confused and astonished when they heard the believers praising God in their native tongues (Acts 2:5-11). While they wanted to understand the meaning behind the miracle (Acts 2:12), some in the crowd scoffed at the believers for being drunk (Acts 2:13).

Who are we most like – the expectant disciples, the baffled onlookers, or the disbelieving mockers? All three groups did not fully understand what God was doing, but only the first two groups were open to the Spirit’s activity. In contrast, the close-minded mockers refused to acknowledge and receive the gracious work of the Spirit.

How, then, can we be open to fresh, surprising moves of the Spirit when we struggle to understand what is going on? Perhaps we must be more comfortable with uncertainty and mystery – we must let the Spirit direct and enable us to do things that we normally will not and cannot do on our own. This does not mean that we uncritically accept every novel and powerful thing as coming from the Spirit, but to discern and test it with the Word of God.

To know God more through the Spirit, we need both an open mind and a discerning heart. Even then, we can never fully understand God (Isaiah 55:8-9). We can know God’s thoughts only to the extent that the Spirit chooses to reveal to us (1 Corinthians 2:11-12).

Reflect

• Are you someone who must understand before you can believe, or do you believe to understand? What do you think is the main difference between these two states of mind, and which is more helpful for your relationship with God?
• What does making room for the Spirit to act beyond human expectation and explanation look like for you? How can you cultivate an open mind to the Spirit’s work and grow in discernment as well?