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2. Letting the Abundant Life Flow
Quench not the Spirit. (I Thessalonians 5.19, AV)
The Greek word for Spirit (pneuma) is the same word for “wind” and “breath.” The nature of wind and breath and, by implication, of Spirit in the biblical tradition is movement. Wind moves, wind flows. Breath moves, breath flows. There is no such thing as a still wind or a still breath. Spirit will always be active in our midst, causative, and evident.
However, we can quench the Spirit. The Message reads, “Don’t suppress the Spirit,” and the New Living Translation has, “Do not stifle the Holy Spirit.” The Contemporary English Version renders the passage, “Don’t turn away God’s Spirit.”
How do we quench this Spirit? I Thessalonians 5.20 gives indication. The passage reads, “Do not despise prophecies… (ESV).” Prophecies indicate the freedom of the Holy Spirit to speak spontaneous messages needed by the gathered congregation. To resist this manifestation of the Spirit means to turn a back on the Spirit, to stifle the operations of the Spirit. By extension, we can quench the flow of the Spirit by seeking to suppress what the Spirit is seeking to do in our individual lives and our congregational journey, together.
Henry H. Tweedy, in 1933, wrote the words to what was to become a well-known hymn in the Church, entitled “O Spirit of the Living God.” The words exemplify the yearning for the abundant, lively Life of the Spirit, spoken of as light, fire, and wind, to flow and the consequences of such flowing, which includes the making whole of all creation in Christ—a central teaching of the Wesleyan tradition:
O Spirit of the living God, Thou light and fire divine,
Descend upon Thy church once more, and make it truly Thine.
Fill it with love and joy and power, with righteousness and peace;
Till Christ shall dwell in human hearts, and sin and sorrow cease.
Blow, wind of God! With wisdom blow until our minds are free
From mists of errors, clouds of doubt, which blind our eyes to Thee.
Burn, winged fire! Inspire our lips with flaming love and zeal,
To preach to all Thy great good news, God’s glorious common weal.
Teach us to utter living words of truth which all may hear,
The language all may understand when love speaks loud and clear;
Till every age and race and clime shall blend their creeds in one,
And earth shall form one family by whom Thy will is done.
So shall we know the power of Christ Who came this world to save;
So shall we rise with Him to life which soars beyond the grave;
And earth shall win true holiness, which makes Thy children whole;
Till, perfected by Thee, we reach creation’s glorious goal!
Grace is the abundant, lively, and flowing Life of God, imparting life and wholeness to all who receive. The purpose of what we call sanctifying Grace is to lead us to perfection, or wholeness in Christ, as summed up through the words of John Wesley in his sermon “On Faith”:
Go on to perfection. Yea, and when ye have attained a measure of perfect love, when God has … enabled you to love him with all your heart and all your soul, think not of resting there. … You cannot stand still; you must either rise or fall—…. Therefore the voice of God to the children of Israel, to the children of God is “Go forward.”
I invite you to consecrate yourselves anew to let flow the Abundant Life of the Spirit in your life, the church, and to share it in the world through the Fruit of the Spirit. Let us determine not to quench the Spirit, shutting ourselves off from this Life of Christ. Rather, let us say “Yes” to all the fullness the Spirit wills for us to enjoy, share, and grow into as disciples of Jesus Christ. Let us remember that we are called to the fullness of Life, exemplified in the maturing of the Fruit of the Spirit. Let us keep before us the wisdom of Paul, when he writes in II Corinthians 3.6, contrasting the legality of religious law with the flow of the Spirit, “He [God] is the one who has enabled us to represent his new covenant. This is a covenant, not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old way ends in death; in the new way, the Holy Spirit gives life.”
Let us pray…
Spirit of Christ, we are ready to receive your blessings. Convict us of sin. Assure us of righteousness. Lead us into holiness. May our every response to your will and way among us be “Yes.” In Christ’s Name, Amen.
OneLife Ministries is a pastoral outreach and nurture ministry of the First United Methodist Church, Fort Meade, FL. For Spiritual Direction, Pastoral Counseling, spiritual formation workshops, Christian meditation retreats, or more information about OneLife, write Rev. Dr. Brian K. Wilcox at briankwilcox@comcast.net.
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