|
Where is the Holy Spirit?
or
The Holy Spirit is Heard, not Felt
The first few times I visited a Missouri Synod Lutheran church service I left thinking, “I just didn't feel the Holy Spirit there.” I wasn't charged up or emotionally moved by the preaching or the music. Sure, the Gospel was preached and I heard about Jesus and the forgiveness of sins, but I was used to the praise service of the non-Denominational church and the emotional appeals made by Baptists. These Lutherans seemed- well, dry, and I was sure that the Holy Spirit wasn't there, or at least, if He was, He was being stifled by the liturgy and the formal worship. I was wrong.
I misunderstood the work of the Spirit. How do you know where the Holy Spirit is? I was using my emotions, my feelings, as the indicator. Goose bumps down my spine or a pit in my stomach, theses were the ways to determine the whereabouts of the Holy Spirit. But the Holy Spirit is not felt, He is heard. The Holy Spirit does not come to tickle us, He comes to talk to us.
Our Lord Jesus says of the Spirit:
When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak... [St John 16:13]
And so the Spirit comes to us, teaching, speaking, preaching. The Holy Spirit is invisible, but He is not silent, He speaks through the Word of God, the Scriptures, convicting us of sin and comforting us with the Gospel of Jesus crucified.
The Holy Spirit is always connected and bound to the Word of God, and St Paul says:
Take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. [Ephesians 6:17]
So how do you know where the Holy Spirit is? How do you find Him? We listen. Listen for the Word of God, listen for the Holy Scriptures, listen for the comforting Gospel message that Jesus has died for you, forgiven you, opened heaven for you. Listen for the preaching of Law and Gospel, and there you will find the Holy Spirit bound to the very Word of God.
And the next time someone tells you, “I just didn't feel the Holy Spirit in church.” Respond, “You might not have felt Him, but did you hear Him?” Was the Bible read? Was the Gospel preached? Were the Sacraments given out? Then take comfort. You can be absolutely sure that the Holy Spirit was there, with Jesus and the Father, giving out all the gifts of heaven, to you.
The Lord's Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Wolfmueller
