Week #4 - “Rattling around the Attic”: What does it mean to Abide?
Blog Series Intention Recap: Over October, I want to encourage you to journey alongside the Holy Spirit, understanding His roles as a friend, educator, source of solace, and guiding presence. This exploration involves examining the Holy Spirit's interactions with New Testament believers, contemplating the invaluable gifts He provides, and discerning our appropriate responses. Hopefully, by the end of the series, you will no longer be “Scared of the Ghost.”
This post is part of the series “Scared of the Ghost.” Click here to check out the other posts.
Let’s jump into Week 4:
In the song “Little Talks” by Of Monsters and Men, it seems there is a conversation between two people. One has died, and the other wanders around the “old and empty house.” The song explores the theme of communication and the complexities of relationships. The "little talks" in the song represent attempts to bridge the gap and communicate their feelings and fears. The song discusses the need for open and honest communication in relationships, mainly when dealing with complex or emotional issues. The catchy melody and upbeat tempo provide a stark contrast to the underlying theme of struggle and longing, making it a poignant and emotionally resonant song. The song reminded me of the concept of something rattling in the attic. We may hear something in the attic, but we don’t know what we hear, nor can we engage with what is making the sound.
Sometimes, my relationship with God feels this way. In this installment of “Scared of the Ghost,” I wanted to explore the connection between abiding in Jesus and what yielding to the Holy Spirit means. These two thoughts allow us to hear God speak, but often, we perceive the voice speaking to us as something rattling in the attic of our brain. We miss what God intends to relate to us, and we seriously feel abandoned. However, if we can figure out how to abide in Jesus and yield to the Holy Spirit, we can feel connected to God and let Him empower us to accomplish the tasks he has for us.
ABIDING
In John 15:1-17, Jesus employs a timeless agricultural metaphor to illuminate the concept of abiding in Him as the vine. He vividly portrays Himself as the true vine and believers as the branches. Just as the vitality and fruitfulness of a branch are entirely dependent on its connection to the vine, our spiritual lives find their abundance and vibrancy when we remain intimately connected to Christ. Abiding in Him is not a one-time decision but an ongoing, intimate relationship that requires nurturing and intentionality.
God forges this connection with us through various means, with prayer and scripture study as starting points. Just as a branch receives nourishment, sustenance, and life from the vine, we, as believers, derive our spiritual nourishment, strength, and vitality from Jesus through prayer, which provides our communion with the Trinity. His Word, the living and transformative truth, becomes our guide, revealing His character and will and shaping our thoughts and actions. The Psalmist references this kind of communication in the Beth Stanza of Psalm 119 when he asks and answers, “How can a young man keep his way pure? .,.. I have stored up your word in my heart.”
The significance of abiding in Jesus is its role as the conduit for the Holy Spirit's transformative work within us. This continual connection and surrender to Jesus brings an opportunity for His life-giving power to flow through us, enabling the development and manifestation of the Fruit of the Spirit. Just as a branch yields fruit when it remains firmly attached to the vine, we, as branches of the true vine, bear the Fruit of the Spirit when we abide in Jesus.
The process of abiding in Jesus focuses on our spiritual maturation. As we remain connected to Him, our desires align with Him, our thoughts reflect His wisdom, and our actions mirror His character. The Fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – becomes a natural outpouring of this deep connection. Love and joy emanate from a heart that remains in communion with the source of love and joy. Peace becomes the hallmark of a soul anchored in Christ, even amidst life's storms.
Abiding in Jesus is not a choice to be made once but a daily, even hourly, necessity for the Christ follower. This choice serves as the source of our spiritual vitality, strength, and the transformation of our character. In embracing this ongoing relationship, we experience the fulfillment of Christ's promise: "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you" (John 15:7). Our desires become aligned with His, and our prayers find resonance with His will.
In essence, abiding in Christ becomes a way of life. Abiding in Christ provides the source of spiritual nourishment, the fountain of divine strength, and the key to bearing the Fruit of the Spirit. It represents a continual, intimate relationship with the One who is the source of all virtues. It leads to a life marked by the transformative power of love, joy, peace, and all the other fruits of the Spirit. Through abiding in Christ, we find our lives deeply rooted in the true vine, and the evidence of His presence and character blossoms in and through us.
YIELDING
Where abiding in Jesus focuses on the relational aspect of you and God, yielding to the Holy Spirit connects you and God in activity with others. Abiding involves getting to know God through prayer and scripture. Abiding involves spending time growing your character and who God has developed you to be. Yielding involves taking the developed character and putting it out into the world. Yielding to the Holy Spirit is a partnership with the Trinity, which includes God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is often seen as the divine presence of God within the believer, guiding and empowering them in their Christian walk. Here is what it means to yield to the Holy Spirit
Acknowledging the Presence: Yielding to the Holy Spirit begins with recognizing and acknowledging the presence of the Holy Spirit in one's life. It's an understanding that, as a Christian, you have received the Holy Spirit as a gift from God. The Holy Spirit sealed you. As the Holy Spirit sealed you, your spiritual giftings were put into place for the day you would begin to manifest them.
