|
Today's Scripture
He will be great in the sight of the Lord and will never drink wine or any strong drink. Even from his birth, he will be filled with the Holy Spirit.
*Luke 1.15 (NLV)
Do not be drunk with wine, which will ruin you, but be filled with the Spirit.
*Ephesians 5.18(CEV)
And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
*Acts 13.52 (HCSB)
Wisdom Saying
If the Holy Spirit can take over the subconscious with our consent and cooperation, then we have almighty Power working at the basis of our lives, then we can do anything we ought to do, go anywhere we ought to go, and be anything we ought to be.
*E. Stanley Jones (b. 1884), Methodist Missionary and Theologian
Wisdom Story
A story about the famous American evangelist Rev. D. L. Moody (b. 1837) relates that he was speaking to a large audience. Rev. Moody held up a glass. He asked, "How can I get the air out of this glass?" A man shouted, "Suck it out with a pump!" Moody replied, "That would create a vacuum and shatter the glass." After numerous other suggestions, Moody smiled, picked up a pitcher of water, and filled the glass. "There," he said, "all the air is now removed." He then went on to explain that victory in the Christian life is not attained by "sucking out a sin here and there" but by being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Comments
The Holy Spirit is the living principle of the Divine that is most intimate to us. The traditional Western view of the Holy Spirit is that the Spirit is the link of love between Father and Son. The Holy Spirit, then, is the link between us and Christ, in Whom we have access to God. Access is Holy Spirit to Christ Jesus, then, to God the Father.
The Holy Spirit transcends personal, as we understand the term. Or, we could say, "The Holy Spirit is personal to an infinite degree, or infinitely personal."
The above quote by E. Stanley Jones points to the role of Silent Prayer, or Receptive Prayer, in Christian discipleship. In this Prayer we open heart to Indwelling Spirit. We are not seeking to understand anything, though understanding, at times, will arise; we are seeking to consent to the lovingly transformative action of God at the center of who we are. This God is the Holy Spirit.
We will, for there is no consent to God apart from a chosen consent, for the Holy Spirit to empower us from inner to outer. Indeed, the greatest energy potential is from the unconscious. What, or Whom, rules the unconscious will rule the outer aspects of our lives.
Our loving consent is response to the Divine lovingly consenting to our limitation. Our consent is not merely passive abandonment or emptying of mind. Rather, our consent is active consent. At times Contemplative Prayer is understood wrongly, as emptying of mind. The nature of mind is to think. Yet, before movement of mind is Stillness from which movement arises. Before a voice of mind is Silence from which all sound, inner and outer, is born.
In and by Silence we say to God, "Holy Spirit, I invite you to work in the realm of being where my most sacred efforts tend to block Your entrance." The Spirit, in Silence, works to convert energies in the subconscious, or unconscious. This transmuting can be painful and bewildering, and this is one reason I advise a Spiritual Director for anyone who will engage in Meditative or Contemplative Prayer.
What is meant to happen with transmutation of these unconscious energies? Well, they are freed. The energies have been bound, of course unconsciously. The Holy Spirit is present to free them up. The Prayer of Receptivity is meant to lead to a more empowered life, more manifesting the Fruit of Spirit, for we will have energy once held in negativity freed to fulfill the Will of Good in our lives.
The same transmuting work the Holy Spirit applies on a communal level. Revival is the Work of the Holy Spirit setting free the energy of the collective and for the Good. Entire churches, for example, can be living mainly with captivated energy: held in the unconsciousness of the system. The Holy Spirit frees and transmutes, for the freeing and transmuting are one process. Then, the church begins manifesting the Fruit of Spirit at a remarkable degree.
Hopefully, this writing helps in placing practice of Receptive Prayer, or Silent Prayer, or Contemplative Prayer, within the context of the work of the Holy Spirit. This Prayer has great potential for the work of the individual disciple of Christ and a Christian church.
Reflection
How do you sense you are filled with the Spirit?
Why might Contemplative Prayer offer a more open access to the Holy Spirit than other forms of prayer?
Brian is available to respond to requests pertaining to seeking a Spiritual Director, his speaking, doing classes, workshops, or retreats for churches or other spiritual groups.
For submission of replies, see below:
*Brian K. Wilcox lives with his wife, Rocio, and their two dogs, St. Francis and Bandit Ty, in Clearwater and Punta Gorda, Florida. He is a United Methodist pastor and vowed member of Greenbough House of Prayer, a contemplative Christian community in Georgia. His passion is living a contemplative life and inspiring others to experience a deeper relationship with Christ through contemplative prayer and living.
|
