As God’s people, we must pursue both the fullness of God’s Word and the fullness of God’s Spirit. Anything less is a deficient, non-biblical Christianity.
Jesus revealed the type of walk and worship God has called us to walk in during His interaction with the woman at the well in John 4. Jesus had a supernatural revelation of her life during their conversation, causing her to “perceive that Jesus was a prophet” (John 4:19). Probably feeling shut out from God, she asked Him a question about the proper way to serve/worship God.
- John 4:21-24 Jesus *said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father…(23) “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. (24) “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
We need both spirit and truth in our worship and walk with God. The challenge with Christian tradition is that groups tend to pursue one extreme to the minimization of the other. God’s people can attempt to worship and serve God with truth, but not Holy Spirit, or try to worship and serve God with the Holy Spirit, but limited by truth. Either direction, excluding the other, will lead us into a ditch of error. God has called us stay on His roadway, embracing both.
We need the fullness of God to carry out His will, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, all working in our lives. Furthermore, we must avoid THE NON-CHARISMATIC DITCH OF FATHER, SON, AND HOLY BIBLE and THE CHARISMATIC DITCH OF FATHER, SON, AND HOLY EXPERIENCE/ENCOUNTER.
I remember one of my favorite preachers expressing the challenges associated with either extreme. “If we try to serve God with truth but no Spirit, we will dry up, but if we attempt to serve God with Spirit and no truth, we will blow up. We need both!”
With all the current leadership scandals, many of them coming from the charismatic persuasion, this has reinforced an anti-charismatic posture. Non-charismatics have an attitude of “See, I told you if you pursue that charismatic stuff, you will end up in crazy land promoting hidden sin.” Even some Charismatics are responding to the shame with cynicism and minimizing the importance of Spiritual gifts and encounters.
We must be cautious to stay out of the non-charismatic ditch, because that is just as dangerous as the ditch on the other side. Nowhere in the New Testament does it tell us to seek less of Holy Spirit’s power and influence, only more. Jesus stood up on the last day of the feast and loudly proclaimed, “If anyone is thirsty, let him keep coming to me and keep drinking, and out of his mouth will flow rivers of living water…He spoke of the Spirit that was to be given” (John 7:37-39).
Paul echoes a similar command regarding God’s desire for us to be full of Holy Spirit.
- Ephesians 5:18-19 (ISV) Stop getting drunk with wine, which leads to wild living, but keep on being filled with the Spirit. (19) speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.
I love Matthew Henry’s commentary on that verse (Henry was not a Charismatic but saw the clear intention of Paul’s exhortation from God’s word.
“The meaning of the exhortation is that men should labor for a plentiful measure of the Spirit, that would fill their souls with great joy, strength, and courage, which things sensual men expect their wine should inspire them with. We cannot be guilty of any excess in our endeavours after these: nay, we ought not to be satisfied with a little of the Spirit, but aspiring after greater measures, so as to be filled with the Spirit” – Matthew Henry Commentary.
I have heard some of the anti-charismatic rhetoric, advocating more word-based practice (word without Spirit) with sayings such as “IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW HIGH YOU JUMP IN A MEETING, BUT HOW STRAIGHT YOU WALK WHEN YOU LEAVE.” While there is truth in this, the ditch on the other side of the spiritual roadway is just as problematic: “IT MATTERS NOT ONLY HOW STRAIGHT YOU WALK WHEN YOU LEAVE A MEETING, BUT WHETHER HOLY SPIRIT ACTUALLY MOVED YOU WHILE THERE, AND EMPOWERS YOU TO WALK STRAIGHT ALL THE TIME.” If not, you are only walking in your power, not God’s.
A straight walk without God’s active presence is just human ability. If we don’t burn with Holy Spirit’s fire, we can walk straight, but it will be cold and lifeless.” We will never experience what the disciples on the Emmaus Road experienced when Jesus walked with them: “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us as we walked on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures?” (Luke 24:32).
Jesus strongly challenged the church in Laodicea, which was heading towards the ditch of truth without Spirit. Their walk was becoming cold and lifeless. We need “gold refined by fire (Holy Spirit’s fire).”
- Revelation 3:14-19 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write…(15) ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. (16) ‘So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth..(18) I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire…(19) ‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.
Practical Steps in Pursuing both Spirit and Truth.
If we want to avoid the ditch of truth without Spirit, we must be intentional. Here are some biblical steps.
1. Cultivate Godly Thirst and Hunger.
Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty…” Thirst precedes filling. Ask the Lord to awaken desire in you. Pray honestly “Lord, I do not want mere information about You. I want Your active presence.” Refuse spiritual complacency.
2. Pray specifically to Jesus to be freshly filled with Holy Spirit.
Obey Ephesians 5:18 and John 7 by asking daily to be filled afresh. Jesus is clearly revealed as the one who baptizes us in Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33). As we pray, we ask and seek Him for fresh fillings.
3. Linger in Worship and Prayer Beyond Formalities.
Do not rush through worship or prayer as a formality. Stay until your heart engages. Don’t just quickly and religiously move beyond the outward expressions. Listen, connect, and give God His space to ignite within us.
4. Welcome Holy Spirit’s Refining Fire.
Jesus told Laodicea to “buy gold refined by fire.” Holy Spirit does not only comfort; He purifies. If you resist conviction, you will quench His fire. Quickly repent of things He reveals to keep our hearts tender.
5. Expect the Spirit to Move Through God’s Word.
Do not separate Bible reading from Spirit expectancy. Before reading, pray, “Open my eyes. Let my heart burn as You speak.” Holy Spirit wrote the Word. His role, as defined by Jesus, is “to lead and guide us into all truth” (John 16:13). He loves to illuminate it.
6. Guard Against Cynicism
Scandals and excesses can produce suspicion. But cynicism will also quench the Spirit moving. God spoke through Ezekiel during a difficult time among God’s people, producing suspicion: “Son of man, what is this proverb you people have…’The days are long, and every vision fails’? Therefore, say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “I will make this proverb cease so that they will no longer use it as a proverb in Israel.” But tell them, “The days draw near as well as the fulfillment of every vision” (Eze 12:21-23).
Discernment is biblical and prized, but cynicism that causes us to back off is not. Paul instructs the church in Thessalonica to avoid this very tendency when it comes to hearing from God with Spirit-inspired prophetic utterances. “Quenching the Spirit” (to “quench” means to “extinguish or cause to be put out”) and “despising prophetic utterances” (to “despise” means “to treat with contempt, look down upon”) have a corresponding effect. The solution to imperfect use isn’t non-use but right use. That is why Paul instructs how to navigate this: “examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good.”
- 1Thessalonians 5:19-21 Do not quench the Spirit; (20) do not despise prophetic utterances. (21) But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;
We need to firmly stay anchored in truth while at the same time pursue Holy Spirit’s life and power. If not, like the religious leaders of Jesus’ and Paul’s day, we will attempt to walk in God’s word according to human ability and understanding.
- John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
- 2 Corinthians 3:6 The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
We need a Spirit-empowered/inspired relationship with Jesus based on His unchanging word. During these times of darkness being revealed, God isn’t calling us to choose between Word and Spirit but to walk in the blazing center of both. Truth keeps fire pure, and the Spirit keeps the truth alive.