Acts 8.29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
The Holy Spirit is more than a doctrine, He is a Living Person Who speaks to His people and directs their steps. Of course, as The Author of Scripture, The Holy Spirit has given to the church the Living Word to guide us and instruct us as well. But I fear that in many circles, The Living Holy Spirit has been “gagged” by a theology that basically says, “God does not work like that today.” Granted, there are people who have done injustice to The Holy Spirit by declaring false teachings and performing lying signs and wonders. But, that does not negate Who The Living Holy Spirit is and what He does in the lives of His children.
In our devotional passage, Phillip is directed by The Spirit to go and join himself to a chariot. How He said it is up for interpretation. Bottom line, Phillip knew it was The Spirit speaking to him, and he obeyed. If Phillip were to say to some theologians or camps of Christendom today, “The Spirit told me to go talk to that man”, they would have smugly said, oh dear brother, God does not speak to His people that way anymore. Huh? Didn’t Jesus say, My sheep hear My voice? Does that mean, My sheep will only hear Me when they read or hear Scripture?
While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee. Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them. Of course, some would say that these things happened to “establish the church” until the Scriptures were written. That was a different dispensation of the church. Question: does The Holy Spirit convict of sin today? Does The Holy Spirit anoint and appoint His people for ministry and service today? Does The Holy Spirit still lead and direct His children today when making decisions about where to go, what to say or what to do in areas not specifically mentioned in Scripture?
My prayer is that the church would once again give unto The Holy Spirit His rightful place in the life of His people as The Living God Who is just the same today as The Father and Jesus Christ. The Spirit leads us to Christ, and Jesus Christ baptized us with His Spirit, Who enables us to cry, Abba, Father!
Thank you so much for this article!
Two of my beloved mentors have insisted for 35 years that the Lord doesn’t speak to anyone, ever. Yes, God spoke in ancient times to biblical prophets, but He stopped before the close of the 1st century A.D.
So the first time the Lord spoke to me, quietly yet crystal-clearly, at the end of an intensive time of prayer, I didn’t know what to do, except to record in detail what He told me. At the time, I was well aware of the biblical standards for discerning whether or not God has spoken. Either the miracle He foretold would occur—through no agency of my own (not even a whisper to my fiancée)—or it wasn’t a word from the Lord.
Since that experience, I’ve never known the next time God will speak to me. Several years typically transpire from one to another. Yet every time, the miracle God foretells occurs. It’s something I couldn’t script no matter how imaginative and creative I was. When the Lord sometimes tells me to give His very specific and detailed message to a particular individual, I do so with divinely-given confidence. The message, after all, has nothing to do with me. I’m simply the forth-teller.
I highly recommend Suzanne Frey’s new book, “Marvelous: Amazing Answers to Prayer,” Chapter 8, “Anna’s Answer,” which I wrote. In it, I’m the anti-hero. God always is the Hero! To Him alone be all glory, honor and praise…