Last month, the message centered around “Being Changed into His Image”. and that we’re Christians under construction with the Holy Spirit as the Superintendent of Construction. The model life of that construction is Jesus Himself; being transformed into His likeness and image! And to love like He loved!

It’s important to remember that the Holy Spirit is a member of the Godhead: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He is a person, not an “it”. It was Jesus Himself who said “ If you love me, keep my commands, And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you, and be with you forever–the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:15-17.) Other translations for the Greek “paraclete” use synonyms like: Helper, Comforter, Convicter, Exhorter and Reprover. He also is pictured as a dove, fire, wind, even water (John 7:37-38). The Apostle Paul had this summary: “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God” and again in verse 16, “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Romans 8:14 & 16).

So this morning, I want to focus on some of the ways the Holy Spirit works to bring about this transformation of our lives.

I. First, the Spirit works with gentle pressure of peace on our spirit to turn us in the direction we need to go. Much like we can direct a child with a gentle touch on their shoulder. Solomon wrote in Proverbs 16:9 “a man’s heart devises his plans but the Lord directs his steps”. The purpose is to keep us heading in the right direction. This happened to me right here in this place–several months ago. I spoke of a friend’s stature–and no sooner than I got in our car, the Spirit’s gentle pressure was, “Jim, you shouldn’t have said that” and realized I had grieved the Holy Spirit; my joy and peace was gone. This prompted me to apologize to my dear friend! (Now, don’t be looking around to see who that was!) Sometimes, when Kay and I are shopping and she is pushing the buggy, I’ll gently turn in slightly and she’ll say, “why are you pushing me this way!”

Other forces can rob us of our peace with the Spirit–physical demands, business experiences, broken relationships or successes and victories can turn our focus inward. Either extreme is wrong–sad things or happy things–because we have taken our eyes off of Jesus. A sense or feeling of darkness has fallen over our spirit. The Holy Spirit now has to get our attention again. Maybe repentance might be in order; or, an apology. The Spirit will give the necessary action to take.

And when we obey that gentle pressure, the joy returns to our hearts! Oswalt Chambers wrote: “Why shouldn’t we go through heartbreaks?…If through a broken heart God can bring His purposes to pass in the world, then thank Him for breaking your heart.” (My Utmost for His Highest’ P. 306).

II. The Holy Spirit guides our lives through the Bible. The Scriptures are God’s Word to us–authorative and clear.. Everything about how to live our lives is already spelled out for us; all we have to do is obey them! But there are times when He highlights a verse or passage that we need; maybe course correction or as GPS likes to do, “recalculating”! This is especially helpful in His teaching us how to Love God or love our neighbor.

Last Sunday, at Charge Conference in Bay Minette,, I shared a funny story about our grandson, Reece. In high school he was on the tennis team and I would say, “Reece, you have such good eye/hand coordination, you should try golf”. No, he wouldn’t try it. Got to Auburn and with some friends, started playing–addicted now! So, I gave him Pickett’s little Red Book of Golfing Tips and in the back put a $20 bill. Months went by, Reece, how you coming on the book. “On my desk GD”. Finally at Christmas, Kay said, “Reece when you get back to Auburn, just shake that book like this!” And then he called me! Well, at Bay Minette, a mother came up to me and said she had given her daughter a Bible when she left for Auburn and put $10 bills throughout and encouraged her to read the Bible “everyday”. Three months later, she called her Mother and said, “I need $100 dollars. ” Her Mother asked, “you been reading your Bible?” Yes, everyday!”

Earlier in John 14, verses 13-15 Jesus said “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He shall glorify Me; for He shall take of Mine, and shall disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said, that He takes of Mine, and will disclose it to you.”

So, no matter what we are going through; pressures, circumstances, the Spirit can give us insight into them; nurturing and maturing us. Maybe it’s comfort we need; or maybe hope when we can’t see the end of the tunnel. That is what it means that He will guide us in all truth.

Since we are “under construction” because we are not what we should be–the goal to remember is to be made like Him. He knows what He is doing–God has a pattern for our lives so nothing is accidental about what is happening to us. His almighty hand is guiding our lives, though we may not see how His providences are controlling our direction–but He knows. He knows the future: and as Ethel Waters used to sing,”His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me!”

Though we are born into the family of God in an instance; it takes the Spirit months, maybe years to bring about the dying to self and the attachments of life that have a hold on us. The goal remember is that the focus is on being made in His Image–to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strenght–everything else, Paul confessed, was rubbish! (Philippians 3;8).

The Apostle Peter is a good example of how God has to change our ways, our thinking and sometimes our theology. It happened after He had been used by God to raise Tabitha (Dorcas) back to life after she had died. A vision of unclean animals let down in a sheet and God said, arise and eat! And the pious Jew he was, even filled with the Spirit, Peter resisted, claiming he had never eaten anything unclean–uncoshured! God’s plan wasn’t dietary, it was to bring Gentiles into His family!! (Read that remarkable story in Acts 10). The result was Peter now understood that God shows no partiality!

III. Third and lastly, the Holy Spirit may work through visions, dreams, signs. He is not limited to any ways He wishes to communicate with us to clearly show the way forward. Certainly the signs are more spectacular, but He mostly works through gentle pressure and the Scripture. In a few weeks we will be in the Advent Season–the choir is already working on a Cantata. Think of all the ways God got the messages across–to Mary, an angel; Joseph, a dream; shepherds-angels, and heavenly choir; Magi-a visible moving star; even Herod got the word, too!

He may use spectacular for the more important or difficult cases like re-educating Peter. But we should not seek signs over the more common means of guidance just because they are more exciting. Perhaps ask for a sign when you are in a difficult situation.

I want to close with three different ways the Spirit has worked that I have seen and experienced. First happened years ago when Kay and I were serving in Geneva. One afternoon, I was in the church study. About 2:45 that afternoon the Spirit spoke to my spirit saying, “Call Jim Hosey”. It was as audible and clear as my voice now. I knew Jim; he was pastor of the Christ United Methodist Church in Milton. We had about 450 pastors in our conference –I didn’t sit around thinking about them! Again the message came, “Call Jim Hosey”. Some are slow at hearing, not listening as Samuel (I Samuel 3) experienced. So I called Jim and said “This is Jim Fillingim, what is going on?” He began shouting over the phone–and finally when he got his composure, said:“I have been praying about whether I should stay in the pastorate or go to the mission field; and I couldn’t get a clear decision. In frustration, I cried out to the Lord and said, ‘If you want me on the mission field, have someone call me in the next 15 minutes’!” Wow, Wow, Wow He finished that year at Milton and spent the rest of his ministry on the mission field!

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A second experience just about three weeks ago. We were camping with friends in Florala, Al. This friend said she was having chest pains and they called the paramedics to take her to the Malbis ER. They transferred her by ambulance to Thomas Hospital. Persons were all around her bed when she said, “I saw God” in the room and heard the words, “Everything will be all right”. Immediately peace came over her and she was radiant in telling us her story. Wow. They did put in three stents.What a witness.

Then lastly, a witness that you probably heard the same time I did. This person was trying to make a decision about a job. Having prayed and yet no clear word. While visiting family in Kentucky, a scripture plague on the wall was used by the Spirit to answer that prayer. The Scripture read: “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” ( Isaiah 43:19). Yes, the witness of the Spirit to Pastor Bill to become Pastor of Five Rivers Methodist Church. Wow, Wow and again I say Wow. Thank You Holy Spirit! By the way, that is where Bill and Beth are this weekend; her sister is getting married.