Title: Evidence of a Spirit-filled life
Galatians (27) Evidence of the Spirit-filled life (Galatians 5:16-21)
< Be guided by the Holy Spirit >
What is the life of faith? The life of faith is not a discipline that develops oneself through effort. It's not about adorning the outside with culture, and it's not about memorizing the Bible. If we can describe the life of faith in one word, it is a life led by the Holy Spirit. No matter how perfect a person is of faith, if he does not obey the small voice of the Holy Spirit, he is not a person of true faith.
When a believer accepts Jesus as the Savior, he becomes a child of God and immediately the Holy Spirit takes up residence in him. What does the Holy Spirit do when he dwells in the heart of the believer? He will lead the Israelites day by day in detail, just as he led the Israelites through a cloud and a pillar of fire. “Anyone! You shouldn't say that. You shouldn't think like that. You must not act like that.” A person of true faith is one who submits himself to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Even when I hear something I can't stand, I endure when the Holy Spirit tells me to endure it. No matter how small a mistake is made, if the Holy Spirit points out that small mistake, we repent deeply and obey what the Holy Spirit tells us to do even if immediate damage occurs. On the other hand, a person who is immersed in the work of the flesh quenches the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and grieves the Holy Spirit by putting his thoughts and circumstances ahead. If you do not obey the Holy Spirit even if you keep holy on Sundays, pay tithes, and go to church for a long time, it is dead faith.
In verses 19-21 of the text, there are 16 kinds of physical life that do not walk according to the Holy Spirit. Among these, three sexual sins are mentioned first (v. 19). After all, the most important factor preventing the filling of the Holy Spirit is sexual sin. Some commentators have said that sexual seduction is like the beautiful grassy hills of the Alps. It is said that many of them slipped and died on that grassy hill. In fact, many saints and spiritual leaders have fallen because of sexual sins. Therefore, the most important thing to watch out for is sexual sin.
< Evidence of a life filled with the Holy Spirit >
Always cherish the guidance of the Holy Spirit in your religious life. Even when you hear the word of God, you must be moved by the Holy Spirit to hear it as the word of life given to you. In other words, the logos, the written word, need the help of the Holy Spirit to become the rhema, the word spoken to them. Also, the most important problem in living as a saint is overcoming hatred for someone. If the Holy Spirit helps you, you can overcome even the heart of hatred. The Japanese saint Kanjo Uchimura said: “When you fire the gun of hate, I fire the cannon of love.” That confession is the greatest confession of a person filled with the Holy Spirit.
To be filled with the Holy Spirit means to be filled with the Holy Spirit only with words and not to have a sense of spiritual superiority. In particular, three powers, namely, the power of faith, the power of love, and the power of hope, must be shown as evidence. If you have the power of faith, your heart will overflow with joy. If you have the ability to love, your ability to look at people prettily becomes excellent. If you have the power of hope, you will be busy with God's work. So, when the power of the Holy Spirit appears, ‘I am glad. pretty. Evidence of ‘busy’ of ‘busy’ appears. Be the witnesses of the Spirit-filled faith with such evidence.
In Acts 1:8 it is said: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” The term “end of the earth” means “a distant region” in a local sense, but it can also be substituted for “the most difficult reality” in a spiritual sense. In the midst of such great suffering and trials, do not lose the life of a witness full of joy and gratitude, and furthermore, become spirit-filled souls who can even die for God's holy will.