Christian Living
Larry Lilly's Letter Tuesday September 25, 2007
I often read and have written articles on "Burn Out." A few years ago it was the hot topic among Christian workers and seemed to be the number one cause of dropping out of ministry. It is beyond interesting that most of the writing on the subject is more Freudian than biblical, but even so a little help was gathered and some were helped.
The help from every article on burn out is the clear identification of suffering from a Messianic complex and how to overcome this mental disease, the premise being that if you think you are a Messiah you are as nutty as a fruitcake. You are not God and that is a good thing. Another benefit of the articles is the biblical insistence on getting proper rest, which most Christian workers fail to do for any number of reasons. Fatigue resulting from over exertion and improper diet has wrecked has more workers than just Elijah under a Juniper tree.
Due to the abuse of terminology evangelicals have avoided a truth that I saw demonstrated when I was barely 21 years old. What enters your mind when I use the term, "Filled with the Holy Spirit?" If you are like most Christian's scenes of extremism parade before your imagination. Yet being filled with the Spirit is a biblical term and truth.
The truth from my youth is simple. A teen at a church camp bet, yep you read it right, that he could put a paper cup in the camp fire and it would not burn. The other kids from Poker Playing homes took him up on the bet which totaled the enormous sum of five dollars. The boy took a paper cup, filled it with water, placed in the center of the fire. The cup began to curl just above the water line, but that was it, the cup did not burn. The kid took the cup out of the fire and emptied it and then threw it back into the fire and it was consumed in a flash.
When we are filled or if you will, controlled by the Holy Spirit we are given enough wisdom and courage to throw off the illegitimate pressures of our life and also the internal supernatural power to withstand those the Lord is using to help us to continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ.
The teen who won the bet told us that there was an illustration associated with the cup and fire deal, but he had forgotten what it was! The church by and large has also forgotten the application.
Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:18:
"And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;"
My long time pastor and friend, Dr. Tom Wallace used to ask groups point blank, “Are you filled with the Holy Spirit right now?” Good question, but tragically most had no idea as to how to properly answer the question. How about you?
Larry Lilly Copyright © 2007 Use with credit.
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This one merits a reply! Most people who claim to be filled with the Spirit walk around with a phony smile (make that grimace) on their face and tell you what a joy (grimace again) it is to be a Christian. I suppose they are doing what their image of a Christian should be doing.
Many others experience an emotional and physical release culminating in shouts, waving limbs and running high-jumps. This is the same momentary euphoria exhibited by those in the heat of pashionate patriotic fervor during an exhortation to jingoism by an accomplished political speaker. It is a mob hysteria of sorts. You can see it in the faces of the crowd. Usually it passes by the next day and it's back to business as usual. Those Spirit filled leapers are just as mean, crooked and devious as ever and are worn out after a long day of sinning.
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit to me means a sense of peace and quiet confidence. It is the assurance, not the forlorn wish or demented raving, that all is well. As Allstate says,
"We are in good hands."
I have a sign in my kitchen. It brings me back to reality every time messianic thoughts creep into my feeble mind.
YOU ARE NOT IRREVOCABLY RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING. THAT'S MY JOB.
And I don't need your help! ..................................GOD
Austin