Surrendering Control: Yielding to the Holy Spirit involves submitting control of one's life to the guidance and influence of the Holy Spirit. This means acknowledging that you can't live a righteous and spiritually fulfilling life on your own and that you need the Holy Spirit's help. In I Corinthians 14, Paul makes it clear the Holy Spirit does not take over our bodies like possession but works through our conscious thoughts and acts (gifts) to accomplish the purpose of God and His Kingdom through us.
Seeking Guidance: Christians who yield to the Holy Spirit seek His guidance in their decisions, actions, and daily life. This guidance can come through prayer, a meditation on the Scriptures, and an openness to the Spirit's leading. The Holy Spirit will sometimes confirm his guidance through other believers.
Fruit of the Spirit: One of the key aspects of yielding to the Holy Spirit is the desire to bear the "fruit of the Spirit," as described in Galatians 5:22-23. This fruit includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Yielding to the Holy Spirit means allowing these qualities to develop and manifest in one's life.
Empowerment: The Holy Spirit empowers believers to live out their faith. This empowerment includes the ability to resist sinful behaviors, overcome trials, and serve others in love and compassion. The empowerment also comes in the form of the desire to share the Gospel with people who are far from God.
Gifts and Talents: Christians who yield to the Holy Spirit are often believed to receive spiritual gifts, such as teaching, prophecy, healing, and discernment. These gifts are given for the benefit of the community and should be used to build up the body of believers. They are not to measurements of spiritual maturity or ways we make ourselves famous. Isaiah 26:8 says, “Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your truth, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.” Our gifts should always be employed with a heart to make God famous, not ourselves.
Life Transformation: Yielding the Holy Spirit leads to personal transformation. The Holy Spirit works within the believer to transform their character, making them more Christlike in their attitudes and behaviors.
Prayer and Worship: Prayer and worship are key ways to yield to the Holy Spirit. Through prayer, Christians can seek the Spirit's guidance and presence, and through worship, they can express their reverence and love for God. Paul describes this when he talks about this phenomenon in Romans 8:26-27. The Holy Spirit can pray through us when we do not know how to pray.
Community and Service: Yielding to the Holy Spirit often leads to a desire to serve others and be part of a faith community. He encourages believers to use their gifts and talents to benefit others and build a strong, supportive Christian community. We are all members of one body through the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 12).
In essence, yielding to the Holy Spirit is about living a life guided by God's presence to bring the flesh and soul into submission to God’s Spirit. Living in submission to the Holy Spirit involves surrendering control, seeking guidance, and allowing the Spirit to work in and through you to bear fruit and transform your life to be more in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ. This aspect of our faith emphasizes the importance of a dynamic relationship with God through the Holy Spirit.
So, How Does This Help Me Not Be “Scared of the Ghost?”
First, like the early Hebrews, when we look through the lens of Genesis 1, we have a God who wants to spend time with us. The God who transcends time and material space wants us to abide with him in the spiritual dimension. The Holy Spirit makes us aware and helps us. I think this idea explains Paul’s journey transcending time and space to what he refers to as the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2-4. God wants to be with us beyond this world and goes to the ends of humanity to destroy death, and the separation from God humanity experiences. These words should comfort us and create in us a desire to abide.
Second, we should be honored God has not only repaired the relationship with us. However, it goes deeper. God wants to empower us to help with the process of improving His relationship with others. Don’t misunderstand me. The work of salvation is accomplished and finished. However, like the heralds of kingdoms, we get to spread the message of this good news (the gospel). God wants to empower and release us into a world. One of my favorite quotes comes from a Trappist Monk named Thomas Merton. While Merton and I may disagree on lots of points of theology, we can agree on this thought:
God utters me like a word containing a partial thought of him. A word will never be able to comprehend the voice that utters it. But if I am true to the concept that God utters in me, if I am true to the thought of Him that I was meant to embody, I shall be full of his actuality and find him everywhere in myself, and find myself nowhere.
- Thomas Merton (2007). “New Seeds of Contemplation”, p.37, New Directions Publishing
Just like John, I can rest in the fact I must decrease, and he must increase. When the Church yields to the power of the Holy Spirit, the world will know who Jesus is and what he has come to do. When we abide in Jesus, we get the capacity to yield in great ways. As the song says, “Greater things are yet to come, Greater things are yet to be done.”
I hope you have enjoyed this series. I plan to post on Halloween a special edition of “Scared of the Ghost.” I want to take some time and unpack the concept of the Baptism of the Spirit. I don’t think any real conversation about the Holy Spirit can be complete without it.
