Read on if you dare & judge yourself...
This evening, I wrapped up an article on the Holy Spirit by J.C. Ryle (click here for full text). Below you will find a synopsis of what I considered the most important part of the text.
The article weighed on me a great kind of heavy that convicted me of righteousness and the need to be frank and honest with myself first and with the body of Christ as well as with an unbelieving world.
- A Jesus Follower Is Filled With Christ's Spirit
"If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him." (Romans 8:9)
- Sign #1 - A Jesus Follower Has Conviction of Sin & Then Repents
Where the Holy Spirit is, there will always be deep conviction of sin, and true repentance for it. He shows the exceeding holiness of God.
He teaches the exceeding corruption and infirmity of our nature. He strips us of our blind self-righteousness. He opens our eyes to our awful guilt, folly and danger. He fills the heart with sorrow, contrition, and abhorrence for sin, as the abominable thing which God hates.
- Sign #2 - A Jesus Follower Has Lively Faith In Jesus
Where the Holy Spirit is, there will always be lively faith in Jesus Christ, as the only Savior. He leads the soul which feels its sin, to Jesus and the atonement made by His blood. He shows the soul that Christ has suffered for sin, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God. He points out to the sin-sick soul that we have only to receive Christ, believe in Christ, commit ourselves to Christ, and pardon, peace, and life eternal, are at once our own.
He makes us see a beautiful fitness in Christ's finished work of redemption to meet our spiritual necessities. He makes us willing to disclaim all merit of our own and to venture all on Jesus, looking to nothing, resting on nothing, trusting in nothing but Christ, Christ, "delivered for our offenses, and raised again for our justification." (Rom. 4:25.)
- Sign #3 - A Jesus Follower Desires A Holy Life & Holy Conversation
Where the Holy Spirit is, there will always be holiness of life and conversation. He is the sanctifying Spirit. He takes away the hard, carnal, worldly heart of man, and puts in its place a tender, conscientious, spiritual heart, delighting in the Word of God.
He makes a man turn his face towards God, and desire above all things to please Him, and turn his back on the fashion of this world, and no longer make that fashion his God. He sows in a man's heart the blessed seeds of "love, joy, meekness, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, temperance," and causes these seeds to spring up and bear pleasant fruit. (Gal. 5:22.)
- Sign #4 - A Jesus Follower Has A Habit of Prayer
Where the Holy Spirit is, there will always be the habit of earnest private prayer. He works in the heart as the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba, Father. He makes a man feel that he must cry to God, and speak to God—feebly, falteringly, weakly, it may be—but cry he must about his soul.
He makes it as natural to a man to pray as it is to an infant to breathe; with this one difference—that the infant breathes without an effort, and the new-born soul prays with much conflict and strife.
- Sign #5 - A Jesus Follower Loves The Bible
Finally, where the Holy Spirit is, there will always be love and reverence for God's Word. He shows man a fullness, and depth, and wisdom, and sufficiency, in the Holy Scripture, which is utterly hid from a natural man's eyes.
He draws him to the Word with an irresistible force, as the light and lantern, and manna, and sword, which are essential to a safe journey through this world. If the man cannot read He makes him love to hear—if he cannot hear He makes him love to meditate. But to the Word the Spirit always leads him.
If after reading this you find yourself questioning your faith in Jesus, then great! That's a good thing. Make sure that you are in the faith. The last thing you want is a weak faith in a dress wearing hippie poet from Israel who said neat things but is powerless to change you. That's a fake impotent Jesus. He's not the real McCoy.
The real Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and was full of power to make change happen. And He did.
Make sure you are bending toward His will. You may not have arrived but make sure you are heading in the right direction.
But don't be fooled, if you are running 100 miles an hour in the opposite direction, away from everything that is pure and holy and true, then it is time for you to check yourself.
You may be hell bound.
And if you are a Christian and you've taking the plunge into a great backslide then wake up, the mercy and grace of God calls to you to come home. Come back to the family of God. Come back into the arms of a loving God... before He hands you over to Satan so he can deal with you and drive you back to Himself.
Either way, check yourself. Make sure you're sure. Then check again. This is serious. It's not a social club buddy. It's not a game.
It's about glorifying Christ from one of two places, willingly in the presence of God, or begging for mercy & to experience the richness of Jesus with your knees bent while being licked by the fires of hell.
