April 13

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD”(Isaiah 55:8).

This scripture must be ever before us; it speaks a truth that we need to be constantly reminded of. The old man cannot comprehend the thoughts of God; he must be put off.

The only way that man can comprehend the thoughts of God is to be born again of the Holy Spirit and put on the new man, “the one being created in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Ephesians 4:24).

That old man cannot receive the things of God for, as John the Baptist said; “Unless it has been given from heaven, a man is not able to receive anything” (John 3:27).

Paul put it another way; “even so the things of God none know, save the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:11). And again; “The natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

There is an eternal principle here; if we want to know and comprehend the mind, thoughts or ways of God we must first receive the One who is the guardian of the secrets of God; the Holy Spirit. The secret things belong to God and while man is allowed to search them out, the revelation of divine truth can only be released to one who is submitted to the authority and Lordship of Christ Jesus.

Jesus Himself confirmed this when He told the disciples; “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:12-13). There is nothing that we can receive of God unless the Holy Spirit brings it. We can study, attend classes, write songs and books and achieve high position in the Church, but unless the Holy Spirit has brought what we have, it is of no avail, either to ourselves or anyone else.

This is the problem with the Churches today; they seek to win a man by persuasion and worldly methods but the very best that they can do is to make Church members. The conversion of sinners is the work of the Holy Spirit. When the Church does the work, it makes proselytes and while they can know the doctrine and know about Christ dying for their sins and gain promotion within the Church, preach the Word and do all sorts of things that impress man, their faith is built upon the Church and they are born of man, not God.

On the other hand, when the Holy Spirit does the work, the work is done by God and the foundation of their faith is the Rock Himself.

The Church converts have the Christ of history, the One Who was; those born of the Holy Spirit have the One Who is, the One Whom only the Holy Spirit can reveal.

The importance of the Holy Spirit doing the work is emphasised by Jesus Himself; “The one believing in Me, just as the scripture said, ‘Out from the innermost parts of him will flow rivers of living water. Now this He said about the Spirit, Whom those who believed in Him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:38-9).

The Spirit had not been given and so the disciples at that point did not understand the things of God that Jesus had told them of. The reason that the Spirit was not yet given was that “Jesus was not yet glorified”. When Jesus was glorified by the Father, the Holy Spirit was given. There is a principle here; when we glorify Jesus, we too, will receive the Spirit. We saw this happen with the disciples at Pentecost and scripture reveals the utter transformation in their lives. That is what the Spirit is given for and if that doesn’t happen, we must question the foundation of our faith; are we born again of the Spirit, or are we proselytes of the Church?