… and [the Spirit of] revelation …
Summary: Throwing a party for someone you love is fun, but it can be a lot of work. Under the right circumstances, it can even involve moments of pure panic!
A few years back, I organized a surprise birthday party for my wife. That may sound like a simple thing to do, but it was not. My wife is extremely attentive to what is going on. Pulling off a surprise party meant communicating with friends and family without her knowing. Then, getting the house ready for visitors, setting up the party room, and making sure there was food and cake, all without her suspecting anything!
All my preparations went surprisingly well. The party was in the basement, and we were upstairs. I had somehow set everything up without her knowing, and I arranged for people to come in through the garage quietly. Their job was to wait patiently until I made up some pretext for Debbie to come downstairs, then … surprise!
Before the surprise, there were two moments of panic. One was when I heard the light flutter of voices downstairs. I don’t know why Deb didn’t hear it, but I remember scooting downstairs as quickly as I could and poking my head in the room to go SHHHHHH!!!
I had anticipated the noise might be a problem, but the one that caught me off guard was the coffee.
Debbie hates coffee and is sensitive to the smell and taste. Chocolate with even a hint of coffee flavoring is verboten (which means I get all the coffee chocolates!). I don’t drink coffee anymore, so we never cook it fresh unless we have guests.
It was still about ten minutes before party time when the smell of fresh coffee from the basement started wafting up the stairwell. “COFFEE!!!” screamed my brain! Once again, I made my disappearing act and flashed down the stairs. If she noticed the smell, it would be a catastrophe! I had set up the coffeemaker in the basement, and it was happily perking away, making that wonderful — and noticeable — coffee smell. Thinking fast, I quickly unplugged the coffeemaker and moved it out into the garage before plugging it back in again.
Whew!
The rest of the party went off without a hitch, and yes, Debbie was very surprised.
So why do I tell you all this? Because both smells and sounds are invisible. We can’t see or touch them. We perceive them through other means. Both the coffee smell and the noise threatened to reveal that something was going on. I guarantee that if my wife had noticed either, the jig would have been up!
God’s spirit works on the same principle. Spirits are invisible (most of the time*), and we perceive them through other means. Like coffee is to our nose and noise is to our ears, God’s Spirit is to our spirit. We sense God’s presence even though we don’t see or hear him directly.
Application: Know that spiritual communication from God is a reality.
Food for Thought: Why is it hard to believe in a spiritual reality, and what does it mean if we do?
*Matthew 3:16
Why is it hard to believe in a spiritual reality, and what does it mean if we do?
Why is it hard for us to know that God is in control of everything when you see all the sin in the world with corruption, abortion murders, and unrighteousness. What does it mean if we still believe that our Lord is comming back for us, that the Bible is truth and the word of God.
It’s all because we are stuck in this world of flesh at the time being. And it means that we have faith.
Tim,
Thank you! Faith is the antidote to being “stuck in the flesh” as you so aptly put it. Thank God our God is both powerful and gracious.
Thanks T. I like the point made by the statement “why is it hard for us to know that God is in control of everything when you see all the sin in the world with corruption, abortion, murders and unrighteousness.” That said quite a bit. Against that backdrop of evil we can either see the Sovereign God providing hope and salvation, or we can try desperately to ignore the chaos, or we can give in to despair, or we can join in the evil and be complicit. I am sure there are other unhealthy responses.
We can’t see the spiritual reality with our physical eyes, but it is there (2 Kings 6: 15 – 17; Daniel 10: 12 – 21; 1 Corinthians 2: 14 reminds us that we need to discern spiritual reality. But need the Holy Spirit to do so). To see that reality in a God honoring way means we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2: 16). We have received the Spirit in us which allows us to go to war in the spiritual realm (Ephesians 1: 13 – 14; 2 Corinthians 1: 21 – 22; Ephesians 6: 10 – 12).
The spiritual reality is, well, reality. To not see a male oldie is dangerous. To not embrace our spiritual hope and ally is even more so (Matthew 10: 28).
My spell correct got me. To not see a “male oldie” should read: “to not see a malevolent foe”😊
Rich, I appreciate your thought and words. Thank you!
I also chuckled at the “male oldies” which I think will follow me around today. 🙂
Brother Rich,
I have to confess that being called “dangerous” feels pretty cool. It almost makes being called a “male oldie” worthwhile. LOL! 🙂
The 2 Kings reference is one of my favorites:
“Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”
I have lived long enough and heard and seen enough to believe that this passage is literally true. The power of God is not only a metaphor for a higher truth, it is a literal power. When we understand that the physical realm is a subset of the spiritual, then all of the things you say in your comment and the scriptural references you give take on a different and very powerful meaning.
Thank you!
Thanks brother. I am keeping my eye out today for any of those dangerous male oldies. I guess I have become woke after all.
🙂
I think people in general fear what they don’t understand. It is impossible to truly understand the full measure of our spiritual reality without the guidance of the Spirit. Truly accepting that there is a spiritual reality means accepting God as Creator, Father, and His Will for Creation. Accepting that means understanding your sin and a need for a Savior. Accepting that brings you to a point of deciding whether to trust Jesus or not. Accepting that Christ died for our sins, believing His Word, and submitting to His Will, means changing the direction of your life. This is the true beginning to understanding our spiritual reality.
It is easier for people to dismiss it altogether even though they can sense it in their heart. I would liken it to [in your story] your wife walking into the house, smelling fresh coffee, and saying “smells like coffee, but Jeff knows I don’t like the smell of coffee, so he wouldn’t brew coffee, must be something else.”
Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
Chris,
Well said! Great verse!! Thank you!
03-09-2023, Why is it hard to believe in a spiritual reality, and what does it mean if we do?
In His mercy, Jesus has extended us an invitation to receive life through Him in God’s Word, but the question is whether we are willing to believe it. Knowing this, He ascended into Heaven so the Holy Spirit could come and “ Convict The World “ of SIN, RIGHTEOUSNESS, and JUDGEMENT TO COME.” The truth is being effectively communicated to every person in this world, and His truths being hard to believe will not cut it.
Matthew 11:28-30, Revelation 3:21, John 16:8-13
The problem is humble submission to God’s will over our own which is not an acceptable option to satan or this world. To counter this, people are accepting the lies of the god of this world which focus on the Bible being contradictory, out of date, and totally at odds with man’s scientific understanding.
However, the questions of meaning of life, purpose and our value remain unresolved.
So mankind restructures religion, they build a golden calf, a god built to their standards of righteousness, one they can see, control and allows each to point to themselves as righteous according to these varying standards. They claim to attend to their inner self, their mental and emotional states, telling each other, they are gaining a special kind of self-knowledge. They place value in THEIR abilities to be compassionate, empathetic and open-hearted according to THEIR standards. They privatize religion as they accept a different set of standards held by others. They all believe there is more to the world than meets the eye, more than the mere material, and their value as the true voice of peace and tranquillity.
Being spiritual to them implies seeking to better understand one’s inner life in order to act more wisely in the world. For many, becoming more contemplative or aware of their inner life allows them to interact with others in a way that is less reactive, less harmful and more authentic to who they think themselves to be.
They are self centered rather than Christ centered and all Christianity is a threat to these people, their vision of themselves and must be stamped out.
We remain on earth, protected by God and alert to any of those who begin to question this lie. Christ in us will speak to them and draw the chosen out of this evil fantasy world.
Ron,
Beautifully said!! Thank you!
I especially like your summation of the message; helping people understand what sin is, what righteousness means, and that there is a judgment coming.